Morocco’s mute stowaway

Said can neither hear nor speak. The 27-year-old is stuck in the Spanish enclave of Melilla, on Morocco’s northern coast, and is trying to get to Europe. He hopes to make a better life for himself.

He is one of hundreds of young Moroccans who sneak into Melilla every day and live on the streets, planning to stow away on one of the many boats that sail from here to the Spanish peninsula, and from there, make their way to various destinations in Europe.

Many of them are children, some as young as eight, and most are fleeing economic hardship.

Said attempted suicide after the textile factory he worked in went bankrupt. He wasn’t paid a salary for months.

But social media images and stories of other young Moroccans like himself who made it across the Mediterranean have lured him to Europe.

Now his goal is to reunite with his brother in Germany.

(Note: There are no spoken words in this film. We wanted the viewer to see Said the same way that the people in his life do.)

Filmmaker: Guillem Valle

Editor: Andrew Phillips

Executive Producer: Yasir Khan