Ousman Umar's story hits cinemas amid criticism and questions
Five years of travel, an NGO in Ghana and plenty of unanswered questions. Ousman Umar's film reopens the debate on the cost of immigration and how these organisations are funded.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ousman Umar's odyssey: five years to Barcelona, now a film
Cinemas are releasing 'Viaje al país de los blancos' (Journey to the Land of the Whites), the autobiography of Ghanaian Ousman Umar. He left his country aged 12, crossed the Sahara and reached Barcelona on a migrant boat. Five years of travel that, according to his account, led him to found the NGO Nasco Feeding Minds in 2012, with the aim of discouraging young Ghanaians from taking deadly migration routes. The film, presented in an interview on Hoy por Hoy Mallorca on 9 June 2026, has peine the debate on the real cost of immigration and the funding of these organisations.
NGO in Ghana or in Europe? The awkward question
As the film rolls out in cinemas, questions arise about where the funds go. Some point out that the NGO operates in Ghana, but the volume of public aid it receives is unknown. In a context of growing migration pressure, every euro allocated to these projects is scrutinised. The lack of transparency in many NGOs' accounts fuels scepticism. It is no coincidence that the thread mixes irony with demands for data: "And how much did that dud and the NGO cost us this time?", one comment asks. The unofficial answer, "you just have to pay for it", does not reassure those who see these stories as a business trading on solidarity.
Odious comparisons and opportunity costs
Umar's journey took five years; a man from Murcia cycled across Africa in five months. The comparison, crude but effective, puts the efficiency of resources on the table. Meanwhile, the harshest messages demand drastic measures, while others defend the human value of the story. The truth is that the film opens a window onto a reality the official government prefers to sugarcoat: the human and economic cost of irregular immigration. And the film, like migration itself, divides opinion.
With all this, 'Viaje al país de los blancos' will be neither a box-office hit nor a sanitised documentary. It is an uncomfortable mirror. And the box office, in the end, will show what society is willing to pay to see it — or not to see it.
Related discussions in the forum
Cinemas are releasing 'Viaje al país de los blancos' (Journey to the Land of the Whites), the autobiography of Ghanaian Ousman Umar. He left his country aged 12, crossed the Sahara and reached Barcelona on a migrant boat. Five years of travel that, according to his account, led him to found the NGO Nasco Feeding Minds in 2012, with the aim of discouraging young Ghanaians from taking deadly migration routes. The film, presented in an interview on Hoy por Hoy Mallorca on 9 June 2026, has peine the debate on the real cost of immigration and the funding of these organisations.
NGO in Ghana or in Europe? The awkward question
As the film rolls out in cinemas, questions arise about where the funds go. Some point out that the NGO operates in Ghana, but the volume of public aid it receives is unknown. In a context of growing migration pressure, every euro allocated to these projects is scrutinised. The lack of transparency in many NGOs' accounts fuels scepticism. It is no coincidence that the thread mixes irony with demands for data: "And how much did that dud and the NGO cost us this time?", one comment asks. The unofficial answer, "you just have to pay for it", does not reassure those who see these stories as a business trading on solidarity.
Odious comparisons and opportunity costs
Umar's journey took five years; a man from Murcia cycled across Africa in five months. The comparison, crude but effective, puts the efficiency of resources on the table. Meanwhile, the harshest messages demand drastic measures, while others defend the human value of the story. The truth is that the film opens a window onto a reality the official government prefers to sugarcoat: the human and economic cost of irregular immigration. And the film, like migration itself, divides opinion.
With all this, 'Viaje al país de los blancos' will be neither a box-office hit nor a sanitised documentary. It is an uncomfortable mirror. And the box office, in the end, will show what society is willing to pay to see it — or not to see it.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (11 replies).
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