The tent Khayma has long been the primary dwelling for the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara. It provides an ideal structure for their past nomadic lifestyle, and currently, as refugees, in Southwestern Algeria. The tent functions both as a space for communal living and shared meals, as well as a crucial refuge in the harsh environment of the Hamada desert. 

For the Sahrawi, many of whom were displaced into refugee camps in the 1970s and still reside there, the tent is a symbol of communal bonds and shared identity. These first tents were made by women using their own clothing, Melhfa, when they arrived in the camps fleeing the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara in 1975. In their oral language, Hassaniya, the term “tent,”Khayma,  also means “family.” The Sahrawi women designed this dwelling with entrances facing each of the four directions to offer protection from unpredictable desert sandstorms, which can approach from any angle. These multiple entrances also express the Sahrawi’s profound hospitality, welcoming anyone who is visiting from directions near and far. 

The tent installation at PAC MOCA LI provides an internal space for immersing visitors in Sahrawi narratives and life in the desert. Mohamed Sleiman Labat, native to this community, and still residing in one such tent, collaborated with the women in his community who contributed their everyday clothes. These fabrics convey the past, present, and future stories that are woven through them in terms of the closeness to the people who live in and with them.  Sleiman Labat revisits this practice to share how intimate the tent architecture is and has always been. 

Schedule of experiences

• 2- 3 p.m. | Tent Khayma installation construction | All are welcome to come experience the building process at PAC • MoCA L.I. 
• 4-5 p.m.| Community tea ceremony with artist Mohamed Sleiman Labat 
• 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. | Screening of “DESERT PHOSfate” at Plaza Cinema (next door to PAC• MoCA L.I.)

Join us for a special screening of the experimental documentary film “DESERT PHOSfate” by Sahrawi artist Mohamed Sleiman Labat. It explores the impact of phosphate mining on the Sahrawi community and is based on narratives and philosophies rooted in the Sahrawi way of living, honoring Indigenous storytelling.

Learn more about artist Mohamed Sleiman Labat:

www.motifartstudio.com