The Ocean 71 team has gained a new member. We have been working in the Mediterranean Sea for several months to return with ever more original stories. Last spring, while doing a story on the island of Lampedusa to try and understand the massive influx of immigrants that followed the popular uprisings in North Africa, we have met Alexandre Georges. He soon explained us the foolish project he had in mind: paddling his sea kayak from Tunisia all the way to Brussels to send a strong message to European lawmakers. For Alexandre, the European Union is incapable of decently receiving and maintaining the dignity of immigrants taking the sea at the peril of their lives to reach our coasts. Armed with his courage and experience in the field, Alexandre wants to push for a complete revamping of the European reception policy.
During his voyage, he will also enjoy a unique point of view sea activity. The Ocean 71 agency is thus particularly proud of counting persons such as Alexandre in its ranks who take to the sea to take toll so as to make our society evolve in the right direction.
His departure is slated for this Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 9:00 am from the Punic port of Mahdia.
The entire team of the agency wish him good wind and a good voyage.
Let’s hear it from him:
« My name is Alexandre Georges, I’m Franco-Canadian. In January 2010, I have founded a grassroots movement called “Kayak for the right to life”, better known under it’s Italian name of “Kayak per il diritto alla vita”. I make sea kayak crossings to raise public awareness on problems pertaining to human rights, the environment and/or social issues. In a nutshell anything relating to Mohamed, Abdul, Pierre, Henry, José, Fernando, Boris and all the other little heads we are and our various shades of skin color.
The origins of the project
After living seven years in North America (1992-2009), I regretfully realized that materialism and consumerism were the two central values of our modern societies. Meanwhile, I traveled a lot in South America where I have been able to see the massive disparities of people’s living standards . I was soon very upset by these absurd differences and this meaningless way of life. Yet, this experience has raised my awareness of the distress too many people have to face on our planet. A question imposed itself very soon; what can be done to improve the life of our fellow humans?
In 2005, I returned to Europe after 11 years abroad. On repeated occasions I saw the massive arrivals of illegal immigrants on the small island of Lampedusa on Italian television. I was very disturbed to learn that Italy illegally sent these immigrants back to Libya, a country where they would get locked up in camps in the middle of the desert, in which forced labor, torture, rape and murder were commonplace.
In the face of such barbarity, I started wondering what a simple citizen could do. Are we going to do like the United States which let many Mexicans die in the Arizona desert on the border? What can a “nobody” like me can attempt to change this absurd situation? Go somewhere to do something!
In fact I wanted to do what most people cannot do for lack of time, money and/or motivation. I have thus decided to travel all over Europe on my own savings starting with the purchase of a van in Germany with which I can be mobile and independent. As I did not know a thing about sea kayaking, I went through extensive training in the Spanish Basque Country. From Spain I rallied the south of Italy where, to perfect my training, I started by circumnavigating the Aeolian Islands north-east of Sicily in four days as part of a group of some forty experienced kayakers.
I finally set foot on the island of Lampedusa on November 11, 2010. I kayaked around it on November 19 and 20. Of course, I attracted close to no media coverage. On the island a lot of people considered me as an eccentric who had money to spend. But it was not important for me for I aimed at being noticed. I wanted whoever would listen to understand that some people across Europe no longer accept the injustice resulting from the choices made by our governments.
The first massive wave of Tunisian immigrants hit Lampedusa on February 9, 2011 as I was getting ready to leave the island.
The local authorities were overwhelmed after just a few days, the center for immigrants was filled beyond capacity. I was totally baffled! In February, there were up to 5,000 Tunisians on the island who had all left their country in the wake of the “Jasmine Revolution”. At the end of March, the second wave had brought us a little over 6,500 Tunisians to be compared to the island’s population of about 5,500. There were also about a thousand members of the police, military and Italian coast guard on the small island of Lampedusa…
During that period in spite of the massive presence of police forces, the Berlusconi government left the immigrants to fend for themselves without any kind of sanitary assistance. They have had to build makeshift shelters with whatever they could lay their hands on to protect themselves from the cold wind which was blowing over the harbor during these winter nights. This period was extremely harsh for them as well as for everyone on Lampedusa, including myself.
As I speak five languages, the international press asked me to work with them. In addition to that I became a consultant for EveryOne a human rights defense group. I wrote reports for them which were sent to European deputies. Finally and quite in spite of me I became a sort of social worker helping Tunisian refugees find food, showers, accommodation, a place to do their laundry. I would even receive money transfers for them.
This unique field experience has allowed me to better understand problems linked to illegal immigration in Europe and to think out a few projects for solutions which I will get a chance to develop during my expedition. During my stay in Lampedusa, I have written a petition asking for the creation of a European organization for the management of immigration and asylum requests (OGIDA). This petition was signed by practically all elected officials and politicians of the island as well as all the associations present. www.jesigne.fr/soutienogida
The project
Today, “Kayak for the right to life” is engaging in a somewhat crazy project with a strong message: sailing out of Tunisia with a sea kayak to rally the heart of Europe in Brussels by way the islands of Lampedusa, of course, Malta and Sicily. From the latter, I will go up the western coast of Italy all the way to Marseilles. From there I will pursue my journey going up the Rhone river and will reach Brussels following rivers and canals. Along the way I will collect signature for the petition which I will submit to people and elected officials. I will then bring it to the European authorities in Brussels to propose a thorough overhaul of the reception procedures for immigrants and asylum seekers in Europe. This to end the current waste of money which amounts to billions of Euros and also results in the loss of too many human lives.
The goal of this 3,000 kilometer voyage is not to ask Europe to take care of the wretchedness of this world but to encourage Europe to address the problem in a more humane way and with greater concern for the dignity of those who come knocking on our door out of total despair.
How can one participate in this effort? First, you will be able to follow my journey every week via the website of the Océan 71 press agency, I will welcome any kind of embarkation willing to sail along with me on one or several stages of my voyage. It will also be possible to meet me on firm ground as events will be be organized at my various ports of call.
This voyage will last 4 months from early September to the end of December 2011.
I hope to see you at my side during this long, fascinating crossing. If we stick together we can do something to change things, save lives and thus make our society more humane.
Alexandre Georges for Ocean 71
