The National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (BNRM) hosted a ceremony on Tuesday in tribute to the Jordanian novelist Mustafa Alqorna and his novel “Fawda Fi Hadikat al Chaytan” (Chaos in the Devil’s Garden), which focuses on the inhuman conditions endured by those sequestered in the Tindouf camps, in Algerian territory.
Initiated by the Coalition for Autonomy in the Sahara (AUSACO) in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication and the BNRM, this ceremony took place in the presence of intellectuals, journalists, association actors and representatives of the diplomatic cycle accredited in Rabat.
Speaking on this occasion, the director of the BNRM, Mohamed El Ferrane, indicated that this event is an opportunity for eminent researchers and writers to highlight the scope of this novel published by the editions “Roman arabe pour l’ publishing and distribution.
Through this story, the writer has succeeded in highlighting the tragedy experienced in the camps of shame, located in the south of Algeria, by women, the elderly and children, deprived of their natural rights to decent life and a prosperous future, he said.
For his part, the coordinator of AUSACO, Mohamed Ahmed, indicated that this meeting, which is part of the activities organized by the Coalition to raise awareness on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, is an opportunity to pay tribute to the writer Mustafa Alqorna and his novel.
These include, he added, bringing the general public closer to the human dimensions of the Sahara issue and the suffering of those detained, taken hostage and subjected to inhuman practices for more than four decades.
The book makes the comparison between two contradictory worlds, namely the southern provinces of the Kingdom which are experiencing a great momentum of development, and the Tindouf camps where the population is subjected to harsh repression, he noted.
All the speakers were unanimous as to the importance of this novel which succeeded in raising awareness of the Sahara issue by exposing the reality of the situation prevailing in the Tindouf camps.
Born in 1965, Mustafa Alqorna, former president of the Union of Jordanian Writers, has enriched the Arabic library with his novels and works translated into several languages.
Established in July 2019, AUSACO comprises jurists, academics, researchers, media and civil society activists representing 155 countries.
The Coalition undertakes communication and awareness-raising work with different audiences to enlighten them on the developments of the artificial conflict around the Sahara and to highlight the dynamics of progress experienced by the southern provinces on the political and socio-economic levels.
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