Los Tigres del Monte

In Ceuta, one of the two spanish enclaves on the african continent, separated only by the 14 kilometers wide Strait of Gibraltar from the spanish mainland, live 54 indian immigrants in the forests of the Monte del Renegado. In 2004 those indians got the offer to get legal work and residence permit for the European Union, paying 8000 euros. Their families sold their land, borrowed money from the bank or from friends, to finance the journeys of their sons. But their dream shouldn't become true, the 54 indians felt into the clutches of slave traders. From New Delhi they were brought to Addis Abeba, the capital city of Ethiopia, were they were asked for their passports and documents, tu get the visa, as they were told. They spent six months in a house in Addis Abeba, a torture. The slave traders stole their money and clothes and they were not allowed to talk. The indians didn't know when they would get to eat or drink and they were maltreated. Later they were brought to Burkina Faso, from there to Mail. Again they spent four months in a house until they were brought to the saharian desert of Algeria. The desert should be the badest part of their journey. The slave traders gave them water mixed with fuel to drink, rice mixed with sand to eat, so that they could save money. Some of the friends of the indians died from this and the survivors felt guilty because they couldn't help them with medicaments. Again and again they tried to cross the border between Algeria and Morocco, always catched by the moroccan police and sent back to Algeria. Every try to cross the border, they had to pay more money. If they didn't, the slave traders threatened to leave them in the desert. Seven months they spent in Morocco, finally one month near the border and in 2006 they reached Ceuta hidden in cars. In Ceuta they were brought to the official reception camp where about 400 immigrants from Africa and Asia are living. The 54 indians spent one and a half year there without any decision from the spanish government about their future. When rumours came up that they should be deported, they decided to flee to the forests of the Monte del Renegado; in protest against the long waiting time for any decision and in fear of the deportation. Now they are living there since 17 months, still without any clearness about their further lives. The life in the forest isn't easy, there is no running water, no electricity, summers are hot and during winter it's raining nearly permanently. They finance their lives with small jobs, helping out in front of a supermarket or helping car drivers to find a parking place in front of restaurants. They cook by their own, mostly Chabati, some kind of flatbread which they eat with vegetables. They wash their clothes at the beach under the sprinklers which are intended for the tourists. But it's important to be well-kept, if not they wouldn't earn money in the city. The mayority of the indians comes from the indian province Punjab, the home of the religion Sikh. In one of the camps they built a temple where they pray every day for a better future. On sundays they fast, they don't eat and drink the whole day, don't smoke, don't drink alcohol. Seventeen months they are in the forests now; deseperate, hopeless. They invite journalists to tell their story, so that the spanish government at least takes a decision, preferable this to let them cross the Strait of Gibraltar to the spanish mainland and to be allowed to work there, to recuperat the dignity of their families. Again and again they are asking themselves why it takes so long, why they weren't deported during the first months in Ceuta, they ask themselves what they should tell their parents, why they failed and why they lost five years of their lives because of the dream of Europe. Ceuta, Spain / August 2009

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