Clandestines
Pascale Poirier
2006 - 56 min - DV Cam - Couleur - France

Fleeing the extreme poverty of their native Anjouan, one of the poorest islands in the world, many women in a state of advanced pregnancy make their way to Mayotte. Here, they are virtually in France. Here, they can have their babies without cost and in good conditions. Their hope: a better life for their child, where schooling is free and a “French father” is possible.
Illegal immigrants, they set sail on makeshift boats called "kwassas kwassas" for a long, dangerous journey to this French overseas community. Faced with this flood of candidates for exile, Mayotte and the French government have for several months now been stepping up their arsenal in the fight against this immigration. If some manage to reach Mayotte, others, already illegal aliens for a number of years, are now deciding to return to Anjouan because the situation has become poisonous.
This has had repercussions on the local economy: ironically, Mayotte has always depended on the work done by these clandestine women - and men - to enrich the island activities and resources. Shuttling between Anjouan and Mayotte, this film is a portrait of several clandestine Mahoran women.