Dhwani Shrotriya | s3440834

KAVV 2
Becky’s Journey (documentary) | Rescue and Caught - Andersson
Quote
“I can still go back again, because I have the strength and everything to go back to Libya- but
not through that sea- No, not through that sea”
Argument
Becky’s journey conveys a multitude of emotions and while being heart wrenching, her
motive seems to be simply to show the world the struggle and sacrifice that, individuals from
the global south (mainly women), go through in search of money and a new land, a better
land. One may assume, from the first half, that she means to encourage the idea of crossing
the border from Africa to Europe. It creates the sense of putting anything on the line, money,
your body, respect and religious beliefs, and in an untimely situation, even life. However, for
me, as the documentary progressed, I believe her message was entirely the opposite, she
found comfort and safety when she went back home. She could not cross the border and
therefore she had not come back successful, and yet she seemed satisfied- she is surrounded
by friends, her boyfriend, her family, she is happy. Her main argument through the video
seems to be a build up to the ultimate lesson, there is no way one must cross that sea.
Relation
While Becky’s Journey gives us the view of the migrant/traveler, Andersson’s, ‘Rescue and
Caught’ gives the reader an insight into how to treat these travelers at the border. He
plummets the idea that humanitarian vs securitarian are arguably different. This explanation
is supported by a number of examples coming from the African and European borders,
however one a particular is relevant to Becky’s Journey. Andersson states that a kind of
strategy is to let the North African forces do their job- “rescue” them and send them back
towards their side of the border. Becky also mentions that in her first attempt, she had been
conned into carrying fake documents, and the border agents in Nigeria told her to go back to
Benin and did not hand her to the police. These parallels show the communication between a
real-life story and the research of an external author.
Question
You end the video by saying, you want to start a business and if someone offered, you would
go, you won’t stop until you get to Italy. However, you also said, you would never cross that
sea and that you could not wait to get back to Benin (your home) when you were in the
dessert. Therefore, my question is, did you mean if someone offered to take you across the
border legally, you would go?
References
Andersson, R. (2017). Rescued and Caught. The Humanitarian-Security Nexus at Europe’s
Frontiers https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372660-003
Becky’s Journey - https://vimeo.com/241139440