The youth association Global Shapers Las Palmas presents the documentary I also crossed, a piece that invites reflection on migrations in the Canary Islands from its most human perspective. Its official and free premiere will be on June 17, at 7:00 p.m., at the Fuerteventura Island Youth Center and, subsequently, on June 19, at the Conecta Tías Civic Center in Lanzarote, at 6:00 p.m..
Likewise, other screenings will be held on several islands and outside the Archipelago, including the University of Sussex, in Brighton. I also crossed narrates in first person the testimonies of Lamhir, Elhadji and Pepe, three men who belong to three different generations and origins but who are united by a territory: the Canary Islands. Lamhir and Elhadji arrived in the Archipelago by boat from Morocco and Senegal in 2001 and 2020, respectively, driven by contexts of precariousness and scarcity.
For his part, Pepe left Gran Canaria in 1950 for Venezuela - later Argentina - on a clandestine ship, when the Islands were going through a time of crisis and poverty in the post-Franco era. The project is financed by the European Union and Startup Europe Regions Network (SERN) within the framework of Youth 4 Outermost Regions. This is a European initiative focused on supporting projects for inclusiveness and sustainable development, led by young people, in outermost regions.
Pilot experience with high school students
On June 4, a first pilot experience was carried out at the IES Canarias Cabrera Pinto, in Tenerife, with 80 first-year high school students. After viewing the documentary, a dialogue was established where students could exchange their opinions, reflections and questions.
The meeting was moderated by the founder and president of Global Shapers Las Palmas, Carlos Shanka Boissy Díaz, and the journalist and collaborator of the project, Nayra Bajo de Vera. The team, coordinated by Lara Padilla Perdomo, is also made up of Tomás D’Adamo, Carla Font Ruiz, Carlota Jensen, Miguel López Martínez and Marta Marmi Camps. Padilla Perdomo explains that one of the main objectives is to “bring back the historical migratory memory of the Islands as a tool to show that migration is a human process that has taken place in all territories.”
In that line, she indicates that in the current context of “exclusion and discrimination”, I also crossed is a “call for understanding and, hopefully, to the institutions, which are the ones that should facilitate that coexistence and the necessary resources.” “Migration is an innate right and act of the human being. People who survive the journey deserve dignity, respect and for their stories to be told. This documentary offers a unique perspective because it illustrates that same narrative in the Canarian context: people who had to leave their land by sea. Likewise, the fact that this route is the most dangerous in the world cannot be ignored,” adds Boissy Díaz.
Global Shapers Las Palmas is a youth association from the Canary Islands that arose from the initiative of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers. Its objective is to bring together and empower young people to promote initiatives that address their demands and local challenges.