The Children of the Clouds: Western Sahara

"They call themselves the children of the clouds because, since times past, they have been chasing clouds for their water. For more than thirty years now they have also been chasing justice which, in today's world, seems more elusive than water in the desert". - Eduardo Galeano

© nacho hernandez, all rights reserved

Inquire, a new magazine for the iPad, is publishing in its latest issue a piece with my photos and text about the Sahrawi struggle. This new magazine uses a shared-revenue model with its collaborator so by buying the magazine you are supporting independent photojournalism. You can download the app and buy the magazine here.

More photos of the Sahrawi refugee camps and the Western Sahara in my website.

World Refugee Day

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

Today is World Refugee Day. According to the UN Refugee Agency there are 42 millions of forcibly displaced people worldwide.

In the image Raul, a young Saharawi living in the Smara refugee camp near Tindouf, in Algeria. Already two generations of Saharawis have been born as refugees in the Tindouf camps. Some 150,000 Saharawi people survive there under very harsh conditions, waiting and hoping to go back to their homeland the Western Sahara one day. They have been waiting for over 30 years now.

More photos from the Saharawi refugee camps and the Western Sahara in my website.

Western Sahara

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

From January 3-10 I will be in the Sahrawi refugee camps of Tindouf, Algeria, and in the Western Sahara, working on my ongoing project on the Sahrawi people. Please send me an email if you need photos.

Desert Refugees

The Spanish magazine DT included in its Summer issue a note about my recent exhibition at the US Congress, and published some images from my ongoing photographic project on the Sahrawi people.

Thank you to this publication for its interest in the Sahrawi refugees, too often forsaken by the international media and public opinion.

You can see more images from this project in my website.

Today is World Refugee Day

Today is the World Refugee Day. A thought goes to my friends, the Sahrawi people in the refugee camps around Tindouf, in Algeria.

Thank you

... to everyone who came to my exhibition at the Congress, to the US - Western Sahara Foundation and to all the honorary co-hosts. Hopefully we helped raise awareness about the plight of the Sahrawi people, which was the goal. This exhibition was not about my photos, but about the people in them.

This video was filmed by some of our Sahrawi friends who came to the exhibition.

Sahrawi - exhibition at the US Congress

On May 14th I will have an exhibition of my work from the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, at the US Congress. Reception from 6 pm - 8 pm, at the Rayburn Foyer, Rayburn Office building. Come by if you are in town!

The World Bank uses one of my photos

The World Bank used one of my photos for the cover of a book on education.



Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

International Award for Humanitarian Photography Luis Valtueña

© Nacho Hernandez

Two of my photos from the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, made it to the final selection at the XI International Award for Humanitarian Photography Luis Valtueña, organized every year by Medicos del Mundo. An exhibition with all the finalist photos will be touring Spain and other countries for two years. You can see a gallery with all the photos here.