SECTIONA: READINGCOMPREHENSION
[30)
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
The Sahara Film Festival
1.
After a bumpy 225km drive from a meagre airstrip in Tindouf, south western Algeria, a
sprawling single-story town begins to emerge from the desert's dust. As the sun climbs in the
cloudless sky, visitors are rewarded with their first glimpse of Dakhla refugee camp. It isn't the most
obvious setting for a film festival, but for seven years, just before the glitz and glamour of Cannes, the
Sahrawi people of Dakhla have hosted actors and film-makers from around the world for this six-day
event. This year, for the first time, direct flights were laid on from London, giving the opportunity for
overseas visitors to play a part in this extraordinary occasion. But despite the energy and excitement,
the background to the film festival is a serious one, as the Sahrawi people have been living for thirty
years in this isolated desert outpost, having been forced to flee their native Western Sahara.
2.
Western Sahara, Africa's last colony, was taken over by Morocco when the Spanish withdrew
in 1976, despite a ruling from the International Court of Justice. This was followed by a brutal 16-year
war, during which time tens of thousands of Sahrawis fled across the Algerian border to refugee
camps. In 1991, a ceasefire agreement was drawn up, in which a referendum on self-determination
was promised to decide the fate of the country and its people. However, almost twenty years later,
the gears of diplomacy have turned slowly and nothing has happened. Meanwhile the refugees have
been left stranded in five refugee camps dotted around the vast, inhospitable desert.
3.
Dakhla, home to nearly 30,000 of these refugees, is the most remote of these camps, being
located 175 km from the nearest city. Unlike its namesake, the beautiful coastal city in Western
Sahara, this Dakhla has no paved roads and is entirely dependent on outside supplies for food and
water. Temperatures regularly top 120 degrees, there is minimal vegetation and there are frequent
sandstorms. Locally it is known as the Devil's Garden. Despite these obvious setbacks, the town is
clean and well organised, with wide sandy streets. Houses and tents are grouped in neat family
compounds. There are hospitals, funded by aid agencies, and a good standard of education. For the
duration of the festival, an articulated lorry is parked in the central compound, and a multiplex-sized
screen is mounted on its side. Around it are stalls and tents housing workshops and exhibitions.
4.
The aim of the festival is to raise international awareness on the plight of the refugees.
However, it also offers a rare chance for the refugees to go to the movies and experience some
educational opportunities. It is hoped that it might foster a new generation of Sahrawi film-makers,
especially as this year, the festival also celebrated the opening of a permanent film, radio and
television school in a neighbouring camp.
5.
The program of films for this year included over forty films from around the world. Films range
from international blockbusters to various works on and by the Sahrawi people. The themes mostly
centre on experiences of struggle and hope, but there were lighter moments, such as an animated
film for the children and a flash of Rachel Weisz's naked bottom during the ancient Egyptian epic
Agora which proved to be a highlight for many older boys. However, the runaway favourite was 'a
Victime', a documentary about Ibrahim Leibeit, a 19-year-old Sahrawi who lost his leg to a land mine
last year.
6.
Films are screened at night, so the daytime is taken up with exhibitions, camel races and
football matches. One afternoon the London-based charity 'Sandblast' put on a joint workshop with
a film-maker, giving refugees the opportunity to learn about filmmaking and create their own video
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