Nick Broomfield’s “Ghosts (鬼佬)” premièred on More4 a week or so ago and is about the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster which occurred back in 5th of February of 2004 (15th day of the 1st month by the Chinese calendar, so it was also “Little New Year”, that is: 元宵節 (Lantern Festival)) where 23 immigrant Chinese cockle pickers drowned, 20 of whom were from my late mother’s home province of 福建 (Fujian).
The film tells the story of 林愛琴 (Lin Aiqin), herself also from 福建 (Fujian), as she travelled for 6 months from (as mother would put it ever so eloquently in Cantonese) the “poor as fuck” home village across land and sea, finally arriving in ye olde Blighty.
Already available on DVD, our crazy Swedish friends have already “digitised” it, complete with English subtitles for those that can’t want for a shiny silver DVD to land through the letter box. Here’s a snippet by way of the official trailer and interview with families of the Morecambe Bay victims:
I’ve yet to watch the full film myself, though I have to say it’s curious the thoughts and emotions it has evoked already… particularly clear is my mother telling me the story where she had to literally “swim the last mile” to 香港 (Hong Kong) after being ship-wrecked near the coast (where luckily the Colonial Government of 香港 (Hong Kong) had the wisdom to have an “open door” policy regarding refugees and oversaw an immigrant driven population increase from 600,000 to 3,000,000 between 1945 and 1960), fleeing the Communists and re-uniting with family whom had already landed in 香港 (Hong Kong) a few years prior.
It is by pure fluke of history that I’m here with multiple-citizenship that allows me to live more or less anywhere (worth living in) I choose… so why should accident of birth deny anyone else that right? Some of these people have saddled themselves with the equivalent (on Western wages) of €1,000,000 worth of debt, travel half-way round the world, for the promise of a better life for them and their families… all for what?
