A wave of humanity upon the ocean ~
A wave of humanity is growing off the shores of Sicily where boats capsize and sink and people drown trying to reach safety and a new life.
We ourselves live beside the ocean, it brings beauty to our senses each and every day but for these desperate people, and for those helping bring them to safety, the seas are stormy and emotions rage full spectrum.
Early this morning before most people were up and about a humpback whale made its way east past Alert Bay. All was well and the morning, it was a beautiful one!
I cannot help but think of another ocean, that of the Mediterranean where all is not well and is not beautiful for the Boat People who desperately cling to their lives with the hope of finding a better one elsewhere in the world.
Giusy and I have become close friends, we first met during her stay with us when she came out whale watching in 2013 and I have been sharing poems with her that I have written ever since. This is the first that we have collaborated on, chosen by her to be our first because living in Italy, this human tragedy for her is 'heart-felt' and has been for a long while and is where, for a number of years numerous ships lie wrecked and rusting upon the shores of islands off Sicily as testimony to the tragedy that has been and is unfolding still, in 2015.
I am sharing this on our blog because it is the people that we meet on board our boat, people passionate about marine-life and other issues of the world (animal and people), as is Giusy, who make a difference in our own lives. It is essential for us all to recognize that we are all connected to one another, oceans and earth, no matter where we live in the world.
I have also included links to a documentary sent by Giusy, dedicated to the efforts of the Italian Navy in the work that they are doing and the choices that they are having to make each and every day as they work to help rescue Boat People. Unfortunately there is not an English version online. This documentary tells the story of the 60 - day command by a woman captain on a Navy ship during 'Mare Nostrum' in 2014 called Catia's Choice.
This is the link to the movie:
The link below is from an article in 2014 that explains 'Mare Nostrum' and the Italian Navy's rescue efforts at that time:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/28/italian-navy-refugee-rescue-mission-mare-nostrum