Messages from Paradise #2 (MfP#2) deals with the relationship of migration between Morocco and the Netherlands. Through a series of interviews Daniela Swarowsky focuses on young people in both countries who tell of their perspective and experiences with migration.

MfP#2 is an fictive dialogue between young Moroccans on the one hand, living in the North of Morocco who would like nothing more than to move to Europe and young Dutch people on the other hand who may or may not have a background of migration. MfP#2 makes an attempt to expose the many myths of migration that those that stay and those that leave have to deal with. In this way the project offers a platform for dialogue between the ‘North’ and ‘South' and thus invites young people to communicate meaningful messages to each other on this subject. Themes are brought to the fore that are usually difficult to discuss. They tell of their dreams, identity and expectations of the future. While one side may travel as they wish, the other side can only leave the country through illegal means. MFP#2 challenges us to think about the universal and fundamental human longing for a “paradise elsewhere”.

MfP#2 opens a door into the life of young people and how they experience their home. How do Moroccan Dutch youth define their parents home country and how do they see their own identity and position in Dutch society? How do young Moroccan people see the emigration of so many Moroccans to Europe? Do they dream of Europe themselves? And what happens when both sides meet each other in Morocco during the summer holidays? How do families deal with the fact that half of the family is on the other side? And what do they expect from one another?

To broaden your horizon, to envision your future, see the world and earn a good living: to go where the grass is greener on the other side of the hill is a universal human desire. The rich West is the greener grass, a paradise that a young and frustrated generation dreams of in poor countries  As they see no future at home and there is no work, they are frustrated. But those who successfully manage to cross to the other side of the hill, are often confronted with a harsh reality. And then an interesting phenomenon can be observed: the longer you are away from the country you came from, the more the image of your home country changes from ‘hopeless and without possibilities’ to a 'lost paradise'.

MfP#2 is an expression of the emotions that play an important role for migrants and for those that stay home but also for those who have no migrant connections at all. The project gives everyone a chance to think about migration, the idea of ‘your home’ and a ‘paradise elsewhere’. In this way one can learn more about a large group of Dutch citizens who have a background of migration: about their incentives and what it takes to emigrate. In so doing Messages from Paradise aims to contribute towards mutual appreciation and respect by challenging people to think about the personal and social consequences of migration.

Participants tell their story of their own accord, in front of the camera, sometimes as an imaginary conversation with some one but never directed towards somebody. Their stories, questions and comments eventually become a dialogue as a fictive form of the video-film. It is a dialogue that brings places and people together who would otherwise never meet and in so doing it connects different stories that would otherwise never be told as one story.