Harraga
Harragas, (from Arabic حراقة, ḥarrāga, ḥarrāg, "those who burn" (their immigration papers)) are North African migrants who attempt to illegally immigrate to Europe or to European-controlled islands in makeshift boats.[1] The name comes from their practice of burning their immigration papers if they are about to be captured.[2]
Harragas emigrate from North Africa On the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, Algerian, Tunisian, and Moroccan harragas typically hope to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in order to reach Spain, specifically the Spanish regions of Andalusia, Ceuta[1] and Melilla.[1] Additionally, harragas also sometimes manage to complete the voyage from Africa to the island nation of Malta,[3] or the Italian island of Lampedusa.[1] From here they often go on to emigrate to other regions of Europe.[3]
On the Atlantic coast of North Africa, Mauritanian and Senegalese harragas set off in hope of reaching the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands in small, flat-bottomed boats referred to in Spanish as "patera",[4] or in rigid or inflatable rafts, (such as "Zodiac" rafts),[4] or even paddle boats.[4] Obviously, boats such as these are not designed for ocean crossings and the death rates for harragas are very high. The motivations for undertaking this extremely risky act are twofold: both the profound economic poverty as well as the extreme political repression widespread throughout North Africa.[1]
In an interview released by Wikileaks, Algerian opposition leader Abdallah Djaballah described Algerian youth as having a choice "between death at sea and a slow, gradual death at home" given the profound lack of opportunities in the country's stagnant economy.[5]
Some harragas have even changed their sex and/or converted their religion in order to gain European citizenship.[6] On January 20, 2011, 20 Algerian harraga set their boat on fire in an attempt to make a political statement by self-immolating.[7] The term is commonly used in the North African journalistic vocabulary.[1]
Film
The drama of those who illegally immigrate from Africa to Europe by boat is portrayed in the 2009 film Harragas by Algerian filmmaker Merzak Allouache.[2]
Algerian film director Moussa Haddad started shooting a film entitled "Harraga Blues" February 6, 2011.[8] The project is currently still in production.[8]
Bibliography
- Sansal, Boualem. Harraga, (Gallimard, 2007) (French) ISBN 978-2-07-034329-4
- Sansal, Boualem. Harraga, (Merlin, 2007) (German) ISBN ISBN 978-3-87536-254-1
- Lozano, Antonio. Harraga, (Zech, Tenerife 2011, first ed. Zoela, Granada 2002) (Spanish) ISBN 978-84-938151-2-7
- Lozano, Antonio. Harraga, (Zech, Tenerife 2011) (German) ISBN 978-84-938151-1-0
- Arianna Obinu. Harraga, il sogno europeo passa attraverso la Sardegna (2006-2012), Livorno, Edizioni Erasmo, 2013 (Italiano) (ISBN 9788898598014)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Harraga". 2010-02-02. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mark Deming. "Watch Harragas". www.ovguide.com. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Maghreb nationals among harragas caught in Malta". United States Africa Command. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Patera". 12/03/2010. Retrieved 10 February 2011. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Embassy, Algiers (2007-12-19). .html "An ailing and fragile Algerian regime drifts into 2008". WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks cable:07ALGIERS1806. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ↑ Herik, Said. "Algerians harragas changed sex and married men for papers".
- ↑ "El Watan, 18/01/2011, ''Une vingtaine de harraga brûlent leur embarcation''". Elwatan.com. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Movie: Director Moussa Haddad starts shooting "Harraga Blues"". 06-02-2011. El Moujahid. Retrieved 10 February 2011.