A new awareness campaign launched this Tuesday by the Regional Directorate for Communities and External Cooperation (DRCCE) is called ‘Immigrants – Welcome, Protect, Integrate and Promote.’
They are, in essence, videos and testimonies promoting equality, intercultural dialogue and combating prejudice, reinforcing the Region’s commitment to a fairer, more inclusive and discrimination-free society.
The presentation took place in an informal session held at the headquarters of the Madeira Friends Association, an entity that also participated in the project.
The campaign consists of a series of videos: a generalist film entitled ‘We Are All Human,’ a conceptual framing video entitled ‘Reflections on Migration,’ and 11 episodes ‘One Minute, One Story,’ with testimonies of immigrants from countries as diverse as Venezuela, Brazil, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Angola, South Africa and Eastern Europe.
These contents will be disseminated on the official pages of the DRCCE and the Regional Government, on the social networks Facebook and Instagram, seeking to “promote equality, equity, intercultural dialogue and respect between peoples, combating racist and xenophobic attitudes that, although reduced, persist”.
During the presentation, the Regional Director for Communities and External Cooperation, Sancho Gomes, highlighted that “migration is a profoundly human gesture, motivated by the desire for security, hope and the future.” According to the governor, each person who arrives in Madeira brings with them “a unique heritage of experiences, traditions and skills that enrich the entire community.”
The minister recalled that the Region currently hosts “about 19 thousand foreign citizens, from more than a hundred countries,” adding that this diversity translates into “a social, economic and cultural asset of enormous value.”
“We have workers in catering, agriculture and fisheries; We have people in the services, and we have highly qualified professionals. We have investors, students, sportsmen, artists, researchers and teachers. Migrants are an essential part of our community. Without them, several sectors of our economic, social and cultural activity would stagnate.”
Sancho Gomes also stressed that migrants “do not come to take anything, but to add value,” contributing to creativity, innovation and dynamism that strengthen the development of the Region. “The cultural diversity they bring is a wealth for all of us,” he reinforced.
The campaign is based on the four guiding pillars of regional migration policy: Welcome, Protect, Integrate and Promote. For the Regional Director, these principles represent “not only public policies, but a human commitment to dignity and to the values that sustain our coexistence as a democratic and plural society.”
“To welcome is to recognise the humanity of the other; to protect is to ensure that no one is left to chance; to integrate is to create belonging and community; To promote is to allow each person to fully develop their potential,” he said.
Concluding, Sancho Gomes left a message of tribute to all those who chose Madeira to start over. “We want a Region where each person can live with dignity and security; where multiculturalism evolves into true interculturality; and where rights and duties go hand in hand. A Madeira where everyone counts, where everyone belongs and where everyone can be happy.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
