‘This is my probability at a second life’, the gradual and laborious aftermath of mass migrant rescue

We are standing on the large deck of the Geo Barents rescue ship, the place a whole bunch of persons are ready to begin a brand new life.

The boat docked in Bari at breakfast time, pulling into the port accompanied by a police boat on one facet and a coastguard vessel on the opposite. And about an hour later, folks began disembarking.

The first have been the very younger, the sick and the injured. Then the remainder of the kids have been led down.

All of them got a temperature check on the backside of the gangway; some have been then put within the massive water paper fits that all of us bear in mind from COVID. Everyone was introduced with flip-flops and sneakers by the Italian Red Cross.

But this disembarkation course of is, unsurprisingly, gradual and laborious. The Italian authorities needs to do every thing it could possibly to gradual, and finally reverse, the dramatic rise in migrants arriving on its shores.

So the well being examinations take time. After them come the safety checks, the finger-printing and an array of different issues. “Welcome to Italy, but don’t imagine we’re going to make it easy”.

Which is why, hours after the method began, there are nonetheless a whole bunch of individuals left milling round within the Geo Barents – killing time however getting regularly extra pissed off, anxious and irritable.

Which makes it all of the extra hanging when the music strikes up.

From the PA system on the entrance comes the strains of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. And alongside it, Mattia, one of many Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) workers, is singing alongside, waving his arms with gusto, imploring this room full of individuals to embrace opera.

At first, they have a look at him in some bewilderment. But then come smiles, and some claps and earlier than lengthy persons are on their ft applauding. Mattia, now a little bit sheepish, takes a bow.

It’s labored. People are actually smiling after which, bustling by way of, comes Simon, a Belgian nurse who’s holding his trumpet. He smiles and begins enjoying and he performs very well. Everyone loves it.

Within 20 minutes, there’s music being performed by way of the system – I believe it is Egyptian pop – and persons are dancing collectively. Don’t ever assume that music does not have essentially the most extraordinary energy.

The queue strikes slowly. Hamdi, who we met within the hours after the rescue, comes and says hi there. Eventually, his flip comes up and we comply with his path. His buddy, Elsaady, is within the group behind.

Hamdi walks up the steps and waits to be known as ahead. Like everybody else, he is carrying a surgical masks, issued by MSF however mandated by the Italian authorities, together with the garments that got to him when he received on the boat.

His equipment included a black hat, which he wears on a regular basis. But behind his masks, I can see he is smiling.

He exhibits the MSF workers the numbered wristband given to all of the survivors and so they cross him off their listing. And then he walks ahead, out of the door and in direction of the gangplank

He tells me he is glad, excited and “I feel like I’m home”. He’s a wise man – multilingual and resourceful – and he is researched sufficient to know that not everybody in Italy – or Europe – will welcome migrants like him.

“But this is my chance at a second life,” he insists. “I feel so good.”

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And with that, he is off, down the gangplank and, as his foot touches the marina, into Europe.

The queue goes alongside, however at all times slowly. By 11pm, after greater than 14 hours of disembarkation, there are nonetheless 100 folks left on board the Geo Barents. They look exhausted and so do the MSF employees.

This has been a voyage like no different – a rescue that has stretched the assets of the ship and the stamina of the MSF workers, who’ve needed to take care of greater than 600 folks by making a makeshift refugee camp at sea.

Now, everyone seems to be drained. It could also be time to place some music on.