(empo-sadr) Saharawi bottle business

One of the ironies in the Saharawi situation is that most of the people who believe that they are part of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic actually live outside the country, in refugee camps in Algeria. And normally refugee camps are not the subject of discussion in a business blog.

But this is an exception:

French designer Florie Salnot's Plastic Bottle Project is different. The designs are stunning and the production technique is magical! Using what is readily available at the refugee camp: plastic bottles, hot sand, simple hand tools and a long tradition of craft, the Saharawi refugees in Western Sahara now generate an income which reduces their dependency on humanitarian aid.

More here, including pictures.

Also see what Florie Salnot has written:

The Saharawi refugees are located in one of the most hostile and barren deserts of the world, in the remote south-western corner of Algeria, near the town of Tindouf. In these camps, there is virtually no work and resources. The Saharawis are dependent on precarious aid flows (food and other essential aid for survival).

For more than 35 years, they have been attempting to perpetuate a distinctive Saharawi society. However, under these extreme conditions, it is quite difficult. The craft tradition for instance is almost not practiced anymore. It is challenged by the availability of materials.

Until plastic bottles came to the rescue.

(empo-sadr) "Recognizing" the perspectives of others

Diplomatic language can be funny.

In 1979, the United States' Ambassador to the United Nations was Andrew Young. As part of a series of negotiations regarding the Middle East, Ambassador Young needed to discuss something with Zehdi Terzi, the Palestine Liberation Organization's "observer" at the UN.

[Ambassador Young] met Terzi "accidentally on purpose" at a lunch at the Kuwaiti Ambassador's residence in 1979. Young claims that the State Department and the Israeli foreign ministry both knew in advance about the meeting, but, once it was leaked, President Jimmy Carter fired him.

Why was the lunch date so disastrous? Because, in the language of diplomats, the United States did not "recognize" the Palestine Liberation Organization. Which in a way is kind of odd, since this figure was eminently recognizable.



[Picture source, license]

But while we in the United States did not "recognize" this organization, a number of people do. And this continues today. Most of the world can travel to Cuba any time they desire; I, as a citizen of the United States, am restricted in my travel there. A couple of my friends recently returned from a trip to North Korea - something I could never contemplate doing. When I'm at work, there are particular U.S. laws that I have to follow - not only when dealing with people from North Korea and Cuba, but also when dealing with people from allied countries such as France.

And it's not the case that the United States is a stick in the mud and the rest of the world is free and easy. For example, back on April 15, 2011, the British newspaper The Sun was banned from mentioning the name of Ryan Giggs. And in the same way that I am restricted from visiting Cuba, there are people from many countries who are restricted from visiting Israel.

And just to prove the point, I'm going to try something. On occasion, I've tried to increase the readership of this blog from certain sections of the world. Now, my goal is to increase my readership from the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Even though my country, the United States of America, does not recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Even though I'm not sure if my analytics provider recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

And even though the Internet TINC does not recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. (TINC is defined in Uncyclopedia.)