Surprising Europe: The story of sad illegal immigrants

May 25, 2013

Every once in a while you will chance upon an acquaintance in the throes of Visa applications. On the streets of Kampala, a keen eye will notice several posters offering Ugandans a chance to work in Europe and America.

By George Wabweyo

 
Every once in a while you will chance upon an acquaintance in the throes of Visa applications. On the streets of Kampala, a keen eye will notice several posters offering Ugandans a chance to work in Europe and America. 
 
Every December, we listen to  stories, or even enjoy moneys of returnees from ‘outside countries’, the ones we call Nkuba Kyeyos. Yet, is migrating to another country all rosy? Surprising Europe is a docu-film contributing to the debate about migration from Africa to Europe. It puts together tales of several African immigrants grappling with life in Europe.
 
From the dangerous boat journeys to the European mainland, life in the immigration detention centers and job hunting; all the way to dodging the authorities, the eight-part series will definitely have anyone who considers illegal migration reconsider.
 
“I thought by travelling to Europe I would overcome the problems I had in Africa, but Europe was almost the same as Africa. Sometimes I would feel so desperate that I thought of participating in risky ventures  that would mean a life of crime. But I always controlled myself,” says Sunna Gulooba, a Ugandan whose life as an undocumented immigrant, spurred him to initiate Surprising Europe.
 
Last week at the Pearl International Film Festival held at the national theatre, the first part of the film was screened to an audience that kept the questions coming in during a panel discussion thereafter.
 
There was an official from the international organisation of migration to help the audience internalize the film. Some people communicated about their Ugandan friends stuck abroad and suffering. But what sank in most with the audience were the words from what looked like a 22-year-old member of the audience.
 
“I am appealing to fellow Ugandans to stop it now. We do not need to buy ourselves into those countries. We can still leave our dreams here in Uganda.”
 
The boy said amidst handclaps and applause. Well, just in case you still insist that your dreams can only be fulfilled as an illegal immigrant to Europe or Asia or wherever, checkout http://surprisingeurope.com/tv-serie.
 
Maybe, just maybe, those stories will convince you that your dreams are made in Uganda. 
 
 

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