Hadjatu Aliat Swelm

Swelm was born in the Sagir Valley, Western Sahara.^[1][2] She has written poetry throughout her life, mostly political work which was first and has subsequently been published under a pseudonym.^[3][4] In 1999, the publication of a poem she wrote about 66 political prisoners led to Moroccan authorities finding out her identity and a loss of her anonymity.^[1] After a rising number of police raids on her home and family, she moved to Aosserd camp, in order to protect her family from Moroccan authorities.^[5][1] Her poetry focuses on the role of women within the Sahrawi struggle.^[1] Both she and the poet Hossein Moulud have written about life at the Gdeim Izik protest camp.^[6]

Swelm's work was first translated to English by the writers Sam Berkson and Mohamed Sulaiman, in their volume of Sahrawi Poetry Settled Wanderers.^[1]