Brahim Hameyada

Brahim Hameyada is a 66-year-old professor and director of the Unamuno Academy in Dajla, Western Sahara. He is an advocate for the preservation of the Spanish language and culture in the region, emphasizing its importance as part of local identity. Hameyada returned to his birthplace, formerly known as Villa Cisneros, in 1992 after serving with the Polisario Front in Algeria. He teaches Spanish to around fifty students at his academy, which is the only institution recognized by the Instituto Cervantes in the area. Hameyada argues for the recognition of both Spanish and Hassaniya Arabic in a future autonomy statute for Western Sahara, highlighting the cultural and linguistic legacy of Spanish colonial rule that continues to influence the region today.