‘THIS JUNGO LIFE’: MMB Film Screening and Q&A
Wednesday 22 January 2025 at 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
‘THIS JUNGO LIFE’ (2024, 78mins) takes us deep inside the hidden lives of young refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan and South Sudan, living and sleeping rough on the streets of Morocco. Forced to flee violence and instability in Libya, they are unable to return home due to ongoing war and conflict.
Produced in collaboration with the refugees themselves, and filmed entirely using mobile phones, this film offers unique and intimate access, providing a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the human spirit and innate drive for survival, as they fight for a better life for themselves and the families they left behind.
—
‘THIS JUNGO LIFE’ is a collaboration between filmmaker David Fedele and a group of these young refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan and South. They call themselves ‘Jungo’ – a name traditionally given to seasonal agricultural workers from Sudan, which is now also adopted by refugees, asylum seekers and migrants on the road.
Most have arrived in Morocco since 2020 and are drawn to the capital city of Rabat, seeking to claim asylum with the UNHCR and be granted refugee status. Most also dream of entering Europe, crossing the heavily militarised fences into the Spanish cities of Sebta (Ceuta) or Melilla, European enclaves on the African continent.
—
The film screening will be immediately followed by a Q&A with Assistant Director Abubakr Ali.
—
David Fedele is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker, particularly interested in exploring cultural, humanitarian, environmental and social justice issues around the world. His films have explored themes related to refugees, asylum seekers and migration in North and West Africa, electronic waste (e-waste) in Ghana, and illegal logging in Papua New Guinea, and have been screened widely around the world.
Abubakr Ali is himself a refugee from Sudan, as well as the main protagonist of the film. You can watch a statement from Abubakr, filmed from a refugee camp in France, discussing this unique filmmaking collaboration here.
