In Madrid we have a network for the rights of migrants. (Spanish)
And a radio programme on wednesday evening, from 21.30 till 22.30 Sin Fronteras (No borders). Alcira interviewed me
And the Association Panteras Negras (Black Panthers): auto-integration of the Afro-Spanish tribe. Music, Video and Party!

And I found this poem:

Je suis étranger, je pleure
I’m a stranger, I cry

Je suis un noir et j’en suis fier
Je le dis, ma couleur de peau soulève de colère
Je suis un sans papier, j’ai la rage
Je le dis, ma situation politique dérange
Je gagne ma vie dans la rue, je regrette
pourtant je ne veux pas d’ennui
Il faut que je le crie, je suis un cabris mort
Tu peux éguiser ton couteau, j’aurais pas peur
J’ai déjà affronté la mort
Je suis venu en patera
Et, tu ne m’as pas redonner la vie
Si tu crois que je vais ceder tu as tort
Il faut que je le cris
Je l’ai déjà ecrit sur les murs de la police
Je suis un cabris mort
J’ai déjà vaincu la peur

I’m a stranger, I cry
I’m a stranger, I cry, cry

listen!
the more you move the more you learn
no matter who you are
the more you live the more you earn
no matter where you are
I know my aim,
I’m still the same;
I’m not ashamed to cry

by Ousmane El hadji NDIONE
Lavapiés, enero de 2008

I had a converstation with Ousmane, in French.
Ousmane El hadji NDIONE lives in Madrid, in the neighbourhood Lavapies. He is 27 and came from Senegal more than a year ago. He only had a transit visum, so he is in fact a “sans papiers”.
His first surprise when he came to madrid, was to meet so many Africans and so many others.
Kalambai!

Not so good is Ousmanes experience with the police. He was arrested three times, had to stand naked and bend over. Comme ca, a la police.

Mafia is a word that often comes up. Are Africans exploiting Africans?

Ousmane wants to study and go back to Senegal to educate children. But that’s a dream for now. Making a living is hard. But there is also music. he wrote a rap called Boat people And check his site called hotdrop78 on myspace and a regular site.

Re-thinking migration
Ousmane and a friend from Cameroon want to asks African migrants how they think about their home countries and the European countries. To think about a more clever way of migration. His example is how Asians organise their umbilical cords. If we can improve communication between Africa and her sons abroad, then we can fight both for the rights of migrant workers in Europe and for the right to return in a dignified way. Demand the right to work in Europe for two years and find good ways to return to Africa and contribute to building the nation.

New Poem by Ousmane, in French and English!

je voudrais vous envoyer ce poeme et si tu peux le traduire en anglais se  serais super :

TOI & MOI!
Venus de divers horizons
nous les immigres
clandestins comme ils aiment le dire
ils nous ont attaches les bras
ils nous ont prete leurs yeux
ils nous ont bouche les oreilles
ils nous ont arrache la langue
Dans un pays ou ils disent pays de liberte
protecteur des droits de l’homme
ils ont le droit de voir
et de nous faire voir
ils ont le droit de penser
et de nous faire penser
ils ont le droit de choisir
et de nous faire accepter leur choix
les DROITS :
du narcissisme europeen
et de l’egocentrisme occidental
Toi et Moi,prendre un ordre d’expulsion est notre
OBLIGATION .
SUJETS :
nous le sommes
nous sommes dans leur collimateur, ils revisent
l’ OBJET .
Victimes nous le somes deja
je me demande si nous le resterons pour toujours?
l’histoire se repete
apres des siecles d’humiliation
des decennies d’exploitations
ou nous en sommes aujourd’hui?
les annees de mepris.
l’ Amerique latine a seigne
l’Afrique on en parle plus
l’Asie resiste encore ,les genoux a terre
c’est a notre tour d’immigrer.

FIN

unfinished translation…

YOU and ME

We came from various horizons
We the immigrants
Illegals they love to call us
They have tied our hands

They have pulled our tongues out.

In a country they name of liberty
Guardian of human rights
They have the right to see
En to make us see
They have the right to think
And make us think
They have the right to choose
And to make us swallow their choices
Rights: of Europe’s narcissim and occidental egocentrism.

YOU and ME, to get an  extradition order is our obligation

Subjects:
We are
We are in their,
They review
The OBJECT

Victims we are already
I ask myself : forever?
History repeats itself
After centuries of humiliation
And decennia of exploitations
Where are we today?

The years of mepris
America has conquered
Latin America has ...
Asia still resists, knees on the ground
It’s up to us to immigrate