García Benito, Nieves – Por la vía de Tarifa (1999)

Synopsis

“Each of the stories is based on real events. Nearly 200 immigrants will have passed through my house in 10 years, telling where they come from and what is happening to them. And I have written them caused by the anguish of not being able to bear it”, commented yesterday García Benito, professor of Geography and History in an institute and member of the Pro-Human Rights Association of Andalusia, during the presentation of the book in Madrid.
“Cailcedrat” is the title of the first story and the author wrote it inspired by a photograph of a dead young man that she saw in a newspaper. In it she recounts the tragedy of the disappeared, whose name is not preserved, whether or not their bodies have been discovered. In “El tiburón”, the author wanted to “denounce the mafias against these slaves of the 20th century. Some pampered mafias that do the thankless task of selecting immigrants. Of the 1,000 that leave, 50 or 100 arrive, with which they have already done the job.” Another of the stories, “Al-mi-rat”, has been written against the oblivion of the Spanish people, who just a few decades ago also had to emigrate. According to the author, immigrants flee to Spain because the social and political situation in their countries is unstable, and also driven by television images of a better world. Moroccan immigrants arrive in small boats pulled by a 40-horsepower engine; for the ticket they have paid from 150000 to 200000 pesetas; and of the 20 immigrants who arrive at the beach, about three escape from the Civil Guard. "They manage to flee to the countryside, where people do not denounce them, but help them because a network of silent solidarity has been established with them," explained García Benito, who added that he felt ashamed for having had to write this book.

(SOURCE: El País)