Ceuta – African gate to Europe

Tomasz Ferenc

University of Łódź
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0748-889X

Abstract

Ceuta, being one of the two Spanish exclaves in Morocco, is also a gateway to Europe for both Moroccans and the migrants arriving from the depths of the African continent. Measures to protect Ceuta against sub-Saharan migrants caused that it became a model of what we call „Fortress Europe”. The immediate proximity of the border is crucial for the functioning of Ceuta, and with the border the key problems of exclave are connected. In the article, based on the materials collected during field research conducted on Ceuta in July 2017, three key issues will be presented, relevant to understanding the specificity of this region. Subsequently, these will be issues related to the functioning of the border, ethnic divisions among the people of Ceuta and the fears of its inhabitants about the future of the peninsula.

Keywords:

Ceuta, Morocco, border, Fortress Europe, securitization, migration, refugees