Yesterday, 19th July, the 4th edition of LampedusaInFestival opened. All was made possible by the tireless and precious work of Askavusa, in collaboration with several other associations. The festival opened with the inauguration of a show of cartoon drawings on migration with works by artists of various different countries. Following straight on from this, Lorenzo Pezzani presented the project Watch the Med
https://watchthemed.crowdmap.com/, whose main objective is to "control the controllers" by allowing anyone who has information about migrants in the sea to bring it to public attention by posting it online in real time.
Boats for People concluded with a press conference about the Oloferne and its journey around the Mediterranean, explaining what it had accomplished. Its first aim was to create a network of activist on both sides of the Mediterranean with the common objective of changing European migratory politics and to stop the deaths, refoulements and the countless number of violations against fundamental human rights.
In the afternoon, there was a commemoration at the Porta d'Europa for all those who have lost their lives or gone missing at sea this year. Flowers were thrown and a reading on the disasters which have occurred in the Sicily Channel within the last year was given. This was followed by the performance Invisibili by Mohamed Ba and a concert by Alessio Greco and Giacomo Sferlazzo. All of the associations present repeated and highlighted the necessity to act strongly on all levels, from the political to the social and cultural, in order to make the Mediterranean sea a meeting place and a place of exchange where freedom of movement is guaranteed for every human being.
During the evening in Cala Palme, the film (which did not participate in the film festival) Mare Chiuso by Andrea Segre e Stefano Liberti was shown. The film enabled the voices of some of the victims of the May 2009 refoulements in Lybia, for which Italy was condemned by the European Court, to be heard.
The festival continues until 23rd July. Below is the programme:
http://www.lampedusainfestival.com/home.html#.UAkpUvXvphs
