HIBAPRESS – Mohammed Zariouh
The high walls of Melilla and the waves of its raging sea are no longer the only obstacle to the dreams of underage migrants, but have become today the subject of an artistic work that resounds with the bitter reality; where the young Moroccan "Salah" chose to break the barrier of silence through a rap song in which he documented the details of years of loss between shelters and street sidewalks, turning his personal suffering into an artistic message that transcends borders.
According to what was reported by the Spanish channel **RTVE**, Salah's journey began four years ago when his feet touched occupied Melilla when he was not yet 14 years old, to find himself between the walls of the "La Purisima" center for minors, in a harsh experience interspersed with periods of homelessness in the streets, which were the stations that refined his awareness and prompted him to choose art as a means of psychological discharge and to convey the voice of those who have no voice among his peers.
The artistic work that Salah chose to title "Beni Ansar" does not just present musical rhythms, but deeply explores the reality of Moroccan minors who practice what is known locally as "Risky." These are suicidal attempts to sneak onto ships or jump towards them while sailing, in an adventure with uncertain results, putting the lives of hundreds on the palm of a genie in the hope of reaching the Iberian shore.
To give the work a realistic tinge, the "music video" was filmed in the heart of the living sites that form a daily stage for the drama of immigration; the camera moved between the marginalized popular neighborhoods, and the surroundings of the thorny border fence, reaching the port sidewalks. These places were not just backgrounds for filming, but were witnesses to the cries and hopes of young people hanging between despair and hope.
In a remarkable shift that reflects the extent of psychological suffering, Salah stated that his ambition today has changed radically; after years of running behind the mirage of the other shore, his greatest dream has become to return to the embrace of the homeland and reunite with his family. The young Moroccan considered that psychological stability next to the family is the real ambition that deserves to be pursued, after he realized that the price of alienation in "irregular" conditions may be more expensive than the ability of any young person to endure.
