CAT ESP ENG FRA POR EUS SWE DEU ITA GRE HOL ÀRAB
Merry
Christmas! Every year I make a manger that is my interpretation of
where Jesus would have been born if he had been born that same year
2024.
This year I imagined that Jesus was born in Albania. I hope you like it and help you see what Christmas represents.
I
have made a lively video of the manger with the narration. Here's the
video of the manger with English subtitles, and then you will find the
text.
Joseph and Mary decided to risk everything and embark on a boat to go to Europe. They are expecting a child and know that there is no future in their country.
The boat’s engine stopped working and while they had lost all hope they got rescued by a ship that took them to Italy. After disembarking they got taken to a detention centre.
They have been there for days and today they were informed that they are being sent to another detention centre, in Albania. There is a lot of anticipation because it is the first time that Italy has taken this decision. While boarding the ship to Albania, they are surrounded by journalists and many other people that are curious. The European governments seem to support this new policy and are considering implementing similar measures.
Joseph and Mary are scared. They do not know where they are going or what awaits them in this other country. Mary feels a strange sensation and warns the Italian police that she is not well. The Italian police officer who helps them board the ship – a true example of humanity – sees Mary’s belly and points out that, in her state, they should not make her board, since pregnant people cannot be deported. His superior ignores him and they board anyway.
During the journey, with the movement of the ship, Maria goes into labor and upon entering Albanian waters, the baby is born. Among the 18 deported people traveling with them, there is a girl with experience in childbirth and she helps them deliver the baby. With all the commotion, the journey, that was expected to be hell, has passed quickly and the baby is already crying. They wrapped the baby in a towel that was lying around and placed it on a wooden pallet, which is the only dry place on the ship.
Once on land, they get taken to a medical center. There, the health services attest to what has happened and inform the authorities that they will not accept the entry of the deported people since the pre-established criteria have not been met.
The Albanian authorities confirm the information and return almost the entire group to Italy. The media hardly covers the return. Upon disembarkation, they are released to avoid further scandals.
They all decide that the child will be called Jesus – which means “the savior” – because he has saved them from deportation. The family of the policeman who had tried to prevent them from boarding and being deported, welcomes them into their home until the new mother recovers.
On January 6, a judge declared the policy of deporting to centers abroad as illegal, which was already the case in United Kingdom. Hopefully, this will help prevent inhumane and illegal policies like this from happening again.
From Italy and Albania, for TV Bethlehem, Laia Bonet.
More information:
- Music: It is a song made expressly for the video and recorded by a small orchestra. You will find the lyrics and the musicians and composers in a Word and the soundtrack in a wav file. You also have a video of the recording of the song.
- Videos of nativity scenes from previous years: http://bit.ly/VIDEOSPessebresFRMAT (Playlist)
