The autonomous city of Melilla, a territory of 12.3 km under Spanish sovereignty, and therefore part of the European Union, is geographically situated on the African continent and surrounded by Moroccan territory. The 8.3 km long double fence that encircles the entire city is the symbol of the great separation between two worlds, the rich north and the poor south. In 1985 the Berber residents of Melilla found themselves in an inconceivable situation: they did not officially belong to any country and the winds that were blowing from Europe turned them into foreigners in their own land. After weeks of uprisings, Spanish citizenship was recognized for approximately 30,000 Berbers. At this time construction of the great fence began, a mental, political, economic, and also physical fence. Thanks to the existence of the new border, the Melilla economy entered a period of brutal growth. Melilla is a ‘free port,’ i.e., the merchandise that arrives there does not pay tax; the geographic nearness to Morocco makes Melilla the ideal place to introduce merchandise into Africa without paying the tariffs imposed by the Moroccan government. Asian, American, and European products arrive in large containers and, at this time, a system of smuggling, which is unofficially allowed, floods Morocco and other African countries with cheap products.