A quick view of the coastline of Santa Cruz de Tenerifein the Las Teresita Beachs, draws a landscape crowded with bathers who cool off in the face of the high temperatures, but in it there is also a particularly happy and festive group that draws the attention of everyone who passes by.
The team is large, it is made up of 40 migrants of legal age from the Las Raíces camp (La Laguna) and, accompanied by workers from the Accem association and volunteers from Proemaid, they try to face one of their main obstacles: the sea.
The Canary Route is one of the deadliest in the world. A total of 778 people lost their lives trying to reach the Canary coast during the first six months of 2023.
The conditions of the sea and of the boats leave the survivors with a feeling of anguish that needs to be resolved “for mental health reasons”, according to Alicia Rate, Accem’s social integrator, explained to EFE.
During these last two summers, the “Water” program has coordinated with the Las Raíces campsite to visit Las Teresitas beach, in alternating groups, four times a week.
The main objective is to teach swimming, but also to facilitate defense techniques in the water and promote social integration.
It also seeks to clear up the uncertainty of migrants and the Ulysses syndrome they suffer from, an emotional discomfort derived from a journey in which they have left behind “the world they knew in emergency situations.”
The president of PROEMAID, Daniel García, tells how their routine is once they arrive at the beach: they warm up and stretch, they do level tests and smaller groups in order to promote more personalized teaching.
García says that, compared to last year, the logistics of the project have improved because many more users can now access it.
Hiking and Spanish classes are other activities offered to this group of Las Raíces, a group with more than 20 different nationalities and the majority origin focused on sub-Saharan Africa.
Between games and smiles, different accents and languages are heard, from Arabic and Wolof to Mandinka.
Mustafa is one of Accem’s performers. He accompanies the Las Raíces group to the beach to facilitate the process in which “the sea is perceived with another intention than to suffer.”
“The sea has been their only exit door in the face of wars, political conflict and unemployment,” he comments while the young people ask for photos to immortalize the moment they want to repeat.
The interpreter, who translates into Arabic and French, highlights how essential it has been to have a team of translators from shared origins.
“Accem’s interpreters have the same origins and this makes it easier for them to feel like countrymen among themselves”, a fact that helps to leave behind the natural silence that accompanies traumatic experiences.
Abdulay is one of the migrants that makes up this large group that, in Las Teresitas, enjoys a pleasant bath and a bit of sports.
He is very young and comes from Senegal. In his eyes, the illusion of the encounter is perceived, while he tells EFE his desire to repeat to enjoy swimming with other colleagues.
Another of the users of the service, of Senegalese origin, also expresses his joy in sharing time with others, because for him it is not only about going out and learning to swim, but also an opportunity to improve coexistence with those who share a camp.
He didn’t know how to swim, but now he thrives in the water and recounts his experiences as a token of gratitude.
In July 2024, the users of the Las Raíces camp will smile again and enjoy some time on the beach, they will go to the shore and show themselves reconciled with the sea, without forgetting the path they have traveled.
