Bolingo. The Forest of Love

Share in the lives of these courageous women who left their homes in the heart of Africa for a better future in Europe. But they never made it that far. Now stranded on the northern coast of Morocco and living in their self-built camp, they talk about their perilous journey and their experiences of sometimes forced motherhood. They speak from the darkness, their faces sparingly illuminated, their experiences too painful for daylight. The camera goes in very close: moving lips fill the screen; eyes tell all there is to know. They risked everything for their family so their children could have a better life. In the words of one, “It is better I chase the future than the future to chase me.” The stories they tell about their journey are rendered in animations – the thin strands of white the only light in the blackness. The darkness is a reflection of their skin color, their despair, their hopelessness and the nights that defined their lives. But there is also subtle lighting in the background – they are alive, and they are raising their children.