One day I asked myself, what had impacted me the most as a person. The answer is both simple and heartbreaking. The answer is my journey to get a good education. This journey has made me sacrifice the most precious things in my life; my family, friends and culture. However, it has made me a young woman of dignity. Education has given me a purpose in life by opening the doors of unexpected opportunities.

I was born in one of the largest refugee camps in the world. It is located in the Southwestern Algerian desert, where the temperature can reach up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. It was there where my family and I, as victims of a three-decade-long dispute between Western Sahara and Morocco, took shelter. It was there where knowledge about the outside world was lacking, but where there was hunger for learning and the determination to improve the rate of literacy. Growing up, all I knew were the hardships of the desert, mud-brick houses, and the UNHCR tents made of thick, green canvas. Nevertheless, my life took a turn in a new direction when I was selected for a special program that takes children who lost their fathers in the war to spend the summer with a Spanish host-family away from the hardship and the heat of the refugee camps.

It was at the age of ten when I made the decision to stay in Spain to begin my education. It was not an easy decision to make after leaving behind my most beloved ones for the next twelve years. This decision made me miss the births and the most important stages in the life of my four younger sisters. Not only has this decision made me sacrifice my family, but also my culture, language and values. However, this sacrifice has taught me the most important principles that have helped me to learn how to live in different cultures and to respect their peoples. In addition to that, I built my character and strengthened my beliefs as an independent young woman.

These principles have helped me to be the young woman of dignity that I am today by giving me a purpose and a hunger to know more. This hunger is the root of my passion and dream of being one of the first female ambassadors of my nation to help my people in their fight for freedom. This purpose has given me a sense of belonging that makes me appreciate my own ethnicity, culture and language despite the fact that I have not lived with my people for a long time. It has also helped me maintain my language and culture throughout these years.

My determination has opened the doors to unexpected opportunities, making the impossible a reality: first, going to Spain to study and later, being one of the first Saharawi to ever come to the USA and graduate from an American high school. This summer, I had the opportunity to read one of my poems in the presence of dozens of congressmen and senators in a reception on Capitol Hill. Similarly, in October of this year, I spoke as a petitioner before the UN’s Fourth Committee as an advocate for my people, making me one of the first Saharawi women to do such a thing. Not only have these opportunities allowed me to meet many ambassadors and representatives from around the world, but also allowed me to have a Saharawi diplomatic-traditional tea and make connections with the Saharawi ambassador to the UN. Moreover, I attended talks given by the Saharawi Minister of Foreign Affairs. In fact, when I asked him at the end: ‘What advice would you give to a young woman like me?’ he simply said: ‘Study, study and study very hard, and be a good diplomat for our nation.’

Having analyzed the impact of education on my journey in life, I ask myself yet again: ‘Do I regret the sacrifice of being away from my beloved ones?’ The answer is simply, No. No, I do not regret the sacrifice of being away from my family, or any other sacrifices because they are what have given me a purpose to pursue my dreams and the opportunity to live an extraordinary life with a unique story to tell. Moreover, my journey and the determination to get a good education will have a positive impact on my people in the refugee camps as well as others of different nations.

TWO POEMS

SAHARAWI CHILD

Saharawi child, take hold of a paper and pencil
and learn literature, math and science.
Saharawi child, sit closely by your elders
and listen carefully to the wisdom; this is what will come to your rescue.
Saharawi child, open your mind to understanding.
Let wisdom be your best friend.
Let wisdom be your professor.
Let wisdom be your Father your Mother and your Brother.
Let wisdom embrace you; its path will never let you down.
Saharawi child, open your eyes to the world around you;
choose your friends wisely, let every choice be guided
by a good counselor.
Saharawi child, take advantage of every opportunity
wherever you go, but don’t forgot your principles, language or
culture, or that you are “Saharawi!”
Saharawi child, accept every nation, every race and
every language and the door of blessing will be opened to your
house and to your nation. (Western Sahara)
Saharawi child, don’t fear mistakes or
correction because that is where the lesson is and that is when
you will learn who you are, because you are valuable.
Saharawi child, share your seat with justice and reconciliation that
you may become the turban of peace.
Saharawi child, let truth be the foundation of your dignity.
Truth will let your light shine and will build the walls of your generation and your nation.
Saharawi child, be independent!
Be strong
Be humble
Be kind
Be patient
Be honest
Be joyful
Be just
Be trustworthy
Be righteous
Be generous
Be diligent
Be faithful
and the favor of life will always be yours!
Saharawi child, listen, learn, grow, laugh, teach, forgive, love, share, trust, heal, hope,
dream, sing and dance; do this and you will never lose your smile.
This Poem is dedicated to all the Saharawi children, especially the children who lost their fathers in the war for the freedom of Western Sahara. Our nation depends on all of you.

SAHARAWI QUEEN

Who is this woman?
Her presence is like the light of the sun
Her beauty is like the Queen of Sheba
Her eyes are so deep like the desert.
Her look is the vision and admiration she carries for each nation.
Her words are the lyrics of a song, are phrases of a poem.
Her arms are a refuge for the orphans and a help to the widows.
Her hands build the homes that the flood destroyed.
Her heart is an Honorable one.
Her heart is a patient one
Her heart is a joyful one
Her heart is a faithful one
Her heart is a kind one
Her heart is a one you can trust.
Her heart is a blanket of comfort in times of need.
Her character is her strongest weapon against any storm.
They call her the Saharawi Queen not because of her beauty
But because of her love and passion for her people and her nation

* Agaila Abba Hemieda is Saharawi woman from the refugee camps studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, USA.

Extra link: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8920CE0A42A2D0A6 (this has many short videos)

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