In our opinion, Lampedusa is crossed by multiple contradictions, which have been highlighted by our interlocutors and are intertwined with the main themes of dehumanization and empathy.
In the morning, we experienced how migrant flows and landings have highlighted this division in the local context. Forum Lampedusa Solidale (FLS) and Mediterranean Hope (MH) are the only group of people from the civil society allowed to be at the dock during the landings’ procedures. Paola, one of their members, describes their role at the dock as a political action against the dehumanization of migrant people entering Europe put in place by the institutional system and represented by the local security forces. In particular, Giovanni from Mediterranean Hope mentioned the high level of symbolic and physical violence present at the dock and how they try to negotiate and mediate the interactions with the new-comers. In fact, the Covid-19 emergency has worsened this problem due to the fact that migrant people cannot go out of the Hotspot as they did before, neither officially nor informally. The only place where they’re now able to meet the local population is at the dock just after disembarking. It is also for this reason that MH and FLS feel the need to give them a warm welcome upon arrival making them feel taken care of after their journey.
As Paola pointed out, it is common to define people on the move simply as migrants, denying their past and identity before their departure. Once arrived, they’re in fact mainly seen as a problem for security and considered as numbers. This narrative is contrasted by the practice of Forum Lampedusa Solidale actively trying to collect and share their stories, especially of those who lost their lives. This counter action manifests itself at the local cemetery, where only some migrants are buried and their stories are shared on descriptive signs on their designated graves. Most of them do not even have their name on it, but only their supposed date of death. This shows again the importance of building a memory against the threat of being erased or forgotten.
In the afternoon, we focused on youth mobility in Morocco, as presented to us through the research completed by Nadja Dumann. However, the same dichotomy - as lens to read the flows of unaccompanied minors to Europe – is still suitable taking the shape of the contrastive tendencies of protection and criminalization in relation to young migrants.
Today’s experience has been emotionally charged and a lot of links can be found between the various examples. What we feel is one of the most valuable teaching to take with us and internalize is not only to share the story of Lampedusa, but also to reflect upon it in order to recognize the significance of empathy and apply it in other contexts of dehumanisation and Othering as well as our everyday lives.