For International Migrants Day, Cooperativa Quepo is holding an event with two activities, each of which will be followed by a conversation.

The first part of the event will present the documentary Qui soc [Who I Am] (30 minutes). Created together with the three young protagonists, minors who arrived in Catalonia alone, the documentary addresses and reflects on how the media have used the acronym “mena” (from “menors no acompanyats”, meaning “unaccompanied minors”) to paint a certain image of these youths. How do Barcelona residents perceive young immigrants formerly under government guardianship who are living in the city? Have the media painted them with a broad brush and criminalised them? Qui soc offers the perspective of some of these young people themselves, with their own reflections and experiences.

Following the screening of the documentary, we’ll have a conversation with Judith Obianozie, Marouane Es-Saghir and Youssef Hejjou (the protagonists); Pablo Zareceansky, the director of the documentary; Rita Grané, the head of the Punt de Referència organisation; and Juantxo Gil, the chair of FEPA and a member of Fundació Nazareth.

The second part of the event will present the web documentary El camí impossible [The Impossible Journey], which shows that there are no safe migration routes. El camí impossible seeks to contribute to the work other organisations and groups are carrying out to guarantee to the immigration and asylum rights of people on the move who are seeking asylum in Spain. The goal of the project is to bring about a perception shift among the general public and government institutions in order for there to be a recognition of the need for safe and legal routes and pressure from various areas of society to guarantee such routes. It is based on four dimensions: research, awareness-raising, advocacy and training.

Following the screening (with commentary) of key clips from the web documentary, there will be a discussion with experts, the team behind the documentary and people affected first-hand by the issues it addresses. Participants will include Patricia Fernández Vicens (Coordinadora de Barrios), Diego Boza (IPD), Lamine Sarr (Sindicat de Manters de Barcelona) and Sonia Ros (Quepo).

The event will be moderated by journalist Sergi Picazo.