Cultural mediator Mamadou Kouassi talks about his collaboration with Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone on the Oscar-nominated picture “Io Capitano.” The story of the film was based on Kouassi’s voyage, which took him over the Mediterranean Sea in a smugglers’ boat, through illegal prisons, and into African deserts. He describes how Garrone was committed to presenting the brutal reality of migration, even though it meant removing some of the most horrific scenes in order to make them more widely seen.
Kouassi remembers, “We saw a lot of people die in the desert, women and children.” Additionally, numerous scenes of women being assaulted have been cut out of the movie. Since we want the movie to be seen by as many people as possible, Matteo took it out because it was more difficult to include.”
The movie chronicles the voyage of two teenage migrants from Senegal who take the dangerous trip over the Niger desert to reach Libya, where they board a boat that smuggles people headed for Europe. Since minors in Italy are not imprisoned, one of the boys is forced to take charge of “captaining” the boat.
Actor Seydou Sarr thanks Garrone for bringing attention to the difficult conditions faced by refugees.
“I want to thank Matteo Garrone for making this movie because it is important for us, it is important for us in Africa and all that,” he states. “Matteo made this movie to let you see what happens in fact, the reality, what we suffer to come to Europe.”
Another actor, Moustapha Fall, hopes the movie will portray the suffering and optimism of refugees. “I hope that they will know the – how can I say – the pain,” says Fall. “It is not about want to travel, it is just like a dream because every single person has a dream to travel, to discover another world.”
Kouassi’s perilous and exploitative voyage highlights the need of tackling the underlying causes of migration and the importance of having empathy and understanding for individuals who are trying to improve their lot in life.
While providing an insight into the life of migrants, Garrone’s film also addresses the harsh truths that are frequently ignored by popular stories.
