Out of Africa - Spain

Jan 2007
The 1,400 km voyage from Senegal to the Canary Islands is now the favoured way for illegal immigrants to enter Europe. But as many as 40% never make it.

Every day, an armada of tiny flotillas brave the 11 day journey from West Africa to the Canaries. "So far today, we've had 293 arrivals. Several needed medical attention for serious wounds", states Oswaldo Lemus from the Red Cross. Under Spanish law, these men can only be detained for 40 days. If their nationality cannot be established in that period, they are released into the local community. But authorities here are being stretched to breaking point and calls are growing for the immigration laws to be reviewed. "The Canary Islands are very small. It's not easy to absorb thousands of migrants", states Harbour Master Salvador Mendez. "People are really worried about the future. We don't know when it will stop". In Senegal, the dangers of the voyage don't appear to be putting people off. Everyone knows someone who did not make the crossing. "Here, young people have no future", complains Alkally Sarr. He's already survived the journey once, only to be deported. But he's vowed to; "try again. For as long as I live".

Produced by SBS/Dateline
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

• Category

  News & Politics

[empireoflies871]

Oh yes the Spanish Conquistadores..who when they arrived in Mexico City saw the greatest accomplishment of "native" Aztecs. A pyramid of skulls

40 ft. high. The resuts of thousands of years of human sacrifice by the

wonderful, innocent Indians.

[Tex Go]

Haha what a joke! Like the fucking spanish conquistadors barbaric invasions to the americas and mexico and just about every where else in the world KILLING MILLIONS of native people? You need to go suck a big dick!

[donbrosco2]

u albino monkey pale fuck. ur a pale fuck face

[PrivatePardee]

A confused mongrel. LMAO

[TheRichzombie]

But i'm part white. Doesn't that count for something?

[wwevsecwvswcwvstna]

Mexico is in the Americas but, I agree with your point.

[vividbluesea1]

proud to be an african and where ever i lay my hat thats my home.

[PrivatePardee]

You're natures mistake. That's why you LOOK and SMELL just like shit. LMAO

[jakfeo]

your natures mistake that's why the sun hates you

[herr direktor]

blacks destroyed africa... poor africans only wanted to be free from whitey... once whites left the apes made a big party and went living in the whiteys homes... guess they are still there, only the houses are shacks now... and they shit where they eat... i don't like blacks and i will never like them. blacks are the prototype humans and they should have disappeared long ago, natures mistake

[seba3761]

Who came here from the book "Barshak" ?