1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,040 I'm on a journey around the Mediterranean. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:13,000 It's the sea that attracts around a third of world tourism... 3 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,480 ..the birthplace of civilisation... 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:20,520 Just look at that! 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:24,680 ..where extraordinary wealth... 6 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:26,960 This one's got a helicopter on it. 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,320 ..meets shocking poverty. 8 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,360 I take my flipping hat off to them, I really do. 9 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,400 Look at the scale of the destruction! 10 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:36,600 They're on the edge of the Med. 11 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:40,560 It's a sea of wild extremes. 12 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,200 Yes, yes, that! 13 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,960 On this third leg of my journey, I'll travel along the coast 14 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,200 of North Africa, from Libya to Tunisia, 15 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,640 and on to Sicily, the jewel of the Mediterranean. 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,120 Where the sea meets the Sahara... 17 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:03,880 Where are you taking us? 18 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,240 ..I find the last survivors of a vanishing culture. 19 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,560 Look at this! The whole thing's moving! 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:11,760 Well done, mate. 21 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,560 In Sicily, I meet the defiant sisters making a stand 22 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:17,800 against the Mafia. 23 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,480 Quick! 24 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,800 And I head to the Mediterranean's most chaotic country 25 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,480 to meet the fighters holding the line against a ruthless enemy. 26 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:37,680 Sorry, crucify? 27 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,640 I'm on the third leg of my journey around the Mediterranean. 28 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:01,920 I'm in Libya. 29 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,120 Right now, we're heading into territory that until recently 30 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,640 was controlled by Daesh, so-called Islamic State. 31 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,960 Warlords and gunmen control much of Libya. 32 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,160 It's effectively in Civil War. 33 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:30,320 All of Libya is deemed to be a hostile environment. 34 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,320 Islamic State were in control of this area, 35 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,200 a 200 mile stretch of coastal territory, 36 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,520 and they're still holed up just a short drive 37 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:40,680 to the south of the road we were on. 38 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:45,520 It's one of the most troubled corners of the entire Mediterranean. 39 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:48,800 In the white land cruiser ahead of us 40 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,320 is one of the generals commanding the forces in this area, 41 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,720 and he was one of the most senior officers involved 42 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:01,720 in a battle to retake a town up ahead from so-called Islamic State. 43 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:07,280 The town is Sirte. It sits on the Mediterranean Sea, 44 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,520 So we're in the car with Malek here. 45 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:18,840 Is that the general on the walkie-talkie? Yes. 46 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,200 Effectively a suicide vehicle? Yes. 47 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,040 Malek's a Libyan American. As a trusted guide and fixer 48 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,800 for TV teams, he's witnessed the terrible conflict. 49 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:55,800 Sorry, crucify? 50 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,040 Yeah. 51 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,320 The battle to retake Sirte from the grip of Islamic State 52 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:06,000 took six months. Ragtag Libyan militia groups tackled 53 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,760 the militants, who are mostly foreign. 54 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,960 There was house-to-house fighting, and Libyan forces were helped 55 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,320 by nearly 500 American air strikes. 56 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:15,720 Bloody hell. 57 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,360 General Mohammed Al Grassi took me to the heart of the battle, 58 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,680 scene of the fiercest fighting. 59 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:41,640 So the General's saying watch your step, take the places 60 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,440 where we're walking, just, just... Be very careful. Be very careful. 61 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:46,640 General, why? 62 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,760 Hundreds died in the fighting, thousands were injured, 63 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,600 more than 90,000 people fled their homes. 64 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,120 The damage here is still on an apocalyptic scale. 65 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,880 It's a shattered city, almost a ghost city, 66 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,520 strewn with land mines and booby-traps. 67 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:27,760 This is astonishing. 68 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,480 This is some of the worst destruction from conflict 69 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,720 I've seen anywhere in the world. 70 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,760 This is like Stalingrad during the Second World War, 71 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:38,240 something like that. 72 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:50,080 You know, it's not just the remnants of war that are littering the area 73 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,400 here, it's just stuff of people's lives. 74 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,880 There's something very poignant just about a shoe lying there. 75 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,400 I mean, for the destruction to be on this level, 76 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:21,440 it suggests many things to me, but the intensity of the fighting, 77 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:27,640 and perhaps also the fanaticism of the Daesh fighters, 78 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,200 as they made their final stand. 79 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:09,600 What really gets me about this horrific destruction, 80 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:12,640 perhaps because of where else I've been, is the proximity 81 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:13,760 to the Mediterranean. 82 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:19,560 I just cannot get over the fact that these beach-side, 83 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:24,600 seaside homes, they look out across the sea towards Italy and Sicily. 84 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,480 They're on the edge of the Med. 85 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:35,160 And look at the scale of the destruction. 86 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,200 There's been very little clearing of the rubble, 87 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,360 let alone reconstruction. 88 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:48,760 Locals are desperate for outside help. 89 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,240 We couldn't stay long. 90 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:53,160 IS fighters were just a short drive away. 91 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,120 Sirte is still encircled by defensive checkpoints. 92 00:07:56,120 --> 00:08:01,200 They're effectively the front line against another attempt on the city. 93 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,440 Have you found yourselves in direct contact with Daesh? 94 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,840 Can you describe to us what you've been through? 95 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,680 What did you do before the fighting erupted? 96 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,520 You were a teacher, and now you're a soldier. 97 00:08:55,520 --> 00:09:00,560 Do you still feel like a civilian inside, or are you a fighter now? 98 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,200 Could you go back to teaching? 99 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:22,240 You've seen and you've experienced a lot, 100 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,360 but still there is a teacher inside. 101 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:30,640 Good luck, OK? 102 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:50,800 I think it's really important to remember that so many 103 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:56,160 of those young, tough blokes were students or teachers 104 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,040 before the revolution, before the fighting came 105 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:02,880 to this area. 106 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,120 They've put on a uniform, but in their heart 107 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:09,560 they're still civilians. And they want to go back to that. 108 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,560 Libya's current chaos started in 2011. 109 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,960 After the revolution, supported by Europe and America 110 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:22,600 and some Arab states, overthrew the 40-year dictatorship 111 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,280 of Colonel Gaddafi, the country then collapsed 112 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,000 into factional fighting. 113 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,480 There was a lot of division. Now we have not one 114 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,600 but two governments, you know? One on the east and one on the west. 115 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:37,600 And everyone's, you know, fighting for power. 116 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:42,320 And hundreds and hundreds of different armed militia groups, 117 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:44,720 many of them heavily armed. It didn't work out the way 118 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:45,920 that we all wanted it to. 119 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:56,320 How much is petrol here, Tareq? 120 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,400 How much will it cost to fill the tank? 121 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,680 From empty, about $1.4, US dollars. 122 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:07,680 So, about £1 to fill the whole tank? Yes. 123 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:12,120 And oil should be a huge benefit to Libya. 124 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:16,400 The country has more oil reserves than any other country in Africa. 125 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:18,640 But at the moment, it's part of the problem. 126 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:22,680 It's part of what the militia groups and all the different armed elements 127 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:23,920 are fighting over. 128 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:28,600 All right, onwards. 129 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,600 Three hours along the coast from Sirte, 130 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:39,920 we arrived into the city of Misrata. 131 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:42,960 Malek's hometown. 132 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:48,880 Misrata was relatively peaceful, despite Libya's chronic instability. 133 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,720 Many people here were just trying to get on with life. 134 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:03,920 What a guy! 135 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,680 He stepped up! He does it to keep the city moving. Yes. 136 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:21,840 As well as being a guide and working with TV crews, 137 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,640 Malek is moving into business. Oh, wow! 138 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,520 He's in the process of building a new wedding venue next to the Med, 139 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:29,520 on the outskirts of town. 140 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:33,800 Look at this! This is not what you associate with a category one 141 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,520 hostile environment, is it?! No, it's not. 142 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,560 Hello. How are you? Hello! All right. How are you? 143 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:44,360 This is Muhammad. Hi, Muhammad. Muhammed is our general manager! 144 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,400 All right. So, this is the hallway. Bloody hell! 145 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:52,480 Look at the size of this! Yes, it's quite big, isn't it?! 146 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:56,360 How many people will you be able to fit in there? 147 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,200 So, we should be able to fit 500 people comfortably in the hall. 148 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,440 That's a big wedding! Yes. It's a big wedding, yeah. 149 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:04,680 I mean, Libyans do big weddings. 150 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:07,120 We are looking at 30 days to opening. 151 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,760 30 days?! Yeah! You'd better crack on, haven't you? 152 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,560 Yeah, we have lots to do. We're putting in disco lights. 153 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,040 Of course you are! Yeah! 154 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:20,120 Because Libyan weddings sort of... It's an all-women disco club, 155 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,600 really, that's the idea! I see. OK. 156 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,640 Can we walk through it together? Yeah, sure. 157 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,600 Go right through here, through the wedding arch. 158 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,360 We're just testing it out here, it's all completely normal! 159 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,040 You've got a beach view. Good for the wedding vows. 160 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,360 Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's coming along. 161 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,760 We just put in these palm trees three days ago. 162 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,080 What this says to me, although I think you're very 163 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,920 realistic about the challenges facing Libya at the moment, 164 00:13:59,920 --> 00:14:02,920 you're pretty optimistic about the future. 165 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,240 Well, I mean, you always want to keep hope alive. 166 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:11,600 So, you know, always think that things can get better. 167 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,960 So, you know, if a project like this can make money, 168 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:17,800 then there might be other people that are interested in doing other 169 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:20,440 projects, you know, building a beach resort or building 170 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:22,480 things that, you know, will benefit the people, 171 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,920 you know, create jobs. You know, help feed families. 172 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,640 So, you know, you have to start something and hopefully if it works, 173 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:31,520 you know, other people will join in. 174 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:36,080 And it'll just slowly but surely make the country a better place 175 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,720 for all of us. That's a good speech! There we go! Yeah! 176 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,200 Get that on the website. Come on, then! 177 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,520 Thank you, mate. Good luck with it, pal. 178 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:47,920 I appreciate it, Simon. 179 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:02,440 I left Misrata and travelled further along Libya's Mediterranean coast. 180 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:10,960 Libya has long been the crossroads between the Sahara and Africa 181 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,240 to the south, and the Mediterranean. 182 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:16,920 Even back to the time of antiquity. 183 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,480 This bit doesn't look like it, but we are coming to one 184 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:26,600 of the greatest archaeological sites around the entire Mediterranean. 185 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,080 In the entire world, frankly. 186 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:40,200 Leptis Magna is one of the finest preserved Roman cities 187 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:44,520 on the planet, once home to 80,000 people. 188 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,120 This was the classic Roman imperial city... 189 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:58,520 ..with its markets, streets, aqueducts and theatres. 190 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,600 The Romans, of course, built the greatest Mediterranean 191 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,440 empire of all, spanning the sea. 192 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,680 Leptis Magna was one of their most vital ports, 193 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,560 shipping grain to Rome from North Africa. 194 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:23,320 Ahmed is my guide in this part of Libya. 195 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:26,960 Walk this way. Yeah. 196 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,920 How can your heart not almost leap to your throat? 197 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,640 It is completely stunning. 198 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:44,400 If you come here, just speak from here. 199 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:45,920 Go on, give it a try! 200 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,920 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a new Libya! 201 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,200 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Simon's show! 202 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:58,160 You're a good sport, mate! 203 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:04,360 As a place, if this was anywhere, it would bring almost a tear 204 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,600 to the eye to see today. Yeah. 205 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:10,360 Look at this place. 206 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:14,200 I feel completely transported. 207 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:19,760 Can you... You can imagine the throng of the people, 208 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:21,200 a lovely play... 209 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:25,840 When you sit here, you forget all the war, you feel at peace, 210 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:27,920 rest, you know. 211 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:30,760 Something in your heart says, "Don't worry. 212 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,360 "The world will go smoothly." 213 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:35,400 Things will carry on. Carry on, yeah. 214 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:40,200 Not surprisingly, Leptis Magna doesn't get many foreign visitors. 215 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:43,280 And there's no real staff here looking after it. 216 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,360 Islamic State are notorious for destroying ancient sites 217 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:48,000 in Iraq and Syria. 218 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,680 When they were just down the road, Leptis faced great danger. 219 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,760 Up stepped the Libyan equivalent of the neighbourhood watch, 220 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:56,120 with assault rifles. 221 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:25,600 How old are you? 25. 222 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:27,760 You're 25-years-old. 223 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:31,120 You could have died protecting Leptis Magna. 224 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:33,280 Yes. 225 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:37,360 Is it a site worth dying for? 226 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,240 Yes, yes. 227 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:48,000 You know, some people will say, "Why risk your life for stones?" 228 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:18,200 What these old stones have seen, and what this country 229 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,040 has been through recently... 230 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:26,040 ..but the locals here protected this place, 231 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,360 for themselves, for the country, for the world. 232 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:43,840 Two hours' drive west along the Med, I've reached Libya's capital. 233 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,320 It might look stable, but Tripoli itself has seen heavy fighting. 234 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,960 Some of the armed militias in Libya have established lucrative people 235 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:58,040 trafficking operations, smuggling refugees and migrants. 236 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:04,320 Across Libya, estimates suggest there could be 700,000 migrants, 237 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,160 or even double that, many of them hoping for a chance 238 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,160 to cross the Med to Europe. 239 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:14,800 What we know is that there are thousands of migrants 240 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:19,560 and refugees who are being held in detention centres here in Libya. 241 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,720 In some of the detention centres, people are being kept 242 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,080 in absolutely appalling conditions. 243 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,160 Large numbers of migrants have endured terrible suffering 244 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:34,400 at the hands of gangs in Libya. 245 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:36,400 Kidnap, ransom, torture. 246 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:37,880 Even an ancient evil, 247 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:42,920 the auctioning of African migrants as slaves in open-air slave markets. 248 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,400 I went to a discreet location to meet a young man, 249 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,640 Abdul Latif, whose family originally fled from war-torn Darfur 250 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:53,000 in Sudan. 251 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,240 So, you were captured. 252 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:30,440 Was it a militia or a government force? 253 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,120 I mean, my God, what you've been through, 254 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:41,040 you think you're going to make it to Europe and Libyan pirates, 255 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,680 effectively, capture you and bring you back to shore. 256 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:45,640 How on Earth did you feel? 257 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,000 Seven people died in front of you? 258 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,680 It sounds like slavery. 259 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,600 It was awful to hear. 260 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,520 Some estimates suggest there could be hundreds of detention 261 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,920 centres around Libya, holding possibly tens of thousands 262 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:45,800 of migrants and refugees. 263 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,920 Some of the detention sites were set up to be slave camps, 264 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:55,480 or centres for kidnap, holding and ransoming migrants. 265 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:59,040 We were supposed to be visiting a detention centre in Tripoli, 266 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,880 apparently one of the better ones, run by what passes for a government 267 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:04,920 in this part of the country. 268 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:10,880 I think hold the camera down. 269 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,880 He says that is not allowed, no access. 270 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,000 You have a look on your face of, "This is just how it is." 271 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:20,360 There's no discussion, no... 272 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:23,200 Last time I brought the paper back, you know, I get everything, 273 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,240 and at the end he says no. 274 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,080 It's a bit gutting that we can't get in to talk to them. 275 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:32,720 We've got the permits. But we're not being allowed in. 276 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:40,400 In this detention centre are scores of migrants and refugees 277 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:47,160 from Sub-Saharan Africa, who are no doubt being held 278 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:52,240 in very difficult conditions, with their hopes and their dreams sunk, 279 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,280 perhaps, once already in the Med when they've been caught 280 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:58,480 trying to leave to get to Europe. 281 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:03,480 Since I visited, there has been more fighting in Libya. 282 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,680 Stability for all and security for impoverished migrants 283 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,280 in the country looks a long way away. 284 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:12,960 My time in Libya was up. 285 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:17,160 Tunisia is the smallest country on Africa's Mediterranean coast. 286 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,520 I headed to the desert, just inland from the Med. 287 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:31,200 Tunisia's southern desert close to the border with Libya is well 288 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:32,240 off the beaten track. 289 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:41,800 Oh, wow, look at that! 290 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:48,560 So, that pick-up has got, well, dozens of jerry cans on the back. 291 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:54,960 And given how far the vehicle is weighed down, how low it is, 292 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,520 I'd say they're looking pretty full. 293 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:00,600 Look, another one! 294 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:03,800 People are driving around with hundreds and hundreds of gallons 295 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:05,320 of petrol in the back, look! 296 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:11,200 I think we're just stopping to get some fuel as well. 297 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:16,520 There's a roaring trade here in cheap petrol smuggled 298 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,600 across the border from Libya. 299 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,840 The blokes here are very insistent that we don't show their faces. 300 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,160 I think we probably need to do what they say. 301 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:29,960 It's very simple. 302 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:44,320 We pushed on deeper into the desert. 303 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:50,240 This looks otherworldly, doesn't it? 304 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:53,880 In a galaxy far, far away. 305 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:03,680 My guide in Tunisia, Shelby Ben Brahim, was taking me to a slightly 306 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,240 more familiar corner of the country. 307 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,600 This is... This is Luke Skywalker's home! 308 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:12,680 Yeah! 309 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:16,680 This is one of the Star Wars sites. 310 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:24,200 Look at this! 311 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,600 Hollywood control panel. 312 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:33,080 Hollywood's finest set dressing here. 313 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,120 There's something a little bit sad about this place, actually. 314 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:40,440 I would have thought this was a sacred place 315 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,920 of pilgrimage for Star Wars fans - 316 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:46,720 hundreds of millions of them that they are. 317 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:51,600 But visitor numbers to Tunisia have plummeted since two deadly 318 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:56,600 terror attacks in 2015, in which 59 tourists were killed - 319 00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:00,960 a human tragedy that also had a huge economic impact. 320 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:07,640 Apparently they used to get 250-300 visitors for lunch alone 321 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:09,480 every day here. 322 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,120 Now it's mainly just a few Tunisians who come here. 323 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:16,880 It's hard for tourist sites in this country to survive 324 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,280 without people coming from abroad. 325 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,880 It's a long way from Hollywood, but the Star Wars set designers 326 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:27,120 didn't have to do a lot of work to create Luke Skywalker's home. 327 00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:29,360 They used centuries-old cave dwellings belonging to one 328 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:32,000 of North Africa's ancient cultures. 329 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:33,240 Flipping heck! 330 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,880 This village is unbelievable. 331 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:46,440 I was arriving in an ancient settlement called Chenini. 332 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:53,960 THEY SPEAK LOCAL LANGUAGE 333 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:20,720 The Amazigh, better known as the Berbers, 334 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,600 became a minority when Arabs from the Middle East spread out 335 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:26,040 across Mediterranean North Africa. 336 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,240 But there are still some who carve out a traditional Berber livelihood. 337 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:35,400 Bloody hell. 338 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,880 It's a giant hamster on a wheel, isn't it? 339 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:42,720 Poor thing. 340 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,480 The camel does get released and rested, 341 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:49,040 but it's still horrific work. 342 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:00,480 Amor Maseroui is still crushing 343 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,720 olives into a paste using the same method 344 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:04,000 as his ancestors. 345 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,080 Goodness me! So what are you doing? 346 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:30,440 So it squashes down the paste under here, 347 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:31,920 and then what comes out? 348 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:40,200 Look at that! 349 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:45,280 And that is a pure, traditional olive oil. 350 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:48,480 Do you know how long your ancestors have been doing it this way? 351 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:57,520 That's a hell of a tradition, isn't it? 352 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,200 Where are you taking us? 353 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:25,880 Are all the buildings dilapidated, or are people still living in them? 354 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,160 The Berbers consider themselves 355 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,880 an oppressed minority across North Africa, 356 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,800 and many of their villages are struggling to survive. 357 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:41,720 Amor has a plan for Chenini. 358 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,800 He wants to attract more visitors to this beautiful village. 359 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:46,600 They could stay in some 360 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:49,600 of the traditional Berber homes he's building - by hand. 361 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:51,000 Which is yours here? 362 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:06,880 Flipping heck! 363 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,280 Have you cut into the rock here by hand? 364 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,280 You've carved and hacked your way in here. 365 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:23,000 So you've got to take out all of this bedrock here? 366 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:34,200 Do you think it's in your blood 367 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:36,360 that you know how to work the rock here? 368 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:43,280 Come on then, boss. 369 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:54,040 There's a crack! 370 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,720 I mean, there is something quite brilliant about this. 371 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:04,400 Oh, we're going to do the big bit now. Look at this! 372 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,840 Come on! Yes! 373 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,880 HE LAUGHS 374 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:15,120 Channel those ancestors, mate. 375 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:24,160 I would never have thought that was possible. 376 00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:26,280 Look at that. 377 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:28,600 Amor. 378 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:30,680 Well done, mate. 379 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:32,840 You really know your rock. 380 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:41,160 I am truly honoured. I'm truly honoured. Thank you, mate. 381 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:44,440 Good luck with this, all right? 382 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:46,880 Many of the Amazigh are having a tough time in Tunisia, 383 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,520 but so is almost everyone. 384 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:52,960 Unemployment is through the roof, and the desert in particular 385 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:55,840 is a hard place to make a living. 386 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:58,040 In the hunt for work, growing numbers of people 387 00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:01,680 are migrating out of Tunisia's interior and moving to communities 388 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:03,520 on the Mediterranean coast. 389 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:09,800 I headed to the Kerkennah Islands, just off the mainland. 390 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:21,200 We've just arrived. It's very flat, but the sun is out. 391 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,080 It almost looks a bit tropical here. 392 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:33,400 The big business here has long been fishing. 393 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:37,480 Most of Kerkennah's population of 15,000 people rely on the sea 394 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:40,240 for their livelihoods. 395 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:43,600 THEY SPEAK THEIR OWN LANGUAGE 396 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:46,800 Simon. Assalaamu Alaikum. 397 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:51,040 We joined fisherman Hamadi Souissi, his son Yusum, and their small crew 398 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:54,320 as they headed out to sea to check their nets. 399 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,760 All right - I need to know, are you the captain of this boat? 400 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:12,400 HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 401 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:14,840 That is the captain! 402 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:16,680 You're the captain of the boat? 403 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,520 I'm honoured to meet you. 404 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,920 What are we going out for? What are we fishing for? 405 00:34:33,720 --> 00:34:35,320 How long is the line? 406 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:39,680 600 metres! Flipping heck! 407 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:43,640 These are tiny fish, aren't they? 408 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:45,480 Is this what you were hoping to catch? 409 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:39,720 Over the past 50 years, fish across much of 410 00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:41,760 the Mediterranean have been targeted, 411 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:44,160 hunted - in many cases, almost wiped out by more than 412 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,240 80,000 fishing boats. 413 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:49,040 Some fish face extinction. 414 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:55,960 I suppose the final proof about how bad the situation is 415 00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:58,600 is that so many of the fishing boats here are just in the harbour, 416 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,600 because there's no point in them going out to sea, because there's no 417 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:02,600 fish to catch. 418 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:07,080 There's no fish, there's few other jobs, 419 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,400 and not much hope of things changing. 420 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:12,640 The Tunisian government's promised life will improve, 421 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:15,000 but many are voting with their feet. 422 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,400 A growing number are leaving the shores of North Africa 423 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,160 for Europe, often choosing Kerkennah as their way out. 424 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:30,400 And are fishermen from here being tempted 425 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:31,920 to take them? 426 00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:53,280 So it feels like there are quite a lot of forces that are driving 427 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,560 fishermen into the arms of the smugglers, 428 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:57,920 to become smugglers themselves. 429 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:34,320 Quick! 430 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:37,560 Next day, we caught the train further along the coast. 431 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:42,040 For all its problems, Tunisia is more democratic 432 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:44,360 and had been more welcoming than many other countries 433 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:46,680 along the North African coast. 434 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:50,800 It's almost impossible to film freely in Egypt or Algeria. 435 00:37:56,080 --> 00:38:00,080 Tunisia is 96 miles in an overnight ferry journey from my next 436 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:01,760 destination - Sicily. 437 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:12,040 How memorable is this to do - 438 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:14,400 to go from the south to the north, 439 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:18,600 across the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe. 440 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:24,120 The promised land for many people. 441 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:27,520 Memorable, but on a wet Wednesday, not the most exotic leg 442 00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:30,040 of my Mediterranean travels. 443 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:33,400 So it's 12.10am, and apparently the ship 444 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,680 is going to set sail at about 5am. 445 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:39,080 Hopefully, I will be fast asleep. 446 00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:41,080 Bed, I think. 447 00:38:41,080 --> 00:38:42,120 Night, all. 448 00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,640 It's interesting, actually, to think what the Mediterranean 449 00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:02,880 means to people today. 450 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:05,800 A place for holidays for many, of course. 451 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:09,760 A place to fish, to drill, to mine. 452 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:15,680 But still, ultimately, it is an enormous divide - 453 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:20,320 a great moat between the poorest continent on Earth, 454 00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:23,600 Africa, and Europe, one of the richest. 455 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:30,480 Europe, of course, now has a very tricky relationship 456 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:34,160 with migration, and with people coming across the water from Africa. 457 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,240 But it's always been happy to cherry-pick migrants to cross 458 00:39:39,240 --> 00:39:43,080 the Med and do the jobs Europeans don't want to do. 459 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:48,080 Italy offers 3,000 permits a year to seasonal workers from Tunisia, 460 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:50,800 who are brought in mainly to pick fruit, 461 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,440 usually on desperately low wages. 462 00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:56,440 Some of them were travelling on our ferry. 463 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:02,800 Without a work permit, very few migrants from the rest 464 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:05,640 of Africa ever have a chance of crossing the Med legally. 465 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:19,280 So, obviously, given the desire of millions of people to come 466 00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:22,640 across the Mediterranean to Italy and Europe, 467 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:26,160 they have lots of cases here of people stowing away on vehicles 468 00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:28,880 or people actively being smuggled. 469 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:31,080 From a high point, when hundreds of thousands 470 00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:33,800 of migrants were crossing the Med each year, 471 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:35,920 numbers have fallen dramatically. 472 00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:39,040 The European Union has been pressuring and paying African states 473 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:40,920 to secure their borders. 474 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,800 But still every year, thousands of men, women and children 475 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:46,120 die trying to make the crossing. 476 00:40:52,720 --> 00:40:56,360 Sicily is no stranger to travellers and new arrivals. 477 00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:58,760 It's known as the jewel of the Mediterranean. 478 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:11,040 Oh! 479 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:16,080 So this is a mosque that was turned into a church. 480 00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:19,440 Evidence, perhaps, of the different cultures 481 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,840 and civilisations that have been here on Sicily. 482 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:26,880 The Greeks, the Romans, Muslim Arabs, Africans, 483 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:28,920 the Normans, the Spanish - 484 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:31,760 they have all been here on the island. 485 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:34,240 That's the story of the Mediterranean, really, isn't it? 486 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:37,040 I think there are very few other places on the planet where you get 487 00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:42,120 quite so much...so many different cultures mixing, mingling, 488 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:43,880 in such a tight space. 489 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:51,040 Italy is one of the major arrival countries for migrants 490 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:53,200 crossing the sea. 491 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:56,520 Migration has caused political convulsions here. 492 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:04,040 In 2018, Italians elected a right-wing populist party 493 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:07,640 that said it would deport 500,000 illegal migrants. 494 00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:14,520 I went to meet social worker Ramzi Harabi. 495 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:18,080 Buon giorno. Ramzi? Hi. Hello, Ramzi. How are you? 496 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:20,920 Simon. Nice to see you. How are you? I'm fine, thank you. How are you? 497 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:22,520 Thank you very much. 498 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:25,760 Ramzi, who himself arrived as a migrant from Tunisia, 499 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:28,360 is president of the local immigrants' council. 500 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,840 He's an outspoken character, and he wanted to explain some 501 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:33,080 of the realities of migration. 502 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,960 So, in this building here... Yeah. 503 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:39,320 ..there are two protected houses for migrants... Right. 504 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:41,280 ..with a lot of problems, of course, because many 505 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:43,760 of the neighbourhood are not happy. 506 00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:50,000 So, one of the biggest problems in this building 507 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,480 is this little lift here. Right. 508 00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:54,840 Because normally, people don't want to mix. 509 00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:58,800 Especially the old ladies, even if they live on the seventh floor, 510 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:02,320 and they see two migrants, they will walk or wait! 511 00:43:04,240 --> 00:43:08,080 The Italian government pays for this apartment to house migrants 512 00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:12,040 believed to be under 18 who've made it to Europe alone. 513 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:17,520 Oh! 514 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:20,440 Buon giorno, Smyla! 515 00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:21,640 How are you? 516 00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:24,080 Go wash your face and join us, OK? 517 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:28,880 He's Sagzes, comes from Nigeria. 518 00:43:28,880 --> 00:43:31,000 Please, music off, music off! 519 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:34,440 Thank you! Sweet boy, thank you. 520 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:37,720 So there's the kitchen, where the guys cook. 521 00:43:37,720 --> 00:43:39,720 Off-camera, there were some older young men, 522 00:43:39,720 --> 00:43:42,680 perhaps trying their luck, claiming to be juveniles. 523 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:45,160 But most looked like young lads. 524 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:48,120 Those judged to be unaccompanied children can stay here in the flat 525 00:43:48,120 --> 00:43:50,280 until they turn 18. 526 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:52,920 Tell me what you're doing. 527 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:54,560 You're cooking beans. OK. 528 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,280 By the way, most of the migrants complain about the pasta! 529 00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:04,720 Hey, listen. This is going to be a problem for you in Italy, 530 00:44:04,720 --> 00:44:05,920 I tell you! 531 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:08,720 Some here were from Nigeria, others from Gambia, 532 00:44:08,720 --> 00:44:11,440 Burkina Faso, even Bangladesh. 533 00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:13,800 They've crossed deserts - endured terrible suffering 534 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:15,800 in places like Libya. 535 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:17,840 Ramzi wanted me to understand one of the reasons 536 00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:20,240 behind their journeys. 537 00:44:31,080 --> 00:44:32,520 So, you are the first sacrifice. 538 00:44:32,520 --> 00:44:35,480 You come first, and you make everybody else come safer. 539 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:37,000 Bravo. 540 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:39,440 Poverty can drive desperation. 541 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:43,520 Relatives of child migrants can send them unaccompanied on a dangerous 542 00:44:43,520 --> 00:44:47,160 journey, because they'll have a better chance of claiming asylum, 543 00:44:47,160 --> 00:44:50,400 and they hope they can then secure a family right of reunification 544 00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:52,800 to get relatives into the EU. 545 00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:55,120 Smyla! Ear phone, please. 546 00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:57,640 It's meal time. OK. 547 00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:01,440 The youngsters that you see - what would be the major factors 548 00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:05,240 that have driven them and brought them to this point? 549 00:45:05,240 --> 00:45:07,280 I'm going to shock you. 550 00:45:07,280 --> 00:45:09,440 Greediness. Greed? 551 00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:11,720 I'm sorry, we are human. 552 00:45:11,720 --> 00:45:16,800 Our first factor, instead of thinking how I improve myself, 553 00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:20,440 I look at how the other improved himself, you know? 554 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:23,520 And I know it, as a migrant myself. 555 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:26,560 The narrative they give is, "I'm sacrificing." 556 00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:29,200 For me, it is true, but also it is a selfish 557 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:30,920 approach to sacrifice. Yeah. 558 00:45:30,920 --> 00:45:35,320 This is greediness as the motivating factor that drives all of us. 559 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:38,520 Millions of people have had enough, and they've heard about 560 00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:42,400 this promised land called Europe and they know it's across the desert 561 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:45,680 and then over the sea, and they know they can potentially, 562 00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:47,480 potentially they can get here. 563 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:49,000 They will not stop coming. 564 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,320 No, nobody can stop them. 565 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:54,880 And no rule and no regulation would make them stop. 566 00:45:56,240 --> 00:46:00,120 And around us, there is some very efficient clearing up going on. 567 00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:02,320 Yes, he's number one! 568 00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:05,360 Our assistant has cleared the whole thing! Look at that! 569 00:46:05,360 --> 00:46:07,400 HE LAUGHS 570 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:10,120 Some of these lads felt they'd made it by getting to this point. 571 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:12,280 They've risked their lives to cross the Med. 572 00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:14,600 But most of them are from countries that are poor, 573 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:16,120 but not locked in war. 574 00:46:16,120 --> 00:46:19,080 That means they'll be more likely classed as economic migrants 575 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:22,760 than refugees, and won't necessarily be allowed to stay. 576 00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:32,360 I headed into Sicily's beautiful interior. 577 00:46:39,240 --> 00:46:40,600 Look at Mount Etna! 578 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:44,720 What a beast it is! 579 00:46:44,720 --> 00:46:47,400 Europe's largest active volcano. 580 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:52,920 Sicily is picture-postcard - 581 00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:56,960 a huge island, the largest in the Mediterranean. 582 00:46:56,960 --> 00:47:00,840 I was visiting a rugged and remote region that felt a long way 583 00:47:00,840 --> 00:47:03,240 from Rome and the rest of Italy. 584 00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:14,240 OK, they've got it. We're going to follow them. 585 00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:21,880 My guide here, Lorenzo Tondo, had arranged a secretive meeting 586 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:24,960 with some locals with an extraordinary tale. 587 00:47:26,240 --> 00:47:31,280 So, the Land Rover in front has got some farmers inside. 588 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:37,280 Three sisters, who we are following to their patch of the planet. 589 00:47:51,640 --> 00:47:54,160 THEY SPEAK ITALIAN 590 00:48:02,720 --> 00:48:06,320 Mariana, Ina and Irene's family has been farming wheat 591 00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:09,280 and hay on these highlands for generations. 592 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:15,160 So your land extends how far? 593 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:23,520 So you've got quite a large, 594 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,360 beautiful patch of land here, haven't you? 595 00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:37,120 The sisters own a farm that can produce almost 40 tonnes 596 00:48:37,120 --> 00:48:40,080 of grain and several tonnes of hay, 597 00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:43,720 and has an annual income of more than £30,000. 598 00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:46,760 What's happened here? 599 00:48:52,160 --> 00:48:54,360 Are we being press-ganged here? 600 00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:57,000 Come on, we are happy to help! 601 00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:13,240 It's wet, that's why it's so heavy. I know. 602 00:49:14,240 --> 00:49:16,120 Oh, no! 603 00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:32,080 ALL: OK! 604 00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:36,600 Grazie, grazie! Mwah! Grazie, Simon. 605 00:49:36,600 --> 00:49:37,840 Grazie! 606 00:49:39,440 --> 00:49:41,960 It's a tough but idyllic life up here. 607 00:49:41,960 --> 00:49:45,160 But recently, the sisters have come under pressure from an enemy 608 00:49:45,160 --> 00:49:49,160 Italians thought had been largely defeated. 609 00:50:16,160 --> 00:50:18,000 They poisoned your dogs? 610 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:10,200 When you say "they" are doing classic intimidation, 611 00:51:10,200 --> 00:51:11,480 who is "they"? 612 00:51:26,520 --> 00:51:30,240 Many people are saying the Sicilian Mafia has been beaten, 613 00:51:30,240 --> 00:51:31,360 has been destroyed. 614 00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:46,080 On my journey around the Med, I'd already discovered other Italian 615 00:51:46,080 --> 00:51:48,440 mafias wielding huge power. 616 00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:52,200 But the Sicilian Mafia, the Cosa Nostra, has taken a hammering 617 00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:54,560 in recent years, with bosses imprisoned 618 00:51:54,560 --> 00:51:57,160 and drug networks disrupted. 619 00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:00,240 However, the Mafia's retreated to its rural heartland, 620 00:52:00,240 --> 00:52:03,080 and is using extortion and intimidation 621 00:52:03,080 --> 00:52:04,720 to grab valuable land. 622 00:52:04,720 --> 00:52:06,920 The sisters are refusing to budge, 623 00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:10,040 defiantly rebuilding their perimeter fence. 624 00:52:19,280 --> 00:52:22,800 You're heroes. Keep fighting. 625 00:52:37,600 --> 00:52:42,360 You're Italian heroes, you really are. 626 00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:43,520 Woo! 627 00:52:52,240 --> 00:52:54,880 The Mafia here's trying to take advantage of a region 628 00:52:54,880 --> 00:52:56,680 that's in decline. 629 00:52:56,680 --> 00:53:00,080 Sicily's rural population has been falling for decades. 630 00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:06,480 Sicily, like the rest of Italy, is of course home to thousands 631 00:53:06,480 --> 00:53:09,920 and thousands of gorgeous hilltop villages 632 00:53:09,920 --> 00:53:13,680 that feature in photographic books and tourist brochures, 633 00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:17,000 but many of them have fallen on very hard times. 634 00:53:24,400 --> 00:53:28,000 Lorenzo took me to one of the most spectacular villages in the whole 635 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:30,160 of Sicily, Sutera. 636 00:53:36,320 --> 00:53:37,720 Hey! 637 00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:42,200 Lorenzo knows Sutera well. 638 00:53:42,200 --> 00:53:43,640 He has family here. 639 00:53:45,040 --> 00:53:47,480 Oh, wow! It's lovely. 640 00:53:47,480 --> 00:53:51,920 Sutera was elected one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. 641 00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:54,200 But... 642 00:53:55,400 --> 00:53:57,320 Here there is kind of a problem, right? 643 00:53:57,320 --> 00:54:00,680 It's just empty houses everywhere. 644 00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:09,960 That's what we're talking about. Houses, just left like that. 645 00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:12,240 It looks as though it's been empty for a long time. 646 00:54:17,680 --> 00:54:21,440 If we look at just here, every window is shuttered. Yes. 647 00:54:21,440 --> 00:54:25,600 Then there's an abandoned building beyond it. 648 00:54:25,600 --> 00:54:28,680 It's sad, isn't it? Yes. 649 00:54:28,680 --> 00:54:30,760 So what happened? 650 00:54:30,760 --> 00:54:32,960 There are not many job opportunities. 651 00:54:32,960 --> 00:54:37,200 There are no big major industrial cities around. 652 00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:39,920 And obviously, there is no job. 653 00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:41,160 So... 654 00:54:41,160 --> 00:54:44,120 And the people who are moving, they are going really far away 655 00:54:44,120 --> 00:54:47,960 from here. They're not going to Palermo or to Catania, 656 00:54:47,960 --> 00:54:49,680 which is still in Sicily. 657 00:54:49,680 --> 00:54:53,280 They are going to London, they're going to Berlin. 658 00:54:53,280 --> 00:54:56,400 So they're never going to come back. 659 00:54:58,360 --> 00:55:02,280 In just one generation, the population of Sutera has fallen 660 00:55:02,280 --> 00:55:03,440 by two-thirds. 661 00:55:09,680 --> 00:55:12,040 So there are some people still living here, 662 00:55:12,040 --> 00:55:14,600 and there's also some new arrivals. 663 00:55:20,720 --> 00:55:25,000 Sutera has become home to 50 or so migrants and refugees 664 00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:28,440 who've been placed here by the Italian government. 665 00:55:36,760 --> 00:55:39,400 Among those who've made this dying village their new home 666 00:55:39,400 --> 00:55:41,080 are Margaret and Grace. 667 00:55:42,640 --> 00:55:44,120 How did you come to be here? 668 00:55:52,000 --> 00:55:54,000 You made it across the sea? 669 00:56:05,280 --> 00:56:08,880 What did you feel when you first came to Sutera? 670 00:56:08,880 --> 00:56:12,320 I thought maybe this place is a dead zone, you know? 671 00:56:12,320 --> 00:56:15,480 But living in it - wow, I really love this place! 672 00:56:15,480 --> 00:56:16,560 Aw! 673 00:56:17,560 --> 00:56:22,080 I love Sutera. I love living here, because they are good people. 674 00:56:22,080 --> 00:56:25,920 So, anyone that comes to Sutera will love to stay in Sutera. 675 00:56:27,120 --> 00:56:29,400 How's your Italian? 676 00:56:29,400 --> 00:56:32,040 Aw...! THEY LAUGH 677 00:56:32,040 --> 00:56:34,640 Not so good, you know, not that perfect, you know. 678 00:56:34,640 --> 00:56:37,920 But you're learning? Yeah! Yeah, I'm a fast learner. 679 00:56:37,920 --> 00:56:40,760 We travelled in North Africa... OK. 680 00:56:40,760 --> 00:56:45,840 ..and people there talked about this idea of the European dream. 681 00:56:46,040 --> 00:56:49,640 Now you're here, do you feel you have found some version? 682 00:56:49,640 --> 00:56:53,160 Yes, in Sutera, yes, I found it here. 683 00:56:53,160 --> 00:56:55,960 I completely understand the desire of individuals 684 00:56:55,960 --> 00:56:58,000 for a better, safer life, 685 00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:00,240 but only small numbers of those fleeing poverty 686 00:57:00,240 --> 00:57:02,880 and persecution make it to Europe. 687 00:57:02,880 --> 00:57:06,160 Migration of those few isn't a solution for the difficult lives 688 00:57:06,160 --> 00:57:08,480 of the millions left behind. 689 00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:13,280 Migrants could breathe new life into some of Italy's dying communities. 690 00:57:13,280 --> 00:57:16,400 But will they be able to find work, integrate, and be welcome 691 00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:19,760 in the long term? It's all far from certain. 692 00:57:19,760 --> 00:57:24,840 The migration story is one of the biggest issues of our times. 693 00:57:26,880 --> 00:57:29,120 And I don't think there are easy answers to it. 694 00:57:29,120 --> 00:57:32,160 I don't think there is an easy solution. 695 00:57:32,160 --> 00:57:37,200 I really do think it's going to get more significant as many more set 696 00:57:37,840 --> 00:57:41,080 out across the sea, driven by poverty, 697 00:57:41,080 --> 00:57:43,640 our changing climate, and conflict. 698 00:57:49,320 --> 00:57:51,400 On the final leg of my journey... 699 00:57:51,400 --> 00:57:52,760 Oh, my God! 700 00:57:52,760 --> 00:57:55,080 ..I'll witness how cheap food and holidays are 701 00:57:55,080 --> 00:57:56,680 transforming the Med... 702 00:57:56,680 --> 00:57:58,960 It's the Manhattan of Spain! 703 00:57:58,960 --> 00:58:01,920 ..and I head to the opulent Cote d'Azur. 704 00:58:01,920 --> 00:58:04,000 What's that smell? 705 00:58:04,000 --> 00:58:05,440 Dirty rotten money!