Mediterranean Migration Mosaic

Melilla
Photo credit: El Pais / Julian Rojas

On March 20^th, Julian Rojas, a photojournalist, and Damian and Jesus, two students from the University of Malaga, came to speak to us on the subject of immigration to Spain at the Ateneo de Malaga. Rojas is the regional photographer of Andalusia, for one of Spain’s leading newspapers, El Pais. He presented to us his photographic essay on immigration entitled “The Dream of Europe”. The majority of his photographs dealt with the struggles Sub-Saharan immigrants face when they attempt to illegally emigrate to Spain, rather than the stories of Moroccan migrants. Rojas explained that Sub-Saharans were his primary focus as they had a higher chance of staying in Spain, and in the Andalusian region. When we asked him why he decided to undertake this project, his main reason was the proximity of Andalusia to North Africa. The huge inequality from one side of the border to the other, as demonstrated in particular by the large socioeconomic divide between the Spanish enclaves and the cities in close proximity (for example Melilla and Nador, Ceuta and Tetouan) spurred Rojas to look deeper into the issue.

A large part of Rojas’ essay focussed on the Guardia Civil’s treatment of undocumented migrants.  If these migrants are caught attempting to cross into Spain illegally, the Guardia Civil rounds them up, and drives them to Oujda, Morocco or to the Sahara desert, where they are left without provisions. Humanitarian aid groups wait at these deposition sites to help the migrants, but it remains a contentious issue, and the treatment of these migrants is currently being debated in Spain. Rojas also recounted the story of a Sub-Saharan woman he had met during his research. She had lost many of her male family members whose boat had sunk during their attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. The Spanish Guardia Civil had deliberately punctured holes in their boat, trying to prevent the migrants from arriving in Spain, but they continued nevertheless, and when their boat submerged from all the water it had been taking on, thirty three migrants, including her brother, son and husband, drowned.

Rojas spoke on his experiences working as a photographer with this vulnerable group, talking about his difficulties getting immigrants to talk; those who spoke to reporters often had more problems trying to immigrate. The only negative reaction that he had while doing his research was from the Moroccan police, who detained him in a detention center for fourteen hours. The police told him that they had ways of making him disappear, and he was forced to sign a declaration because of his camera equipment before he was released.

Rojas also talked about the Spanish public’s reception to information and images concerning illegal immigration. He said that the same horror stories get repeated over and over again, and now it is only very dramatic stories, such as a pregnant woman or a child drowning on the crossing that captures the public’s attention.

Walls between Ceuta and Morocco.                            Photo credit: El Pais /Julian Rojas

While we had been studying the issue of clandestine immigration, and had read accounts from undocumented migrants, I think we were all surprised and shocked by what we saw in Rojas’ essay. We were all confused in particular, by a number of pictures showing people with large white bandages wrapped around their hands. Rojas explained that their hands had been badly cut by the six metre high concertina wire fences that surround Melilla and Ceuta when they tried to climb the walls to get into these enclaves. These militarised double wire fences, built with sharp wire, were constructed in 1996, after the leaders of the nearly created Schengen space identified the need for a strong outer border. Beginning on New Year’s Eve, 1999/2000, climbing these walls has become a popular way of illegally gaining entry to Europe, and many hundreds of people can be found waiting in the nearby forests, waiting for a chance to storm the walls of Melilla and Ceuta.

For me, seeing the photos of the hardships immigrants face as well as meeting immigrants living in Malaga, and hearing their stories, really hit home the lengths that people will go to in order to find a better life and better opportunities for themselves and for their families.  Rojas’ photographic essay was definitely a learning curve for us all.

For our last day in Rabat, we decided that going out with a bang would be the best way to celebrate an end to our time in such a wonderful place. Having just said goodbye to our host families, lugged our belongings to the entrance of the Medina and onto the bus, we very abruptly had to snap into a professional mindset as the Parliament building was only minutes outside the wall of the Medina. At the entrance to the large and stately building we were greeting by several officials and organization members who were there to participate in our discussions. After shaking several hands, we were ushered into a large and beautiful conference room with long tables equipped with personal microphones and glasses of water. We sat down and introductions took place. Every representative there including ourselves expressed great gratitude and appreciation for the other’s attendance and willingness to share their time and ideas. To our delight, of trays of cookies and steaming Moroccan tea were brought out and offered to everyone shortly after we took our seats. There was a great deal of excitement on our part and it was much harder this time than any other to wait for the translations after every answer. Among those who spoke with us were the vice-president of Morocco’s Parliament Mohamed Yatim, and the president of the Democratic Party. Several NGO’s and Associations were present as well, including representatives from “Don’t Touch Our Children” and “Virtuous Women”. It was amazing to speak directly to these influential organization members and their answers helped give us an understanding of the significant role women are beginning to play in the political realm. The goal of several of the parties and organizations that spent time with us was to obtain a more equal gender balance among political representatives both in Parliament and at local levels. The crucial role our generation will need to play in transforming Moroccan society into a more free and equal place was emphasized by all.

After the proceedings took place and questions were answered, we left the conference room to mingle in the grand entrance and to make our way to the deputy’s chambers. We again sat down at a large conference table and we were again served tea and cookies while we took notes, listened carefully, and asked questions. The President of the Council Chamber was the main speaker this time and he invited us to voice our opinions and thoughts about our experience thus far in Morocco. Moroccan’s Abroad was the focus of his talk, and through this we learned more about the rights Moroccan nationals have beyond the country’s borders. A large focus of the government at present is working with the almost 15% of the Moroccan population which lives in other countries, and finding ways to preserve Moroccan culture in second and third generations abroad. We learned that the new National Constitution actually secures their right to vote, ensures the naturalization of their children regardless of place of birth, and makes provisions for social support through Islamic schools and programs in European countries. It was truly invigorating to be able to converse (as best we could with the language barriers) with prominent representatives of the government and organizations. We were overjoyed with their willingness to meet us and were blown away by their interest in our goals as a research group.

After this second meeting we were shown the large room where representatives of all party members sit for the official Parliament proceedings. As we were told by a cheerful guard, the room was the equivalent of “your American Senate”. It was incredibly stately with an ornately carved, wooden ceiling and lush carpet underfoot. We left the building with much hand shaking and picture taking. It was such a rare and incredible experience to be able to meet and share ideas with people from all different backgrounds and political standings. It was definitely one of the main events of the overall trip and I know that all of us will hold our time in the Moroccan Parliament fondly in our memories.

-Fallon and Claire

When flipping though my notes from our time in Malaga, there are certain events that stand out sharply in my memory as being very moving.  On March 19^th, a few of us visited the offices of an organization called Movimiento contra la Intolerancia to interview Valentine, one of the main program workers. We had met him the day before at a panel discussion and were excited to go to their offices and learn more about their work.

We met in the morning and walked together through new and unfamiliar streets of Malaga to the address of the center. When we got to the address we didn’t see any indication that this indeed was the office building, so as we started up the several flights of stairs we crossed our fingers that we had gotten it right. Thankfully, Valentine greeted us when we rang the apartment door. He explained that they couldn’t have the offices be recognizable from the streets because they would run the risk of potential hate crimes or assaults to the building or even to themselves. This small fact was an appropriate introduction for us in our understanding of just how serious their line of work is, just how controversial.  We set up our flip cameras and began our questioning. He was a soft-spoken man who gave off a no messing around demeanor that seemed fitting with the serious, sometimes life or death work that they do. There are over 4,000 hate crimes in Spain every year, hate crimes against gays, against immigrants, and many more minority groups. People who have suffered hate crimes can approach Movimiento contra la Intolerancia and they will facilitate pro bono cases. We also learned that one of the main aspects of the organization’s work is the education of young students in regards to different kinds of intolerance in an effort to create a more accepting generation. All of this information provided a great basis for us in our full appreciation of the afternoon’s activities with the organization.

After the interview we had the privilege of accompanying one of the workers to a middle school to sit in on their lesson to kids about different types of intolerance. On the bus ride there, she explained to our Spanish speakers of the group that their organization frequently gets asked by schools to come back repeatedly and teach their kids about intolerance. The class that we visited was co-ed with kids from a clear variety of upbringings. They waved excitedly at us and we responded with the same enthusiasm. I felt an immediate connection to the dynamics of the classroom. Was it really so long ago that we ourselves were struggling through middle school? The organization worker started with the explanations of different types of intolerance and their harmful consequences. Homophobia, xenophobia and “racismo” were all concepts fully discussed during this lesson. It was clear that for most of the students these concepts were new information. It was truly captivating, watching these kids ask questions and become engaged in the lesson. To see before our eyes this next generation of Spaniards learn the meanings and consequences of racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes was incredibly moving.

This trip gave us all hope that there would some day be a change in the status and conditions of living for the overall population of immigrants and minority groups within Spain. Watching the kids get excited about the new information in such a positive way was truly inspirational. We were all very appreciative of Movimiento contra la Intolerancia’s willingness to include us in their work. It provided for me a beautiful wrap up and hopeful ending to a trip full exposures to the hardships of these marginalized populations. To know that immigrants might one day be treated with more respect and equality in this country, and to have personally witnessed the beginning stages of this new acceptance, was such an honor.

-Claire Murphy

Ahmed, founder of Associacion Marroqui

Part of what Asociacion Marroqui, the organization headed by our close friends and helpful partners Ahmed and Karima, does is offer Spanish language classes for any immigrant to take for free. Becca and I had the great experience on sitting in on a class one Thursday night and spoke with some of the students as well as the teacher. That evening there were 3 different levels being taught, each led by a different teacher who volunteers their time for free to the organization. The medium level course we joined had 3 Moroccan women, and a man who had immigrated to Spain from the Ukraine. On average, the teacher explained to us, most students will take classes for a few months until and learn elementary level Spanish. After this time period, however, the classes are often dropped to make extra time in their schedules to manage work, family, and integrating into their communities more completely. One of the biggest obstacles for the instructors is the literacy level, especially of Moroccan women, that attend the classes. The teachers usually find themselves teaching reading and writing, as well as a second language, to the students. By the end of their time taking classes at Asociacion Marroqui, most migrants can speak and read in Spanish which opens even more doors for them and their families in terms of bettering their life, and job opportunities.

Costa Del Sol from the Sea

My time at Asociacion Marroqui made me realize how many people dedicate their time and efforts to improving the life of immigrants coming to Spain from all over. Despite a large population of people who support migrants and their families there is still an opinion throughout Spanish culture that the government should do what it can to curb migration into Spain. The effects of the current economic crisis were obvious while we were in Spain; not only were immigrants struggling to find work, but Spaniards as well which created an atmosphere of resentment in many cases. The bear economy means that the government’s spending money is also restricted, leading to the eventual decline in government funding associations like Marroqui’s receive. Although the effects of this in the future cannot be known for sure, tougher times lie ahead for Moroccan immigrants in Spain and for those hoping to help them as well.