The Gateway to Europe

Fourteen Kilometres is an award winning film by director Gerardo Olivares

Just fourteen kilometres separate the very different cultures of Africa and Europe and it is across this relatively short but perilous stretch of water that the two collide.

Thousands of immigrants risk the sweltering heat of African deserts, dangerous bandits on the roads, and the regularly rough seas of the Strait of Gibraltar all for the promise of a better life.

Even if they survive everything else, there are the increasingly vigilant border patrols trying to make sure they do not make it.

For those who do reach the shores of Spain – the gateway to Europe – what sort of future awaits them?

For the past decade, immigrants filling low-paying, hard labour jobs helped bolster the Spanish economy but now, with their numbers rising and the economy showing signs of a slow-down, there are more concerns about immigration, and whether or not these newcomers really fit in with traditional Spanish society.

On Monday, the Riz Khan show looks at immigration during a special live addition from Madrid, Spain. Sepideh Labani Motlagh, a consultant and analyst on migration and gender issues joins the programme along with Gerardo Olivares, the director of the award winning film, Fourteen Kilometres.

Watch this episode of the Riz Khan Show on YouTube

Watch this episode of Riz Khan’s Street Talk on YouTube

This episode of Riz Khan aired from Monday, January 14, 2008 at 1900GMT, with repeats at 0030GMT, 0530GMT, and 1000GMT

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