Aminatou Haidar- The importance of place.

[Christine Murray]

I saw this last week and indeed suppose I have followed it a while. Many of us are familiar
with names, the naming of things and have a sense of place. Indeed, mostly when a parent
names a child , they know that they will carry that name through their life and possibly
have it etched onto their gravestone (unless they happen to live somewhere where people
disappear or get brutalised by governments).

Morocco has taken the woman's identity cos she is not Moroccan and she has been
on hunger-strike at Lanzarote. We all know about Passports too (they get traded by
people with influence or nicked for the black market, mostly travel is impossible without
them and those who don't possess them are called Sin Papales in that part of
the world).


I am putting in the Beeb link : BBC News - Western Sahara hunger striker refuses medical care

And a link to Brian Friel's play about names and naming things: Translations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aminatou's Wikipedia : Aminatou Haidar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Christine Murray]

ongoing reportage here : Hunger-striking Nobel Prize nominee Amainatou Haidar in ?critical condition?

Interesting how migration and dispossession occur, though the irish diaspora are mostly familiar
with that type of history .

[CaptainHornblower]

ongoing reportage here : Hunger-striking Nobel Prize nominee Amainatou Haidar in ?critical condition?

Interesting how migration and dispossession occur, though the irish diaspora are mostly familiar
with that type of history .

It's a side issue I know, but why do we still refer to an 'Irish diaspora'? Over the centuries as many (if not more) Scots, Welsh and English emigrated, but we don't hear them referring to themselves as a 'diaspora'.

[Christine Murray]

maybe cos theres a strong rootedness about our diaspora. Though in fairness it does have a whiff of romanticised twaddle about it , that has caused some insufferable horseshyte in the US and Belgium.

[CaptainHornblower]

Furthermore, in his article in today's Independent Kevin Myers refers to himself as part of the 'Irish diaspora'. How does he make that out?

[Christine Murray]

*He hasn't left* ... back on topic, or l shall talk of lrish investment in Leuven while stealing from elderly and young here.

[Christine Murray]

not alone has Zapatero been really quiet about what is occurring on Spanish soil;but the EU
is continuing with Moroccan relations also. Are the EU investigating Saharan drug routes or ensuring
the woman's health and safety is monitored- or is it all about relations of convenience with Morrocco;

FEDISSAH president demands government solution to Haidar situation

[Truth.ie]

AFAIK She was in the Canaries and returning to the disputed Western Sahara region which is claimed by Morocco. On arrival a border guard asked her to fill out a form which included the question "country of birth?". She point blank refused to write Morocco on the form and was subsequently deported back to the Canaries, where she began a hunger strike in the Airport lobby.
Spain, more than any other country have been canvassing for her, and even offered her a Spanish passport to return home but she refused. She is 29 days now without food, but appears remarkably healthy. She is taking water with high sugar content.

[Christine Murray]

AFAIK She was in the Canaries and returning to the disputed Western Sahara region which is claimed by Morocco. On arrival a border guard asked her to fill out a form which included the question "country of birth?". She point blank refused to write Morocco on the form and was subsequently deported back to the Canaries, where she began a hunger strike in the Airport lobby.
Spain, more than any other country have been canvassing for her, and even offered her a Spanish passport to return home but she refused. She is 29 days now without food, but appears remarkably healthy. She is taking water with high sugar content.

you forgot to mention that her passport was seized