Beyond False Narratives: The Real Stories of Migrants in Malta and Their Economic Contributions ( watch the video)

 Those who collect rubbish under rain, sun, and cold are foreigners. If you see a Maltese there, maybe he is the one driving the truck. When I see a taxi driver or a bus driver today, rarely do I see a Maltese driver, not because they cannot do it, but because they don't want to do it. Yet people need to take taxis and public transport and foreigners do it.

The words are those of  Robel Yeugue, a young African immigrant in Malta who sheds light on the pervasive misinformation surrounding migrants and their contributions to society. The young man is originally from Cameroon, graduated in Finance in his country, and  is currently working  in Malta as a Bolt driver. 

He recounted a distressing experience where he was told to "go back to his country." For him, narratives about immigrants are often exaggerated and misleading. During the interview, he described how false claims about migrants have become rampant on social media. 

For instance, he mentioned misconceptions about migrants being involved in crime or taking jobs away from locals, which for him are nonsense.

He said that the jobs that foreigners do and that  locals don't want to do anymore are not gifts:

We pay taxes and the money we earn here is spent here in Malta, so we contribute to the economy of the country. 

The young man argues that a better understanding of the economic contributions of immigrants could help counteract negative narratives: “The government should step in and educate the public about the economic contribution of immigrants, “ he said, “and the media has to do their part because some bad reporting favours the stigmatisation of the immigrants”, he added. 

Robel Yeugue supports the fights against misinformation. He is a volunteer citizen journalist for African Media Association Malta. Here he attended the "World Cafe" organised by the Malta Anna Lindh network. Photo: African Media Malta

Yeugue refers to the nationality of offenders usually being portrayed in news reporting, which favours a generalization: "Sometimes, I hear about a crime committed by an African from some of my clients, who would refer to him as my “brother,” - just because we are both Black-  Most of the time, I have not  heard about the news and I don't know the offender". 

He called for action and mentioned that as a community, they are doing their part with a weekly Sunday football match where African immigrants and locals play together in Mosta.

This interview aims to raise awareness against the danger of misinformation about migration.

Ending Misinformation Before It Begins #startswithyou