Leave or die

There are certain slogans you are likely to have heard the young people of Senegal using over the last three years: “barsa mba barsaq” (Barcelona or death), “mbëkkmi” (break down the borders), “dem walla de” (leave or die). They try to reach Europe via the Atlantic Ocean in their thousands, risking their lives in the most basic of small boats. This film, produced by the Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt (CADTM-France) and the Center of Popular Research for Citizen Action [1] (CERPAC-Senegal), retraces this movement and the reasons that impel these young people to put their lives in danger in the attempt to emigrate to the West, their El Dorado. The film shows how, in addition to endogenous factors such as the Senegalese government’s negligence, inequitable cooperation agreements on fishing and other areas have damaged the Senegalese economy and left millions of young people feeling destabilized and vulnerable.

We can see the altruistic side of an act that at first sight appears to be suicidal, as these young people brave death so that others may live — their parents, family, and so on — with no thought at all for themselves. This migratory surge should also be seen as a fight for the free movement of people; the expression “mbëkkmi” (break down the borders) expresses the concept very effectively, since the possibility of moving from one place to another is a basic human right.

The documentary was filmed in Dakar during the summer of 2007. Here is an extract (in french):

A film made by Rodrigo Saez with the participation of Martine Toulotte and Sidiki Daff.
28’/DVD/Color/PAL version/16:9 format, 4:3 compatible