Finsternis

In the organizer's words:

By Davide Enia
Translated from the Italian by Susanne Van Volxem

For his report Shipwreck off Lampe dusa, the Sicilian author travels to the Mediterranean island where refugees have been landing in Europe on a daily basis for some time now. He talks to fishermen and divers, conducts research and lends a hand himself. What do we know about the people who leave their homeland with nothing but the hope of a better life? And many of whom do not survive the journey in the poorly equipped, overcrowded boats. What about everyday life on Lampe- dusa? How do the helpers cope with their harrowing and dangerous work of constantly fighting for every life or at least providing a dignified final resting place for all those who do not make it?

a dignified final resting place? In sharp contrast to the disturbing current observations are very personal memories of happy childhood experiences or beach vacations in the south of Italy. In addition, the concern for the terminally ill beloved uncle makes it clear how much value each individual life has.

In a haunting monologue, the first-person narrator confronts the stories and fates and allows individual people to emerge from the crowd through direct observation. And so Lampedusa suddenly becomes very real as a symbol of the failure of refugee policy.