Haiyu - Rebel Singer Mariem Hassan and the Struggle for a Free Western Sahara

• Mohamedsalem Werad, Alex Veitch, Brahim B. Ali, Anna Klara Åhrén
• 90 min
• Western Sahara, Sweden
• 2024

With her unique and powerful voice, rebel singer Mariem Hassan became a symbol of resistance and hope for an independent Western Sahara.

As Spain was pressured to leave Western Sahara in 1975, the country was invaded by neighboring Morocco and Mauritania. The ensuing war and occupation forced tens of thousands of Sahrawis to flee, many ending up in refugee camps in the Algerian desert, where a significant portion of the population still resides today. Among them was 17-year-old Mariem, and it was there that her musical fight for independence began. Guided by Hassan’s impactful songs and lyrics and enriched by extensive archival material, the film collective RåFILM and Saharawi Voice have crafted an urgent document of one of the most enduring and overlooked struggles for independence in modern history.

- Tobias Åkesson

• Motstånd
• Musik
• Dokumentär
• Flykt