Another Take: Mayotte's story of migration
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 21 December 2024
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on May 10, 2023. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.
There’s an island in the Indian Ocean that’s part of France, called Mayotte – and it’s become a front line in the story of EU migration. Mayotte was part of neighboring Comoros until 1975. Now, Comorans and others migrate to Mayotte by boat, seeking asylum or a better life. 1,800 French security forces have deployed from mainland France as part of Operation Wuambushu, which means “take back” in Mayotte’s local language. The government says that the shantytowns full of people are becoming an economic, safety, and health concern. The move has sparked protests both for and against the operation.
In this episode:
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Dawud Bumaye (@dawudbumaye), Afro-Feminist and Comorian Activist
Episode credits:
This episode was updated by Tamara Khandaker. The original production team was Chloe K. Li, Khaled Soltan and our host, Malika Bilal.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:10.1 | Hi, it's Tamara Ken Dacker, producer with the take, and this is another take, where we revisit stories from the archives. |
| 0:18.8 | Today, we're in Myote, an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of |
| 0:23.2 | Africa that's also a French territory. The island was hit by Cyclone last week. Myote is still without |
| 0:30.7 | water and the death toll is still climbing. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited, he was met with an angry crowd. |
| 0:40.2 | Last year, we spoke to a journalist about why France was cracking down on immigration in my oath. |
| 0:46.9 | All references are from May 10, 2023. In the middle of the Indian Ocean, there is an archipelago of four islands, surrounded by clear turquoise water. |
| 1:10.2 | And among those islands, which make up the nation of Camaros, |
| 1:13.6 | is a part of France, the island of Mayotte. |
| 1:18.6 | It's the oldest of the islands and a French overseas department. |
| 1:22.6 | Mayotte is a great island, very beautiful, like all the archipelago of the Comoros. |
| 1:31.5 | But within that archipelago, there's a border. |
| 1:35.3 | And now, security forces from mainland France have come to enforce it. |
| 1:40.3 | 1,800 members of the French security forces have been deployed to remove illegal migrants, |
| 1:46.4 | most of them from neighboring Camoros. |
| 1:48.5 | France says it aims to expel at least 10,000 people. |
| 1:52.7 | So why are French security forces pushing people off of this island? |
| 1:58.8 | I'm Malika Bilal and this is the take. |
| 2:11.4 | Mayotte is an island not many have heard of. |
| 2:13.8 | So to understand why people are going there from neighboring Camaros and how it became |
| 2:19.3 | part of France, or talking to someone with ties to both countries. Her name is Daoud Boumaie. |
| 2:26.2 | I'm an Afro-feminist activist and I live in France. I'm a French and Comorian. |
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