The images of tens of thousands of people getting into Ceuta flashed around the world. They gave ammunition to anti-immigrant voices, notably the American and Italian presidents. The Spanish state quickly forced almost all the people back home, saying its track record keeping migrants out of Fortress Europe was, in fact, stellar. But broad narratives don’t need anchoring in reality. So, last weekend, Ceuta provided a canvas for geopolitics, local politics and algorithms to smash together. Absent from those narratives were the voices of the people, nearly 70 of whom died, crossing into the Spanish enclave.
The Moroccans The Continent spoke to talked about misleading messages, and the legitimate reasons for them to leave home – like a government spending big on an upcoming football world cup but not its people. Various factions seized on that, in a region where Spain, Morocco and Algeria have had a complicated relationship for a long time. And each of those has complicated relationships with the EU, US and Israel.
Click here to read the story.
Get quality African journalism delivered to your device every Saturday.
Save The Continent’s number to your phone (+27 73 805 6068) and send us a message on WhatsApp or Signal.
We’ll do the rest.
Alternatively, you can join us through our Telegram channel.
If you would prefer to receive your weekly copy via email, drop us a line on Read@TheContinent.org.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.