After Algeria and Tunisia, our harraga rap tour takes us to Morocco. The piece is called Mzeyra and is sung by Bramfori, emerging voice of the Tangier underground rap scene. Tangier has always been a frontier town because of its geographical position at the crossroads between two seas and two continents. Europe can be seen from here with the naked eye. Simply go have tea at the Hafa café, above the Kasbah, to see the lights of Tarifa across the Mediterranean. With the hydrofoil, you can cross the Strait of Gibraltar in thirty minutes. But most of the inhabitants of the city are not allowed to travel. Because without a bank account with enough money, it is impossible to have a visa. And so, for the youth of the working-class districts there is no choice but to hide under the cargo trucks that board every day for Spain, Genoa, and the rest of Europe. Like in Patras and Calais. Yes, because Tangier is the Mediterranean capital of freight transport. Here, the Tangier Med has recently opened, which will be the most important freight port of the Mediterranean sea. And here the Saudis are investing heavily on five-star tourism. Yet, the paradox of modernity, for the working-class youth, travel continues to be prohibited. Unless they gain that right with their own bodies, running to the port and trying to hide with the freight, almost as though it were a dare in the era of globalization. ‘We all want to save ourselves’ they say, and ‘we apologize to our fathers’ if ‘in our country we cannot find peace’. All that’s left to do is to ‘cross’ the Strait of Gibraltar, because ‘from there I’ll start my life over’. Enjoy listening. And enjoy reading, because below you will find the English translation of the lyrics.
Mzeyra
It's our country, brother, and we cannot find peace
The days do not bring us joy
We ask forgiveness from our fathers
One night I took a red pill
And on my way I met a gang, they wanted to use me to do certain things
Then I met a good gang
I continued on my way with them, with my head disconnected
I continued on my way through the night,
with a swollen black eye, and blood coming out of my mouth
This is the harbour and these are boats,
everything looks like a salad.
I see only those with documents coming.
Tonight I decide to cross that frontier.
In my country I will not return,
because my rights begin over there
and over there I will start a new life.
We all want to save ourselves
We all want to cross
And if you manage to cross, what will you be able to do?
Abroad it is very hard, you must be very careful
Everyone wants to migrate, they all want to cross
and tell me, if you arrive, what will you get?
Abroad, brother, it’s very hard, you must be very careful
I want to migrate to seek my fortune,
Here there is only unemployment and walls to heat
And if you get a job you will never stop running and you'll never get anything out of it
I see only the harbour and I think about crossing the border
But each time it’s more difficult
Abroad, abroad.
Other young men have left and come back with their documents.
This one has left, that one has left.
When will I go?
Everything was written by God.
My dream is only to cross the sea.
I kicked my teeth in the harbour, day and night in the harbour,
all the police know me, all the guys at customs know me.
We all want to save ourselves
We all want to cross
And if you manage to cross, what will you be able to do?
Abroad it is very hard, you must be very careful
Everyone wants to migrate, they all want to cross
and tell me, if you arrive, what will you get?
Abroad, brother, it’s very hard, you must be very careful