Return to Senegal for the heroes of the Italian film 'I am the Captain'

When “I Am Captain” ends, in this small room on the outskirts of Dakar, the 200 or so spectators have red, moist eyes.

For two hours, in the presence of a film crew, these Senegalese followed the journey of two of their young compatriots who take the road to Europe at the risk of their lives.

This film, winner of the Venice Film Festival and nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes, toured the world. Its director and cast will embark on a twelve-date tour until the end of April in Senegal, where the story began, with the Cinemovel Foundation.

In return, the two heroes must face arduous marches through the desert, torture in Libyan prisons, and Europe’s indifference to their plight.

“This film teaches us that there are huge risks in illegal immigration. The question I want to ask the audience is: + Is it worth risking your life to try to join another continent? +,” a viewer asks into the microphone, immediately afterwards. End of the movie.

New applause rings out.

Mamadou Kouassi, whose story inspired the script, responds on stage.

He believes that “everyone will have a different point of view, but my opinion is that secrecy should not exist. Everyone should be free to move from one continent to another.”

“reality”

In Senegal, illegal immigration has become a reality for thousands of people.

Hardly a day goes by without a report in this Atlantic coastal country of a ship arriving in the Canary Islands, a ship being intercepted, or a ship sinking. Some migrants decide to take the land route through the Sahel and then cross the Mediterranean Sea, which is the route taken by the film’s heroes.

The debate continues.

Hadj Issa Diouf, a 42-year-old fisherman, is shocked.

“This film is very powerful and had a huge impact on me because I lived the scenario myself. I took boats three times to try to get to Europe. I saw with my own eyes a woman giving birth in a boat, and I saw people vomiting.” “Until death, I saw bodies thrown into the sea during my secret travels,” He says. “This film makes me relive the reality of the African continent.”

“I ask the director to show this film in all coastal cities in Senegal. For example, organize screenings on the beaches of Saint Louis, Mbour or Joal. Maybe this tour will raise awareness because all these cities have lost many young people who were young,” he said. “They are trying to reach Europe by sea.”

For Maryam Fall, who is in her twenties, “this film is very useful because it shows us that it is better to try to succeed in Africa than to live this journey,” she believes.

She said: “I went through all the emotions while watching the movie, and I even cried because I told myself that I had acquaintances who went through the same journey and died during the journey.”

expertise

Director Matteo Garrone told AFP: “It is not a film that provides an answer, but rather gives the audience an experience.” He adds: “I’m not one to tell anyone not to leave.”

Seydou Sarr, the 19-year-old lead actor who won an award at the Venice Film Festival, says he is “proud” that his unveiling will be shown in his country. He explains that before participating in this project, he knew nothing about the dangers that await potential immigrants. Now he knows “reality”.

Mamadou Kouassi, a cross-cultural mediator, looks back at the progress he’s made since he set off for Europe in 2005, aged 19. He says he spent three years in Libya with daily fear of death, and endured a “traumatic journey.”

“When someone decides to leave, no one can stop them,” he says. He continued that every young person is free to believe in his dreams, but the legislation must be changed “so that they do not suffer as we suffered.”

“The audience is asking us to make a sequel about getting to Europe.” Because once you get there, the difficulties keep piling up.

“In Italy, I was abused,” he says. “I worked 14 hours (a day) to barely earn 20 euros in tomato fields near Naples.” Therefore, he appeals to the Italian government, which is today led by the extreme right, to develop a generous reception policy.