I finally managed to watch Sons of the Clouds, The Last Colony by Javier Bardem, a film which stirred outrage in my home country, Morocco, because it supports the independence of Western Sahara from the Kingdom of Morocco. The film is one-sided, but Moroccan diplomats can only blame themselves for this outcome since they have refused every single interview with the film-maker. It is a shame that no representative was able to speak up on a cause that the vast majority of Moroccans defend, and give some much needed historical and political perspective on this 40 year-long issue. One dangerous misconception that the film makes is to treat Moroccans and Sahrawis as different people, rather than the same people with different political aspirations. In the film, Javier suggests that police brutality is heavily directed towards the people of the Sahara, whereas all Moroccans whether from the Sahara or not, actually face the same type of abuse, making us all stand in solidarity against such practices. I also believe that Javier is wrong in treating this subject as a Moroccan colonial plan rather than an initiative from Morocco to rectify the division of Morocco into two European colonies: French in the centre, and Spanish in the North and the South (the Sahara) to keep its territorial integrity. Northern Morocco is still colonised by Spain, something that the Spanish film-makers failed to mention. Nonetheless, I felt it was a very well-directed documentary on a territorial conflict largely ignored by the world and Moroccans especially. If keeping Morocco united is just, and I believe it is, there should be no fear in discussing these issues openly, hearing the opposing view and advancing a more just society.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 10:56:56 +0000
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