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Barcelona or Die
Barcelone ou la mort
Idrissa Guiro / France / 2007 / 51 min.
Every year, tens of thousands of African refugees risk a treacherous journey by sea in an attempt to reach the shores of Spain and begin a new life in affluent Europe. For people from Senegal, Europe symbolises a life of contentment. It is such an attractive prospect that they don't hesitate to risk their lives to set out in small, overloaded boats on a voyage that often ends in tragedy. Thirty-yearold fisherman Modou recounts how the boat he was travelling in was cast adrift in a storm and everyone on board was forced to return to Africa without any functional navigation tools or food and water. In an extraordinary visually and acoustically refined documentary, this young man's memories of eleven days of hell at sea are interlaced with footage of the reality of life in Thiar, a historical township near Dakar. Modou's cousin was educated in the USA. After returning home, he attempts to use education to convince young people to try and improve living standards in their own country and not risk themselves for an uncertain life in Europe. Modou nearly lost his life and returned home unwillingly. Nevertheless, after six months he is once again afflicted by the hopeless reality of everyday life in Senegal. He wants to try and leave once more.
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