Chahid Al Hafed (refugee camps), Nov 19, 2013 (SPS) - Participants at the seventh forum on Saharawi cultural heritage, organized Sunday by the Ministry of Culture, have urged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to safeguard the human cultural heritage in Western Sahara.
In a letter addressed to UNESCO at the end of this forum, the participants called the UNESCO for "urgent intervention" in order to save the Saharawi human heritage through the application of international law on this regard.
"This human heritage must be taken into consideration, appreciated and protected. International and regional bodies concerned with the protection of heritage should take responsibility in safeguarding this prestigious human heritage as a legacy of all humanity," reads the letter.
The letter reminded the UNESCO that the archeological sites in the occupied territories of Western Sahara has been subject to systematic destruction by Morocco for the past 38 years, pointing to the case of Asli Rich’s archaeological site (the occupied city of Smara), recently demolished by Moroccan occupying authorities.
"We call on all the Saharawis, wherever they are, to be aware of the seriousness of this heinous acts. We must work consciously to maintain our tangible and intangible cultural heritage as a guarantee of our excellence," underlined the letter. (SPS)
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