European Premiere

Synopsis

For twenty years, André earned his living by organizing the transport of migrants between Agadez, Niger and Sabha, Libya. For him, as for a large part of the population of Agadez, crossing the Sahara was a key sector of the economy. But since 2016, and with the financial support of the European Union, Niger has introduced a law punishing any economic activity linked to illegal migration. Since then, André has been fighting to continue working illegally, with all the excesses that this implies. We follow him through the streets of Agadez and meet Fifty, Boubacar, Mudatheir and Myriam, four people who, for a variety of reasons, have decided to leave their country in search of a better life. Their journey is strewn with pitfalls, detours and moments of waiting. Boubacar, Fifty and Mudatheir all fled Libya after being imprisoned, tortured and sold as slaves. Myriam, who comes from Nigeria, did not want to take this risk and preferred to stop for a while in Agadez, before returning to Lagos. It was prostitution that enabled her to put aside enough money to not go back empty-handed. 

I came to Agadez of my own free will. What justifies that those who have a Schengen passport can move more freely than others?

Screening followed by a discussion and Q&A (20min):

Speakers: Morgane Wirtz (director)