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Morocco’s Embassy in South Africa has released a 37-minute podcast called “Myths and Realities: Understand the Sahara Issue” to raise awareness about the Western Sahara dispute.
The Moroccan embassy in Pretoria shared the podcast in a video format to commemorate the 77th anniversary of Morocco’s Manifesto of Independence, celebrated today, January 11.
The footage compiles several previously-shared episodes from an interview between Moroccan Ambassador to South Africa Youssef Amrani and South African journalist Janice Greaver.
In the interview, Amrani debunked several misconceptions and fallacies about the Western Sahara issue. He also explained the legitimacy of Morocco’s sovereignty over the region from historical, political, and legal perspectives.
The Moroccan Embassy in South Africa began releasing the short episodes compiled in the recent video in August 2020. The diplomatic representation launched the awareness campaign to counteract the widespread misinformation about Western Sahara on South African media.
Read also: Moroccan Embassy in South Africa to Raise Awareness on Western Sahara
The podcast answers questions about the situation in Western Sahara, the self-determination referendum, the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria, the claims of human rights violations in the region, the obstacles to Maghreb unity, and the return of Morocco to the African Union.
Amrani answers each of the questions pragmatically, providing tangible proofs to support each of his statements.
The Moroccan Embassy in South Africa shared the podcast on social media, as well as on several platforms in South Africa and the surrounding countries, which are mostly influenced by South Africa’s hostility to Morocco’s territorial integrity.
Since his appointment in South Africa in October 2019, Amrani has made considerable efforts to fight misinformation on the Western Sahara issue in the country.
The Moroccan diplomat has made several appearances on local television channels and radio stations.
In most of his appearances, he advocated for bilateral cooperation between Morocco and South Africa, arguing that it will lead the entire African continent into a new era of development.
South Africa, however, considering itself the voice of an authentic pan-Africanism, continues to support the Polisario Front’s separatist and “decolonization.”
