The Ocean Viking will have on board an exhibition of works by Italian cartoonist and activist Gianluca Costantini, who came up with this idea when the rescue ship of the NGO SOS Mediterranée docked in his city, Ravenna, in Bolognia.
A traveling exhibition that tells about migrations and rescues at sea will travel on board the Ocean Viking along its route toward international waters. This is Gianluca Costantini's last initiative, artist and cartoonist from Ravenna known for his portraits of activists across the world and for his works that celebrate human rights.
SOS Mediterranée's ship arrives in Ravenna
On December 31, the Ocean Viking run by the French NGO SOS Mediterranée, docked at the port of Ravenna, in the reigon of Emilia Romagna, with 113 migrants on board. An exceptional event for the city and the region that had never before faced a similar event.
"When I learned that the Ocean Viking was going to come to Ravenna, I knew inside me that the city was going to welcome the ship with open arms, and this was confirmed to me by the ship's crew," wrote Costantini on his social media accounts.
"Now the ship is about to set sail again and a part of me will travel with it, we have set up an exhibit on board on the ship's deck, in the cabins, in the control cabin, in the small hospital on board and in the places where the rescued people will be."
The famous portrait of Patrick Zaki
Costantini is the author of the now famous picture that shows Patrick Zaki, the Egyptian student in Bologna who was detained for a long period of time in his country: a picture realized to support the campaign for his release which was shown in numerous public places in Bologna and across the world.
Costantini has also realized and published on his social media accounts a drawing of the face of Mehdi Zare Ashkzari, the young man, barely over thirty, who died in Iran after 20 days of coma due to being tortured after his arrest for having taken part in the protests. PHOTO: