Beat of Distant Hearts

Through the lives and works of poets, singers and painters, Beat of Distant Hearts explores the collective experience of exile, loss and war in Western Sahara and offers insight into how these art forms have played a role in the ongoing struggle.

Nearly 200,000 Saharawi refugees live in the barren desert of southwestern Algeria. A former nomadic society, the Saharawis, who have been under Spanish colonial rule for 90 years, were forced to flee their homeland when Morocco was invaded in 1975.

Against all odds, they have sought to keep their culture alive while carrying on their fight to gain the independence of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa.

Genre: Documentary