Identity under construction by Elli Lorz

Western Sahara is the last remaining colony in Africa.Formerly a Spanish colony, it is bordered by Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria and was illegally annexed by Morocco in 1975.

The UN regularly points to the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. Despite this reminder, a status quo prevails, allowing the Morrocan occupation to intensify day by day.

Using ‘fait accompli’ tactics, Morocco has demarcated a territory, defending it with a 2500km long wall. The occupation of this land is an effort to render the right of the Sahrawi people to a referendum of self-determination obsolete. Moroccan strategy involves militarization of the desert, exploitation of ressources, town planning, settlement campaigns for Moroccans and the wiping out of Sahrawi culture.Moroccan constructions in the desert are the tangible form of this territorial con ict which has been dragging on since 1975

As nomadism is forbidden, towns enforce a socio-political framework which leads to forcible assimilation and a monitoring of Sahrawi resistance.

“The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of Its own population Into the territories it occupies”

Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 49

The town of Laâyoune is the cornerstone of Moroccan policies for Western Sahara. The town has expanded rapidly despite its hostile environment (desert encroachment, limited water resources) From 6,000 inhabitants in 1975 to 200,000 today, and including only 10% of Sahrawis. By massively investing in the territory, Morocco tries to legitimise its colonization.

The brutal occupation by Morocco in 1975 expelled most of the Sahrawi population from its territory to refugee camps in the Algerian desert. The Sahrawis who remained in occupied territory are a minority subjected to repression by the Moroccan authorities. Human constructions constitute the spatial setting of the combat between a colonial power that regulates numerous aspects of daily lives on colonized people, and the means of resistance created against such regulation. Architecture is a spatial apparatus, a fundamental component of occupation and domination.

Being under constant surveillance by Moroccan security forces, Sahrawi activism is harshly repressed. Freedom of expression and assembly are severely restricted, human rights violated. The authorities deny entry to Western Sahara, or expels foreigners : journalists, human rights experts, jurists, activists, UN staff members. In this territory, one can be guilty of an offence for recognizing the existence of Western Sahara as a separate entity from Morocco and liable to imprisonment for jeopardizing state security at risk. Deciphering the landscape and urban planning is a way to bypass the lack of freedom due to police obstruction. This shattered nature carries within it the traces of man and his intentions.

Sakia El Hamra river, in the Haouza area. Some members of the Reguibat tribe live here. Their economy depends on the breeding of camels. Their traditional way of life, outside the city, constitutes a form of resistance to Moroccan occupation. During the winter months, Moroccan shepherds come from Beni Mellal (1000km North) to allow their sheep to graze. The grass being intensively exploited for a short time, the Sahrawi are left without pasture for the rest of the year. This intermittent occupation generates conflicts. In response, the Sahrawi set up stone markers to delineate their pasture spaces, but these boundaries are not respected.

About Elli Lorz

Having graduated from the Beaux-Arts School of Valence (France), Elli embarked on a one year documentary project, cycling from Paris to Abidjan. Alternating between photo, video and drawing, she documented DIY cultures. This project resulted in awards in festivals, and various photo exhibitions (Les Rencontres d’Arles, Lille 3000, Dak’art biennale in Senegal).Since 2015, Elli has mainly focused on a long-term project based on the influence of town-planning in Africa’s last remaining colony: Western Sahara. This project was presented for the first time in 2017 during the Nuit de l’année, Rencontres d’Arles festival and selected as « Coup de coeur » of the Jury by Fisheye magazine.