Buenaventura presents “Seres de luz” (Beings of light) a documentary and a printed publication that addresses the migration of children and teenagers who travel alone from Africa to Europe from a human perspective, with names and surnames, giving voice to its protagonists.
Through two pieces (documentary and editorial piece), “Seres de luz” narrates the stories of Blessing, Mabel, and Abde, two girls and a boy who had the courage to leave their land and an existence destined for precariousness and misery behind, without prospects for the future, and embarked on a dangerous journey alone towards a better life in Europe.
A life that came after years of effort and studies, and with the support of mentors and teachers, they managed to move forward and have become promising young people eager to continue learning and working.
The documentary focuses on the period when Blessing, Mabel, and Abde come into contact with the Spanish institutions responsible for their guardianship and education, and the process of training and adaptation until they achieve, at present, a job and economic stability.
The documentary “Seres de luz” is complemented by the editorial piece also designed and edited by Buenaventura, a large-format printed publication that delves into the stories of Blessing, Mabel, and Abde through the detailed narration of their experiences based on their own testimonies and memories of the journey from their places of origin in Africa to Loja. A chilling document that places the viewer face to face with a reality of extreme harshness, but which is necessary to understand what these promising teenagers of today experienced and suffered during their childhood.
“Seres de luz” highlights the need to tell the stories of these boys and girls with closeness and humanity, with rationality and empathy. The importance of giving them presence and voice.
“Seres de luz” is a social design project by Buenaventura that has received funding from the Provincial Council of Granada and the collaboration of Loja’s City Hall.
In the documentary, the confessions of Blessing, Mabel, and Abde intertwine with the testimonies of their caregivers at the Hogar La Salle San Ramón y San Fernando children’s protection center in Loja, as well as the director of the public institute they attended, to create a portrait of solidarity and hope. The documentary also features the participation of Patricia Bueso, a lawyer and researcher in migrations and human rights.
Set against the backdrop of songs by the Granada-based band Lori Meyers, we witness how the three protagonists, with effort, patience, and perseverance, have managed to overcome all adversities and become promising young people with a present full of pride for what they have achieved and, above all, with a hopeful future.
The sustainable clothing brand Ecoalf is responsible for the styling of Blessing, Mabel, and Abde, who look radiant photographed by Jordi Terry. Their careful appearance is a symbol of the immense potential they harbor and a sign that things can be done in a more humane, rational, and respectful way.
“Seres de luz” seeks to make visible the true reality of most of these boys and girls who arrive alone in Europe and aspires to provoke in the viewer, at least, a serious and profound reflection on a situation that is excessively distorted and politicized, in which the essential part is often overlooked: boys and girls who risk their lives to reach a future in peace.
“Seres de luz” shows without drama or fanfare what many refuse to see: the human face of migration. ormal people, boys and girls, who lack the most basic things, but who refuse to lose hope. That is why, between the innocence and recklessness inherent in childhood, and faced with an overwhelming absence of educational, work, and life prospects, they embark on a journey that many — too many — never complete. Blessing, Mabel, and Abde did arrive, and now they tell us about it. Without grudges, with a naturalness that astounds, but without forgetting where they come from, what they have seen, and who they are, survivors, heroes, and heroines from whom we here in the West have much, but much to learn.
