Since its founding in 2015, the sea rescue association has saved the lives of more than 42,000 castaways in distress. Testimony, report and meeting in the evening “L’Escale Solidaire” at the Châtelet on December 1.
Years passed and the Mediterranean continued to be a sea where many people died. There are currently two fronts. The first is always the same: saving lives. Prevent men, women and children from drowning. The second is to fight indifference. Because time passes and something happens. This continues. For years. Again and again. This continues. Until you get dizzy. Or nausea. And unfortunately as our hearing weakens, so does our anger. It is a cruel triumph of misfortune. Each repeated tragedy gives birth to a terrifying monster of indifference.
In 2005, I wrote a novel entitled El Dorado who already talked about Lampedusa. I can’t believe it’s been twenty years. What has changed since then? The reality continues to get worse. Deaths piled up. And the risk now is burnout. The feeling of having said everything, tried everything, repeated everything a thousand times. The risk is that we resign and forget our anger.
We must fight so that our sense of humanity does not fade. This is the fight we must lead. The SOS Méditerranée crew never gets tired. They continued to fight. And we can help them. They need money. They need support. This is what we can give them. Saying that we are with them. Again. Take our part in the fight. Again. As long as there is death.
There is a very beautiful phrase from Frantz Fanon that often comes to mind in the dark times we experience. : “Each generation must, in circumstances of relative obscurity, discover its mission: fulfill it or betray it.”
Have no doubt, when future generations look back on the present, they will judge us based on what we did in opposing the tragedy in the Mediterranean.
Will we help save lives? Will we be able to preserve a little humanity amidst the darkness? Will we be able to face the political disturbances in the world? Against the growing violence in speeches about foreigners? Hatred towards others?
We can’t get enough of it. The lives of those in danger of death are at stake. It’s about our society being in danger of indifference. And all of us, who are in danger of perdition. SOS Méditerranée needs us. We need SOS Méditerranée. You have to hang on, stay straight, carry on.
