"Tanger, Morocco"

To you it may sound as just another place.

To others it is an almost mythical refrain.

The passengers you do not see.

 

"Fun" facts

The southern most town of mainlaind Europe is Tarifa, and the southern most spot of this town is a statue of Christ.

Spreading his arms towards Africa, in the fatherly mode of "let the children come".

Tanger is not just the northernmost city of Morocco... it is that for the whole of West Africa.

People come from as far as Mauritania and Sierra Leone, hiking, walking, whatever it takes. Where do they go?

To Tanger, Morocco!

Up to 5 years ago, the Seafront of Tangier was a place where groups of up to 10 children slept on newspapers and boxes... where did they go?

REASONS?

It is a mixture.

An economy in shambles, and families not able to feed everyone.

Some parents motivate their children to look for a better life.

Others, mostly men, can no longer afford their previous wife, and her children.

It is a topic that is simply hard to talk about, as it puts shame upon shame...

When once you were Al Andalus, then decades of sporting ground for rich tourists or the provider of waiters for Europe, and now so eagerly on the way to surpass Spain in glamour and shine.

Magnificent people...

Those ladies that learn children a simple craft, starting with a ruler so they learn numbers...

And then searching for ateliers that are willing to take on these children as apprentices.

Both heroes and angles are extremely rare, but they do exist.

 

What literally nobody talks about...

Which is amazing since it could almost be named the single most important reason why Tangier and the Gibraltar Strait are a special spot on earth.

SPAIN keeps it in the closet, because the residents at the Costa del Sol are there for the sun, playa and shopping malls. Life is nice and solid as a rock.

MOROCCO doesn't put it in the spotlights either, because, well, tourism is booming, and we just already passed this law saying that harassing tourists is forbidden.

MANU CHAO talks about it. CHAMBAO does talk about it. (Click here for the Elektrik Remix).

It's a cat and mouse game, between one statue of a fatherly Christ and police in speedboats.

The Wild Children

Or niños sueltos. An estimated 5000 of them. Currently dwelling through Spain, having been able to get into hiding onto a ferry or between lugage in a bus with tourists.

Ages: from 7 to 16. The youngest one known was 7 and got as far as Barcelona, 1000 kms to the north.

Nothing known. Most of them are believed to end up in networks (drug traffic or paedophiles).

Some organisations and individuals try to do what they can, but even with huge financial injections you can only start with centers that are able to lodge 12 or 20 children.

No, they are not cuddly. You do not know their names or where they come from (most likely giving false names and countries of origin). You do not know what they did to survive.

Easy prey for drug dealers, that can, for example, throw cigarettes through the windows of refugee houses to get them addicted.

Immigration & Boat People

According to the United Nations, 300.000 to 500.000 migrants arrive yearly crossing the Gibraltar Straits.

It can simply not be estimated how many of them do so in an illegal way. In 2001 over 13.000 were intercepted entering Spain.

The Straits have been called the largest mass grave in Europe, with deaths resulting from drowning, burns brought on by soaking in a toxic mix of saltwater and gasoline, and boats being hit by tankers and ferries sailing through the busy Straits.

Between 1997 and 2000 over 3000 people died.

In Algeciras there is a public cemetery where hundreds of unidentified migrants are buried. Police have successfully identified about 50 bodies.

"Many do not arrive, they drown their dreams
Wet papers, papers without owner
Put yourself in their place."


Papeles mojados, Chambao.

> Personal opinion