Solidarity at sea: Practical cooperation and wider networking in the central med

We struggle for an open mediterranean space, while we have to deal with emergency situations on a daily basis. We are involved in rescue operations but also in attempts to build infrastructures for freedom of movement. We try to resist practically the push and pull back regime in the SAR zone, while we create common networks and visions of a world without borders on both sides of the coast.

Maldusa is the name of a new project "between sea and land" and with a station (in preparation) in Lampedusa.

The name is dedicated to a night-time distress call made by a boat to the Alarm Phone in 2021, which was on its way from Libya towards Europe. When asked what their destination was, the person on the satellite phone replied: "Maldusa" - for the search for a fictitious place of safety and welcome between Malta and Lampedusa.

In our first event we invite for an open exchange about - on one hand - experiences of concrete cooperations at sea and to support the arrivals of people on the move. On the other hand to re-discuss the wider frame of our networking efforts to bridge both sides of the mediterranean sea.

The Event will start with an input from Alarm Phone about their approach and attempts to combine interventions at sea with a wider networking perspective.

Secondly we want to briefly present the Civil Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (CMRCC), which is not a future idea or a long-term vision but already a daily practice.

Finally we hope for an open common discussion about experiences and new ideas of collaboration, here on the island of Lampedusa but as well in the wider geographical context - and as part of the ongoing struggles for freedom of movement and equal rights for all.