Most Dangerous Ways To School | Cameroon, Mayotte & Mexico | Free Documentary

Not far from our world, in unknown lands, children move mountains to get to

school

. The seemingly simple daily commute we take for granted is a true adventure for children elsewhere. nasta, the girl from Shany Town, Alfredo, the blind boy from Mexico, and mabali, the The pygmies of Cameroon are our three everyday heroes. Against all odds they managed to get to

school

. A four-month-old girl, Nasta, sneaked into Myot one night in her mother's arms aboard a small boat. This little girl who now survived the water. He crosses the shanty town four times a day to go to school only 9 years old He walks alone through the Corrugated Iron Labyrinth 1 hour and a half a day He spends avoiding the dusty tracks Mabali is a 13-year-old pygmy boy who lives in the Heart of the Darkness far from the nearest road, in the humidity of the rainforest, every term he must cross the jungle to attend primary school classes, a 3-hour walk through the slippery clay hills of southern Cameroon Alfredo He was born blind, he has never seen Mexico City, he can feel the power, the roar of the smells and the heat, every day he crosses one of the largest cities in the world from north to south to attend a school for visually impaired children in bindii, southern Cameroon, the sultry stretch of rainforest stretches as far as the eye can see during the Academic The year when Mabali stays at the time of the lady of the Forest Home, several hours' walk from her camp , Mabali is a child of the ethnic group known as the Bageli pygmies, a minority that does not exceed 4,500 inhabitants spread across several camps in the south of Cameroon, very far from the modern world.

At the Our Lady of the Forest Home the children live as a Mabali community is al

ways

surrounded by his group of friends who all come from the same town and have known each other since childhood. The boarding school is a humanitarian project funded by the generosity of the international community. Thanks to this facility, Mabali has been able to attend school since he was six years. He may be the first belli to study higher education. The school is near his house, at the end of the track under the mango tree. Trees in a shady courtyard Proa para mayote in the Indian Ocean is the 101st French territorial department for the last 10 years or so immigrants from the neighboring islands of Koros have erected corrugated iron villages along the slopes, tens of thousands of them have established shanty towns whose names evoke tragic places around the world Kosovo Soto Gaza This is where the Koros islanders live entrenched in a clandestine existence on the margins of Mayo society Nesta's parents built their cabin here 8 years ago, on Sundays In the morning, the rice pudding she shared with her three brothers and sister as a weekend gift for the children, this cabin open to the Four Winds is all the girl has ever known, rented by her parents for €50 a month to A slum landlord, Nasta finds his escape in his school books and in the dancing words that describe another world p p p poop poop poop no water supply or running water in the Kosovo shantytown for weekly washing the only option of the family is to go down to the river.

Tuia Nast's mother is 33 years old. She works all week in a cleaning job paid 90 cents an hour on this French island. The family lives on barely 200 euros a month. In Kosovo, bottles of drinking water cost seven times the normal price, that's why the whole family washes in the river saturated with detergent, but Nasta loves Sunday mornings when the whole family is together in Mexico living on a steep slope on a hillside is no obstacle for play soccer as soon as Alfredo hears his friends kick a ball he wants to run and join them his friends are al

ways

ready to come look for him three generations of women live in Alfredo's house there is his great-grandmother Doña Miranda his grandmother and Joselita His young single mother Alfredo has two little brothers, a six-month-old baby and a boy who is eight.

He dreams of being a musician. It is a passion that his mother encourages according to Mexican custom. On Alfredo's 12th birthday, his grandmother has a surprise for her grandson. , ordered a basket of pandula from the local baker and invited all his friends this morning kaen NASA's older brother left early for the hills to cut two sticks of wood for his sister mayot is preparing for a very annual sporting event expected by all the children of the island it is a great day for the children of the shanty town Nasta has signed up for the race for the first time his father has given his permission to participate Nasir was a builder on his native island of Vanan, he sacrificed his career so that his children could go to school here in Myot, where he has no right to work.

The race requires some accessories, two wooden sticks and an old one. Scooter Tire at May Tire Race is a tradition that goes back 30 years. All the children of the island participate, both the native Myot and the migrant children from the Koros Islands who live in Kosovo, Suto Gaza and the other cities of Shany. The race is a unique opportunity for Nasta to leave home separated from her siblings. Nasta is a little nervous because of the crowd and the absence of her parents who, fearing a police check, have not accompanied her to the market in the afternoon to stop stop toop English primary school is a simple recitation in the pigmy schools of bindii maali had to learn French to attend classes with his family and friends he speaks pelli his ethnic language he is a good student but sometimes he gets confused when calculating surfaces and perimeters I see that young people Pygmies are schooled in a private Catholic establishment all expenses are paid by the home in return the children perform some tasks just as they would in their camp in the forest while young pygmies may sometimes have difficulty calculating the area of ​​a rectangle for whom the great forest has no secrets they mabali often longs for their life in the jungle it is a kind of nostalgia a forest Melancholy in mayote the tire race does not pass with its usual cheerful tone lost in the pre-race crowd nasta feels the wave of concern that has overcome the organizers Bands of young immigrants from the island of Koros protesting against the expulsions have announced their intention to attack the race despite the threat.

The starting signal is given. The race is 2 kilometers long, finishing in Mamudu, the capital of Mayot. His eyes fixed on her scooter. Nasta tries to overcome. his feelings of anxiety gangs have attacked the end of the road stones and bottles have been thrown at each other and broken glass is scattered across the surface of the road nasta is unknowingly heading towards the riots the forces of law and order are overwhelmed the race is quickly canceled nasta has to run to escape a cloud of acid gas coming from a tear gas grenade the fact that she is an innocent 9 year old girl will not protect her against the threats that punctuate the life of an undocumented girl after the race Father Nasur hoped to take his family to the seashore back to the beach where they first came ashore one night on a clandestine boat amid crashing waves and noisy bathers.

He wants Nasta and her brother to realize that they are different and understand that only education will allow them to integrate into society. Myot gets up in each school at 5:00 a.m. it requires the tender firmness of a grandmother Miranda wants to give her grandchildren the strength to face the day to get to school Alfredo and his little brother need to cross Mexico City from north to south andell is eight years old he is Alfredo's little brother on the way to school will be the eyes of their Big Brother their lookout as they cross Mexico City before dawn in the heights of the great City at more than 2200 M altitude the outside temperatures are cold when the cold air runs through the hoods of the children and squeezes his legs Alfredo knows that it is time to begin the two-hour trip to school.

He loves this moment of freshness and the illusion of pure air. the little brother keeps his eyes wide open for any danger on the road while Alfredo inspires courage and faith in the young and hell at the time lady of the forest home no one wants to miss the best breakfast of the week surprisingly this morning these dishes have no one take them. Mabali and his friends have disappeared They left home at dawn to return to their camps Maali has returned to Mashare Mashare His village in the middle of the forest 3 hours walk from the school His friends have accompanied him on his irresistible Flight 40 or so the pygmies begi live in meshare mware, where community life is based on the tradition of sharing here.

The young pygmies run

free

, their only responsibility being the daily search for food the moment they arrive. mango and papaya Harvesting starchy foods is a much more

dangerous

business. The breadfruit tree must be climbed to a height of 15 m. It is the tallest tree in the camp. Maali volunteers to climb the tree. The fruit will be boiled to obtain the food. It tastes a bit similar. The potato on today's menu is bread, fruit picked by mabali and portions of a large viper hunted by men. The delicate meat is delicious and children love it after the meal.

Mabali helps her father in the field. His children have inherited from him all the richness of Bei culture but he knows that for his ethnic group to survive it is vital that pygmy children have access to education because for half an hour Alfredo and Enhel have been heading towards the center of Mexico City in the first stage of their journey so that the children get lost among the cars trapped in heavy traffic Alfredo dreams that his white cane is a magic wand with the power to separate the waves of the cars are the tight RPP The walkers on the sidewalk the crossroads acrobats and when they get to the subway the children know by heart the long corridors and escalators that lead to the trains and hell keeps Alfredo away from the tracks there are so many trains the little brother is always afraid of boarding the wrong one Their biggest fear is losing each other. being completely lost without each other if Andel ever loses Alfredo they have a plan they will meet at the next station they see the SP sometimes when they get ahead of schedule the way they play at scaring each other but the prospect of being alone and Losing a brother is a nightmare so in Kosovo Nasta wakes up early in the morning to a pungent smell of burning garbage due to lack of provisions Breakfast will have to wait The steep path Nasta must take to get to his school is his own burden personal the effort that justifies his exile the difficulties and humiliation of his hidden existence in the day of a 9-year-old child a 20-minute walk between worlds repeated four times a day is a great adventure the path is a labyrinth with countless opportunities to get lost and forgotten To take a curve or break a sandal on a route through exposed trees, it is vital that you arrive at school before 7:00 a.m. m., when he sees the former Patriots' houses on the hill overlooking the school, Nasta knows that he is entering another world in which he does not like to stay. in the middle she feels vulnerable and eager to reach the sanctuary of school at the Cavani school al

most

80% of the children in her class come from slums nasta finally gets the chance to shine as if she has left the tragedy of her life behind life Like a little undocumented immigrant preparing to go hunting, Mabali likes her machete to be sharp.

Her father Jules has offered the children the opportunity to accompany the adults on the hunt, but before they return to school, the road takes them to the wildest parts. of the forests the young people are surrounded by the best hunters in the town to hunt. Spears are used, sometimes rifles but

most

ly traps, one of the traps that caught a fat porcupine the day before, a good catch will be exchanged for rice and palm wine. pelei have established a hunting camp deep in the forest, this is where they take shelter from the heavy rains and prepare their capture.

Mabali and her friends love these moments shared at the camp with the adults, this is where they learn that the forest has a lot to offer. those who respect it the adults rest in the cabin before spending the whole night hunting the young people know that the next day they must walk back to school at noon The school stops for the rest of the day it is time to leave the classroom for other students there are so many children to educate in mayot that the school works and changes like a factory that never stops it is 10:00 in the morning and nasta is returning to the shantytown he will not resume classes for 3 hours at this time in the morning the neighborhood is calm.

I'm at home Once in the silence of her hut in the Four Winds Nasta is once again the Cinderella of The Shanty Towns, hardworking and meticulous in the improvised kitchen cabinet under the living room table, each saucepan has its place for the little brother Kareem is home for lunch there is no canteen at his school and hell he keeps a close eye on the traffic he is proud of the vigilance that protects his older brother it has already been 1 hour and a half since they left the house to spend the moment they leave that your childish imaginationtranscend reality the dividing strips in the middle of the traffic routes become islands and rivers the walkways are bridges over Canyons a last bus trip along the final stretch towards the School binge-watching on the sidewalks of the southern neighborhoods of the City of Mexico the children savor victory having arrived safely once again and finally relax and have fun guiding themselves using Alfredo's white cane the two have managed to cross the urban jungle of the third largest city in the world yes yes The school Alfredo specializes in the education of visually impaired children.

His familiarity with the Braille in which school textbooks are written gives him access to a wide range of knowledge and allows him to continue his education. Mabali leads the way as the group returns. to school on a three-hour walk through the forest is ahead Angu says goodbye to the large tree that marks the exit from the camp they will not return for 3 months the jungle that can swallow you is not afraid for these young pygmies for them it is a playground hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah, hallelujah huu Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, the forest is their world, it feeds them, protects them and provides them with a simple life on the way to school, alone and without their parents . mabali dreams that he is a hunter, he has discovered a rat hole if he can capture some game he will return to school a hero groping in the hole mabali is not afraid of being bitten he looks for the warmth of an animal or some fresh food unfortunately the Rat Hole It is cold and its cellar is empty the animal has left the burrow for the gang's favorite moment on the way to school is here in the river hit by the girls' hands the river becomes an aquatic symbol go downhill At the end, the waterfall marks the exit from the forest.

They will soon be at school. At the foot of the falls, a car is waiting for them from the school boarding house where they will live until the next vacation. Nusta often counts his steps as he walks to school, although he has never given a definitive total during the rainy season, when the roads are muddy the trip seems even longer Nasta understands that the walk to school in the middle of the medal corrugated It may one day guarantee him a ticket out of the shanty town while the road is often exhausting Nasta wouldn't miss school for the world School brings the promise of a better life and justifies his parents sacrifices speech speech In his primary school class, Nasta feels happy, grateful for the education he receives as he takes the first tentative steps towards his future.

Alfredo has gained confidence and now hopes to enroll in a mainstream school closer to home, armed with his culture and education, Mabali. He knows that when he grows up he will be able to defend the interests of the foreman of the Pagi pygmies.