Towards the end of September and into early October, 11 Friends from Germany and Switzerland travelled to Sicily to visit NGOs engaged in search-and-rescue deployments on the Mediterranean Sea. Some of us travelled by car or bus, most of us by train. Coming from Germany, the journey took up to 40 hours before the train finally reached the island. Remarkably, the train was driven directly onto a ferry to cross the Strait of Messina.
We arrived in Catania and stayed for two nights in a wonderful apartment, where we cooked together, held Meeting for Worship, and got to know one another more deeply. We approached the topic of migration and the deadly border policies of the European Union through hard-won facts, documentaries, and written works, but also through time set aside for feelings and emotional reflection.
After two sun-and-rain mixed days, we continued on to the beautiful town of Licata, where many NGOs are based due to its geographical position on Sicily’s southern coast and its relatively affordable berths for vessels. We stayed in a friendly hostel, cooked our own meals, and were served breakfast consisting of splendid instant coffee and croissants filled generously with chocolate, pistachio, or custard. In the following days, we quietly attended an online call of the next crew of CompassCollective, listening to their discussions and learning about their roles and the preparation process for the three week-long SAR (Search and Rescue) deployments. One evening we shared a meal with Katja Tempel, a fellow Quaker, co-founder of the project, and the person who coordinates new crews and oversees the day-to-day work of the NGO in Licata.
The next morning we walked down the narrow, steep streets to the harbor to meet a skipper from SEA-EYE, another NGO. He spoke to us about his work and answered all our questions with great openness. Afterwards, we met the CompassCollective crew that had just returned from deployment and talked about what they had witnessed during the past weeks. We learned many things, and for some of us it was a very moving experience to hear directly from these dedicated activists about what they do and how it feels to be out at sea. Later we learned that they were deeply grateful for our visit and our willingness to understand the situation.
In the evenings, after dinner, we often gathered for an epilogue: sharing thoughts and feelings from the day, singing, and sitting in silence before going to bed. One of our concerns had been to avoid becoming mere “NGO tourists.” We also wanted to help. While we were not (yet) able to sail with CompassCollective ourselves, we took part in a subbotnik – a shared work effort. We cleaned the crew house and its surroundings to make the stay of the following crews a little more pleasant; tending to plants or repairing cracks in the concrete are tasks that few have energy for when preparing for a three-week rescue mission. The next day we celebrated the birthday of one of the Friends and watched the film Kein Land für Niemand, a German production about the deadly migration policies of the EU and its member states.
The entire journey was one of contrasts. A constant dichotomy lay over us. There we were, on the holiday island of Sicily – wandering picturesque streets and beaches, lying in the sun, enjoying each other’s company, home-cooked meals, local food, singing, laughter, and swimming in the sea. The same sea that has claimed the lives of more than 22,000 people attempting to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean, since 2015. We felt a deep responsibility to carry the insight and sense of urgency we gained there back home – to our friends, families, colleagues, and communities. To keep speaking about this reality, and to look for ways in which we ourselves can take action against the policies that Europe turns its eyes away from policies that kill people at the borders of this very continent every single day.
A special thanks goes out to EMEYF and their Visit a Friend Fund, and to the CompassCollective.
Written by Fridtjof Knospe