Trapped in time: an immigrants odyssey

“Who wants to do an article on Africans in Portugal?” In a room full of European journalists a wave of hands go up. But why are we so interested in this topic - Is it just that we are looking for “colour” for our articles? Do we simply want to find some striking cultural differences to impress our readers? Or perhaps only a tag line for a spicy shocking lead? Yet the question of immigration is at the heart of what the European Youth Press stands for. Our aim is not only to create awareness of the work of the European Parliament, and issues that are topical in individual members states, but also to forge a European identity: What is a European? How can the European Union facilitate the integration of so many cultures?

Samm’s story is a case in point. He has lived in Portugal for 16 years, but now feels lost and helpless in the country he fled to in 1992 to escape the war in Liberia. He was lucky – eventually he was granted a visa that allowed him to get a job. He worked in construction as an unskilled labourer like many of his fellow Liberians – dangerous, poorly paid, irregular work – but still he felt like he had a chance. Yet in 2004 his employer cheated him out of his taxes, and when he went to renew his visa he was refused: “The last time I had legal papers was in 2005. I told the SEF [Portugese Ministry for Immigration] what had happened but they didn’t care about my problems. They made it harder for me. Here in Portugal they don’t have people who care.” Now Samm relies on his friends to help him out, “I won’t go and take money from the social service, I can’t do this, I have more dignity than that”.

The helplessness of Samm’s situation is painfully ironic: “Now I have to pay the taxes that I owe the state so I can have my visa re-instated” Samm explains, “but I don’t have the money because I am not working. And I can’t work until I have my visa - it is enough to make you go crazy”. According to Samm, the European Union is not doing enough in Portugal, although in other countries the situation is better – “the EU is doing a lot for immigrants in Holland and Spain” he remarks. Does he feel like a European? “I feel like I have a right to be here, after all these years. I just want a stable life. If I could do anything, I would work as an interior designer. I could have had a family by now but I can’t even support myself”. He strokes his hair where the strands of grey are beginning to show.

Across the city in a quiet residential neighbourhood, Nelson Chantre, a bright-eyed, well-dressed student, is taking part in the initiation of the new students at his university. His father came from Cape Verde when he was just 17, settled and married a Portugese lady, and Nelson was born in Portugal. “I feel an affiliation to Cape Verde but I am Portugese. People here are beginning to feel like Europeans too,” he tells me. To me, Nelson is the epitome of the “new generation” of Europeans that are a part of our collective identity. He is a second generation immigrant, but he is also a European, and like many of us, he looks beyond the borders of Portugal and sees a bright future for himself in Europe.

Samm’s story could have been different – he could also have a son Nelson’s age, who is looking to the future. Instead, he is trapped in time, unable to move forward with his life and achieve his potential. Yet Nelson is testament to the fact that integration is possible, and desirable. Our European identity can be greatly enriched by those who by accident of language, war or colonisation in their home country, come to Europe for a brighter future.

Text: Tanyella Allison