LAUNCH FEATURE #1: British-Saharawi drama

Henry Blake, actor and member of Caravanserai Productions and Acting Studio in London, performs with aspiring Saharawi actor, Zrug Lula, in THE WALL-presented as a work in progress at the 2007 Sandblast Festival. This historic British Saharawi theatre collaboration, will be premiered in full on July 23rd, 2009 in London. A few preview scenes will be presented on JUNE 12 at the Sandblast cultural launch of Running the Sahara 2010.

Now renamed THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL, the play tells the story of the Saharawi struggle through the extraordinary life story of ElKeihal, a Saharawi poet, separated from his mother as a young boy at the height of the war, in Western Sahara, who does not reunite with her until 21 years later.

Check DON'T MISS THIS closer to the date for details.

Special Guest confirmed

We are delighted to announce that Sahal Hmatou Amaidane will be a special guest at the launch of “Running the Sahara 2010”. Salah is a political refugee from Western Sahara in France. He has dedicated most of his sports career to running for the freedom of his people and homeland, occupied by Morocco since 1975. For his athletic and political aspirations, Salah has endured all kinds of physical and emotional hardships: most recently a brutal attack by two Moroccan men in the Pyrenees while he was training alongside Paula Radcliffe.

Alongside other marathon participants of the 2009 race, he will share his experiences at the launch evening.

Update 11/6/09: Unfortunately, we have to inform you that Salah Amaidane will not be able to join us for Friday night. We hope to invite him for later this year and will keep you posted.

"Running the Sahara 2010"

On June 12th, Sandblast holds a multimedia launch at London-based Caravanserai Acting Studios to begin recruiting over 100 people for the 10th Saharamarathon in February 2010. Not to be confused with the Marathon de Sables, this cultural evening will inform about the sporting event in the Algerian desert in support of the Saharawi refugees. The Saharawi situation will be introduced by a short documentary, “Deserted” (2007), and the UK premiere of selected preview scenes from the first British-Saharawi play, “The Other Side of the Wall”, directed by Caravanserai founder, Giles Foreman.

The international sporting event takes place in the Saharawi refugee camps in the Algerian Sahara near Tindouf. A full 42-km marathon as well as shorter races of 5km, 10km and a half marathon are organized. Participants live with individual refugee families during their weeklong stay in the camps. The camp-based Saharawi government-in-exile and international volunteers have organized and hosted the event since 2000, to show solidarity with the Saharawi people and raise money for projects to improve the lives of the long-term refugees.

Sandblast is the official UK recruiter for the Saharamarathon in cooperation with the Polisario representation of the UK and Ireland. We aim to fill an entire Air Algerie plane (sponsor in our efforts) with UK participants. The funds raised through your participation go to our long-term goal to set up a professional mobile recording studio and train Saharawis to use and run it in the camps.

Watch this space for confirmation on special guests .