Book - Open Arms. A mission against the current

Open Arms book. A mission against the current

10 years defending life at sea

This book shouldn't exist.
The stories it contains should never have happened.

Since 2015 we have rescued thousands of people in the Mediterranean. People who should never have been forced to board precarious boats, to risk their lives at sea because, in the 21st century, They had no other option.

This book tells our story and, with it, the story of a Europe that is building ever-higher walls against a phenomenon as old as humanity: migration. Migration is natural. Forcing people to Doing it in inhumane conditions, no.

Open Arms was born with one basic objective: save lives.

Ten years later, that mission remains unchanged. What has changed is the world around us: the narrative surrounding rescues, the way we view those seeking a better life, the transformation of solidarity into suspicion and aid into a problem. Today, helping can be uncomfortable. Even persecuted.

Over time, our work has become trapped in a contradictory narrative: heroes to some, villains to others. Between epic heroism and criminalization, this book proposes to go beyond the imposed narrative and reflect on Who are the real heroes and villains in the current migration context?

The volume brings together the work of more than 40 internationally renowned photographerswhose images document a decade of unconventional missions. These are joined by testimonies from journalists, crew and volunteers who have accompanied Open Arms during these ten years, providing context, memory and a critical perspective.

Structured in three parts —Heroes, Villains and Out of the Sea—, the book intertwines images, voices, and contexts that span ten years of rescues, trials, volunteering, institutional pressure, hate speech, and humanitarian commitment. From our beginnings in Lesbos to the central Mediterranean and beyond the sea.

Some pages are closed and need to be opened. That gesture symbolizes something essential: the will to lookTo approach a reality that is too often ignored. Looking is also a form of commitment.

Ten years have passed since our first rescue.
Ten years of missions against the current.
And one conviction that remains intact:

No life should be left adrift.

By purchasing this book you directly support our mission and help us continue saving lives at sea.

BOOK DETAILS

• ISBN: 979-13-88023-14-9
• Format: 520 pages · Exposed spine · Box
• Measures: 19 × 24.5 cm
• RRP: 35,00 €

Solidarity impact
The profits from the sale of this book are entirely dedicated to supporting the mission of Open Arms.