Mamadou Kouassi, whose journey inspired Matteo Garrone’s Oscar-nominated "Io Capitano", sheds light on the harsh reality many migrants face upon arriving in Europe. "Without a stay permit we become invisible, disposable," he says in a new documentary that describes the 'second journey' of irregular migrants when they arrive in Europe.
The people who arrive in Europe must face a second journey after coming ashore via Mediterranean routes, according to Mamadou Kouassi. The man from Ivory Coast's story served as the inspiration for Matteo Garrone's film "Io Capitano" (I, Captain), which was a candidate for the 2024 Oscars. He now features in a 20-minute documentary by Andrea Fantino for the Fieri-Torino association as part of the DignityFirm project.
Presented for the first time in November 2024 at the Rosarno Film Festival, "Mamadou Kouassi Pli Adama. La lotta della migrazione" (The Struggle of Migration) was screened on February 21 in Trento, in north-eastern Italy, at the law faculty of the university in the presence of Kouassi.
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'Those without stay permits begin 2nd journey on arrival'
Speaking to ANSA, Kouassi highlighted the widespread misconception that reaching Europe is the hardest part. “The film Io Capitano shows the difficulties of the journey to Europe, which many believe is easy. But once you arrive, another journey begins -- especially if you don’t have a stay permit,” he explained
The documentary, which began filming before Io Capitano, focuses on life after arrival. “Without that crucial document, we have no voice in discussions about integration—we become invisible and disposable,” he said. It also draws attention to the exploitation of migrant farmworkers in Italy, many of whom are denied basic rights.
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'Italian government moving backwards in immigration'
Now living in Castel Volturno, in Italy’s southern province of Caserta, Kouassi works as a cultural mediator and is vice president of the Migrants and Refugees Movement. He has been an advocate for migrants' rights since 2009.
He criticized the Italian government’s approach to migration, arguing that recent policies have worsened conditions. "It is absurd to take people who survived Libya and Tunisia to Albania, after crossing the desert and facing a sea journey. It would have been important for all that money wasted to build prisons in Albania to have been used to foster the integration of people who arrived in Italy. A contest of wills over immigration is not what is needed; we need concrete responses giving people the freedom to travel."
A Story That Began in Rosarno
The documentary’s first screening in Rosarno holds deep significance. In 2010, violent riots and attacks against African migrants erupted there. “I was in Rosarno then,” Kouassi recalled. “The government told migrants to leave, and I returned to Caserta.”
Now, years later, Kouassi continues to fight for dignity and justice -- not just for migrants, but for all. “For me, presenting this documentary is a source of great pride,” he said.
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