El ejido - The Law of Profit

Belgium, France, 2007, 80 min, Documentary

Directed by: Jawad Rhalib
Language: Spanish, Arabic

Festivals & Awards:
FIPA- festival International de Programmes Audiovisuals 2007, France
Munich International Documentary Film Festival 2007, Germany
The 28th Durban Film Festival, South Africa

The Exploitation of immigrant agricultural workers in southern Spain, modern slavery that fills the plates of Europe

Today, the formerly- deserted region of Almeria in southern Spain produces one third of Europe’s winter consumption of fruits and vegetables and reaps two thirds of the country’s farm profits. This economic miracle in a greenhouse relies on the labour of nearly 80.000 immigrants, half of whom do not have proper working papers. In a destroyed environment where the air is vitiated by pesticides and ground water is running out, the village of El Ejido illustrates, almost to the point of caricature, this industrial exploitation of Men and the land encouraged by globalization. Driss, Moussaid and Dijbril are day- labourers there, working for a pittance and, as is the case with most of their peeers, without a working contract. They stay in chabolas, small constructions made of cardboard and plastic, without water or electricity. Near- slavery that fills our Plates…

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