Askavusa, the breach in the wall of the Fortress Europe

When the Tunisian government collapsed six months ago under social and political pressures, everyone knew in Lampedusa, that they would not have to wait long before being impacted by the consequences of the events, as if being hit by a tsunami. The North African country was in turmoil, and not long after Ben Ali’s government resigned, boats sailing under Tunisian flags started to appear in the harbour of the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.

“The first ship, carrying 250 migrants, reached the coast in the night of February 8^th” recalls Annalisa D’ancona, the co-founder of Askavusa, (“barefoot” in Sicilian), a local cultural association. During the period known as “the emergency” – from mid-February to the beginning of April – the independent organisation mobilised its members, and set up various services for the migrants. The activist recalls the first days in March when 4000 young Tunisians roamed around, and her friends were sitting in the meeting room of the association. “We knew that it was impossible to satisfy everyone’s needs, but we considered what we could do, bearing in mind our capacities.” Askavusa provided hot food, dry clothes, organised Italian language classes and a legal advice bureau. “When the number of migrants grew to the point where the government reception centre was full, we decided to keep Askavusa’s doors open during the night too.” Annalisa continues, “although the great absentee was the state, as it intervened quite late, we created a solidarity network thanks to an umbrella association called the Anti-Racist Forum, which supported our work with migrants.”

Askavusa is changing its activities in response to events. “Since Tunisian refugees have been kept in captivity inside the government reception centre, we have dealt increasingly with their relatives. They come to Lampedusa hoping to rescue their beloved, and end up coming to us for information about legislation or just some support.”

In Askavusa you can also meet some of those Tunisians who came by boat and have now obtained a six-month residency permit. Ahmed is one of them. He submitted his application for asylum in February. “After being transferred to Mineo in Sicily, I decided to move back to Lampedusa because it is a friendly place. A local invited me to stay at his place while I formalised my status. Soon I will get my five years residency papers, and I will move somewhere else, though Askavusa is always my home.”

Annalisa’s sense of concern and respect for human beings is the strength which motivated her and Askavusa’s members to make a practical response in the face of uncaring officialdom. Amongst the groups working with migrants in Lampedusa, Askavusa stands out as a beacon of resistance in defence of violated human rights. The activist now hopes to obtain permission to enter the government reception centre and monitor life behind the fences, as a representative of a small, but independent association.

Article published in The New Internationalist September 2011