The CinemArena project, implemented since 2018 by the International Organization for Migration and funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, aims to support the Italian government's efforts to inform about the risks of irregular migration along the main routes from East and West Africa through the desert and the Mediterranean. 

CinemArena is a mobile cinema caravan that, traveling across Africa from village to village, bringing the magic of film spectacle under the stars to inform. The project aims to strike the right balance between awareness raising and entertainment, so all evenings are composed of educational short films, debates with local people, theatre performances (participatory theatre), music and dance. Local communities and artists are at the heart of this project to convey awareness messages to potential migrants and local communities, reaching migration prone communities, and informing both young people and families, who usually play a crucial role in migrants' decision to leave. CinemArena aims to empower local communities through their active involvement in the events and to support social cohesion and intergenerational dialogue.  

More specifically, the project aims to :

1. Help potential migrants to make informed decisions by warning them about the dangers of the journey and the detached behavior of traffickers on the safety and well-being of migrants along the crossing; 
2. Promote information on socio-economic opportunities for youth in West African countries, including development initiatives implemented by governments to increase employment opportunities;
3. Increased awareness among potential migrants about their potential through the strengthening of entrepreneurial and work skills; 
4. Promote increased awareness and a more positive migration narrative in both host, transit and origin countries on the risks of irregular migration and the vulnerabilities of migrants, including victims of traffickers and potential victims of trafficking;  
5. Engage local stakeholders, including civil society organizations, local institutions, artists, influencers, local communities and media professionals, in the CinemArena events to replicate the intervention in the future.

With the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, although ensuring the screenings and debates with limited participation, the project adopted a digital and media campaign to amplify the dissemination of awareness messages. More details here:

Website: www.cinemarena.gallery
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CinemArena/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCziWO2Xfg5mPWsBUz9Z_C8A
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cinem.arena/?hl=fr

The most recent phase which started on December 2022 and is directly funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, mainly focuses on raising- awareness on socio-economic opportunities and promoting empowerment of youth and vulnerable communities as alternatives for irregular migration.