“I’ve been studying for over 20 years and I don’t have a job. You see your friends who left Africa not even 5 years ago, 10 years ago, are starting to build houses. They drive nice cars. You think: ‘Why not me?’”

“I already have visions of leaving. I’d also like to try my luck. Even if I die at sea. I’m so tired. And I have to help my mum.“

“Even if we are told that there are difficulties, we say to ourselves: ‘I have to leave’. If I work here, despite all my ambition, I don’t have the means to invest, whereas if I go to the other side, maybe I can make it. I want to become someone.“

“For the last three years, I’ve been trying to get a scholarship to continue my Master’s in Control and Auditing abroad. But after that it’s always the same thing. You’ll get your degree, you’ll come back to the village and you won’t find a job. So it’s a complicated situation…“

“We have resources here, but how do we exploit them? Today, I’m training in electricity, but afterwards, if I qualify, I’m not guaranteed funding to buy the equipment to continue. That’s what drives us to leave and go somewhere where there are more opportunities.”

“What’s the solution? Setting up a positive emigration policy. You talk to young people and decide how long they are going to stay in Europe. I’m going to work in Europe for three years and then invest back home. If the European states did that, it would be better than paying the military to block us.
These days, people farm to survive. They don’t produce enough to sell. You’re there with your stick, the kadiandou. Morning and night, it mortifies our bodies. It reduces our life expectancy. It pushes young people to look elsewhere. If we had new funding from the European Union to buy machinery and raise the dyke, we’d be able to slow down the advance of the salt sea, the salt in our rice fields. People could continue to farm. They’d have rice. Maybe they’ll stay. The future belongs to the young!”

Sometimes I think, why did I study? They should have taught me to look for money instead. You spend 23 years studying: CI, CP, C1, C2, CM2, CEF, BFM, baccalaureate, university, degree 1, degree 2, degree 3, master 1, master 2. That’s a lot of time! And to come back with all those diplomas and stay like that, without a job. One day, as I was leaving for university, I wanted to buy a coffee. As I was in a hurry, I told the guy who sold me the coffee to hurry up or I’d be late. He said, ‘But my brother, take it easy. School in Senegal doesn’t matter’. When your father has sacrificed himself for you and you’re there doing nothing… it’s a bit complicated.
They [Europeans] can come here without papers. If they opened the doors and said, ‘Europe is here, those who want to come should come, those who don’t want to, should stay’, there wouldn’t be so many deaths.

“I think that your project (ITHACA) is an opportunity for those who would like to leave to be more aware of what awaits them. And perhaps, it will also help others to develop their thinking, to be discerning, to see whether it’s necessary to leave or to stay, to travel.”

“When there were difficulties with school integration, the parents were summoned to try to keep their children in school. It was the parents who were pushing them to leave. They would tell you outright: ‘If the child doesn’t want to go to school, he can go to sea’. When children regress at school, the parents choose the money path.
Personally, I think we can succeed here. If the means are there. Unfortunately, those in power prefer pocket politics and don’t invest. Take, for example, the Koubanao CEM [primary school] where I started out as a teacher. It was built by the parents of the village. It was fenced in by the parents. All the government did was provide teachers. If a village like this rallies around to educate its children, I think it’s easier to help the village get off the ground. If there are local experts who are thinking about developing their country, all we have to do is push them and support them. But unfortunately, we prefer to do politics differently.”

“Here, in Koubanao, we have this space, we have the Casamance river beside us, we have rivers, we have the forest, we have fields, we have everything we need. I believe that all we need to do, as our parents and grandparents did, is to exploit these resources, which are a gift from God. I used to say that happiness will return to our men who live in the countryside.
When my son left, God knows I wasn’t informed. He negotiated with his older sister. As soon as she told me he was in Morocco, I thought about the Mediterranean crossing. I didn’t sleep for 2 days. I had no appetite. I said to her: ‘Please tell him not to try to cross the Mediterranean, to stay in Morocco’. One fine morning, she said to me, ‘He says hello’. I asked her if he was still in Morocco. She said, ‘He’s in Spain’. I have a second son in Morocco. I told him ‘If you try to cross the Mediterranean, if you try to go to Spain, even just to try, I’ll curse you’. How many have stayed at the bottom of the ocean?”

“When I left for Italy, I flew to Dakar. There were 200 young Senegalese on the plane. I asked them, ‘But where are you going?’ They told me they were going to Morocco, and from Morocco there are routes to Nicaragua. They then plan to travel to Canada or the United States. It hurt! I said to my friends: ‘But at this rate there won’t be any young people left in Senegal!’
“

“You have to believe in what you’re doing. Today, I’m in the village. I advise young people to do what I do. I don’t just give advice, I set an example. I’ve built my own house. Why not someone else? Why do we always think there’s something on the other side when there’s everything here? It’s not inevitable. If you’re healthy, you have to succeed. You must never say ‘I can’t succeed’. You have to say ‘What can I do to succeed? Is your dad going to feed you until you’re 40?”

“At the level of our association (KDEs), we carry out activities to retain young people in the commune of Koubalan so that they can find their livelihood here. We have financed start-ups with all the equipment. When we put out the call for training, people aren’t interested. But those who believed in it are now doing a remarkable job. We trained a student who came back to the village. Now he has his own orchard and vegetable garden. Last year, he supplied us with vegetables for the big festival that brought together over three thousand people.“

“They want Africans to believe ‘You have nothing, you are nothing, the wealth is in Europe. We are richer than you, we have much more, we have no problems’. They didn’t expect the young people here to discover the good things about Europe in such large numbers. Everyone wants to leave, but no one has the skills. What are you going to do when you get to Europe? No one can stop anyone from leaving. But before you leave, at least have a small qualification, a trade. Because what happens to those who have no qualifications at all is pure exploitation.”

“It’s not something your parents wanted, but that’s life. Sometimes you try, sometimes you don’t succeed. But everyone tries to change things for their family a little, to put their family in very good conditions. Illegal immigration is what shakes parents’ hearts. If my son decides to leave, I’m going to accept it because he might be able to help me, send me money to survive. I’m here. I’m an old man. What can I do?”

“In my day, people went off to discover. Today’s young people no longer set off to discover. They’re looking for comfort. They look for work to change their way of life, to develop themselves and their village. But some don’t make it. Some die along the way. And others, even if they do arrive, have enormous difficulty adapting and finding work. My advice to young people is to stay in their villages and ask the government for funding to help them develop.“

“I don’t want my child to pack his bag and go further than Dakar. That’s my principle. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone because I know the suffering involved in migration. I’ve been there. We’ve seen friends who went to Arab countries, studied, came back and started working for the Senegalese government. I left Senegal to study in Iraq. We went through Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, all the way to Chad. I spent two years in Chad. But back then, nobody told you anything. You could go from Senegal to Chad with your identity card. Nobody bothered you. Nowadays, you can’t venture out. I have a brother in France. I went to visit him. When I saw what was going on over there, I’d had enough of France. I saw all sorts of things. Have you seen how immigrants live in France? The Senegalese think they’ll find a better life elsewhere, but life is hard everywhere.”

“This wound needs to be treated. But how? That’s the question. You see in some families retired fathers who continue to support their children who are doctors or engineers. Do you think that’s normal? I don’t think school is useful. Because whatever your intellectual level, you’re not going to work. So what’s the point of sending my kid to school? These young people are forced to leave in the hope of finding a better life elsewhere. First for themselves and for their families. There are people who discreetly sell their cows just to help their child leave.”

“With the CAN football tournament (African Cup of Nations), a lot of fans are chosen to follow the national team. The young people leave. Once in the country, they refuse to leave because they know that if they come back to Senegal they won’t be able to leave again. This is another form of immigration. But there are solutions. Starting at primary school, we need to create job-related training (carpentry, sewing). If I’m taught how to heal someone, I’ll continue to work after school. But here, school is not adapted to life. School has to adapt to life. As long as we don’t do that, immigration will continue.”

“Migration is not a new phenomenon, as human beings are called upon to move and discover new horizons. But today it has become a haemorrhage that is very difficult to stem, especially in Africa, because of poor governance and mismanagement of our resources, which are limited to a select group of a privileged few. So young people are leaving their countries to brave the ocean in the hope of finding a better life elsewhere. I advise my African brothers and sisters against braving the sea, because nothing is more precious than life. I live in Morocco and I dream of continuing the adventure one day if there is an opportunity to go where the grass is greener than here, but it will be by the legal route like the one I took to get here from Senegal, because I know quite a few young people who have lost their lives crossing the desert or the ocean to get to Europe. So my dear brothers and sisters, if you want to travel, get organised and take the legal route by preparing yourself mentally and physically.”

“People know that crossing the sea to Europe is no good. There are a lot of dangers. Sometimes you stay in the sea. Not only are you not in Europe, but you’re no longer alive.”

“The causes of migration are poverty and the question of consideration. If my child leaves to go to Europe, if he’s lucky enough to come back, he’ll be much more highly regarded than a child who has stayed here, even if he has nothing, even if we don’t know what conditions he’s living in over there.
There’s also a solution to the migration issue: entrepreneurship. Providing trainings in different sectors: market gardening, fruit and vegetable processing… Yet, you can live much better here than in Europe. We have everything here. There’s lots of space. There’s electricity, peace and quiet, water. Why not set up your own business and work here, stay at home, eat well and sleep well?”

“TThe women are very tired because the work in the rice fields is done by hand. That’s why our young people are leaving. We need machines to make our work easier or money to rebuild the dike in the rice field which has collapsed.”

“My nephew wanted to cross. One of the canoes got through but the other stayed underwater. The boat my nephew was in tipped over, but we were able to save them. If there was more work here, maybe young people wouldn’t be saying ‘I’m going to Spain or Italy’.”

“I think that immigration allows people to increase their knowledge and discover different ways of life. It also allows them to earn a living. Because a lot of people here have qualifications but can’t find work. In Senegal, if you don’t know people who are well placed in the government (influential), you’ll never find a good job. But if you go to Europe with your diplomas, you’ll be able to find work.”

“Our problem here in Africa is the lack of work. A lot of young people have degrees, we have resources, but we don’t have much work, given what the government is doing: no industry, no jobs, no funding.”

“I wouldn’t wish it on any young person to get in a canoe to cross over.  I know a lot of young people who have died at sea. I’d rather stay here and even eat sand. It’s better than trying.“

“Where you are now, at least you feel reassured that you can succeed. A child who decides to succeed can succeed. Because the earth doesn’t lie. You can work little by little and make a living here in the village.”

“Sometimes it’s the children themselves, who have left the village, who call their families here to tell them that they are with people who have kidnapped them. They ask for money so that they can be released. Some escape and make it to Spain, but others are killed on the way.”

“I want young people who want to immigrate to do so in the right way. I want them to be in very good conditions, in accordance with the rules of travel, i.e. with all the necessary paperwork: passport, visa. I don’t want them to leave illegally. If you go without paperwork, when you get there, you’re going to spend all your time hiding.“

“There are many people who have been there for 2, 3 or 4 years and have never returned. They have never sent anything to their families because they have no paperwork. Even I want to goto get money or find a better life than here. But I want to go with my paperwork, so that I don’t get tired over there.“

“Immigration in general requires a great deal of mental, physical, and even financial preparation. Young people tend to immigrate without preparing themselves physically, mentally, and financially. When you arrive in a country, you have to adapt to the climate and the pace of life there, but you have to take responsibility for yourself before you can expect to earn anything.“

“Travelling is fine but travelling by plane. Travelling in a canoe is too risky. Many of our young people have lost their lives at sea. I prefer young people to travel by plane. If a young person wants to leave his village to go abroad, he must first be qualified and have a profession. But to go to another country without doing anything is to encumber the others. I prefer young people to try to do something, to leave with a profession to work in.”

“I’m very lucky to have lived in Senegal. Ever since I was a little boy I wanted to go into medicine and this country has given me the chance to do my dream job. I’ll always be grateful to Senegal. I was brought up in this country without being very close to society. I learnt a lot just by watching and interacting with my patients, my teachers, and my neighbors: how to accept people, how not to judge them, how to help them. The situation of sub-Saharan Africans who leave their countries is incomparable to my own experience. I come from a country where sub-Saharan Africans are not always welcomed or treated well. Before coming here, I wasn’t very open. Here, I’ve been welcomed. What I am now was built on my experiences in Senegal. This country has given me principles of life, and human lessons. I’m becoming more of a humanist. My dream now is to work in international development. To give back to this country and to other countries that are considered secondary by Western governments, those that are ‘worthless’ in their eyes (Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Palestine).“

“In the United States, I’m a foreigner, that’s for sure. In some cities, there’s a lot of racism. Many people classify me as an Arab or Muslim terrorist. Here it’s different. There’s a good relationship between Moroccans and Senegalese. They’re like brothers and sisters. Morocco and Senegal have a long history together. There are a lot of exchanges, a lot of programs. Senegalese people don’t need a passport to go to Morocco. There are more opportunities for them there. It’s the same for me. I have many more opportunities in the United States. So, even if it’s difficult, they have the choice. But in the end, you have to make sacrifices. And if they have a family, the choice is a little easier because they make sacrifices to offer their children a better life.“

“I like to move around. I like to be on the move. But I don’t particularly want to always be a foreigner. Or always a tourist. I’m fine in places where I feel at home (my friends’ houses, where I sleep on their sofas), but I don’t want to have my own place. I want to be home in someone else’s home. I’m a bit critical of some of the activities I take part in here (in Dakar). It’s hard to find a position. There’s a certain guilt in being a toubab (white man) in Senegal because there’s the question of neo-colonialism. And on the other hand, there is a strong demand from our colleagues for us to come and help them – even if I don’t really like that term – to develop the scientific community.”

“I was born here, in Dakar, and I’ve never been on a plane. I’ve never known anything other than Senegal. I only have Senegalese nationality. I can get Lebanese papers, but there are steps to be taken. I don’t really consider myself Lebanese. I’ve never seen Lebanon. I don’t know much Arabic. I know more French and Wolof. This is where I feel at home. If someone asks me what nationality I am, I’ll say Senegalese. I won’t even say Lebanese if they don’t ask. It’s a pity, but it’s understandable that many Senegalese want to move elsewhere, because apart from the capital, there’s no real development. When they reach a certain level of poverty, I think they say to themselves: ‘I’ll live or die, I’ll leave, I’ll try my luck’. It’s a shame, because there’s great potential here, but even agriculture is being neglected. Local rice is more expensive than imported rice. It’s not normal!“

“This life between Senegal and Italy is the best of both worlds! I’m a football coach with the young Senegalese national team. I train them, but I also make them aware of the issue of immigration, because many of them dream of playing in a European team. Some young people get caught up in bogus recruitment networks. They’re promised a contract in Europe. People take their money, but they never touch European soil. It’s my responsibility to make them aware of this reality. I also give them the right information. You have to be at least 18 years old to be recruited by a European team. The law is clear”

Moussa

“Immigrating to Senegal and then going back to my country (Italy) was a real journey of awareness for me, which helped me to evolve. I’d like everyone to have the chance to experience something like that.”

Cinzia

“I wasn’t able to get married with my French passport because the French authorities require all French nationals who want to get married in Senegal to obtain a ‘certificat de capacité de mariage’ (the certificate that proves you are allowed to get married) in order to be able to transcribe their marriage in the French registers. The procedure for obtaining this certificate takes at least 6 months and requires applicants to be residents in Dakar. This is clearly a discriminatory practice aimed at restricting Franco-Senegalese marriages. I was forced to get married with my Serbian passport and look for work in Serbia so that my wife could come and live with me. The migration of people from the countries of the South (and not only from the South) is the result of historical and social injustice and the inequalities produced by colonisation and exploitation. The issue of migration cannot be dissociated from that of the value chain. If this hope of a better life exists, it is because we live in a global system of exploitation and hierarchy between rich and poor countries.”

“But how can we manage immigration in a sustainable way? Can we support those seeking a better life while protecting Europe, for example, which cannot take in the whole of Africa? It’s a very complicated question. There is no conclusion. There will always be people who want to go abroad. Especially in this day and age when everyone is connected by mobile phone. For me, for example, it really made me want to go to France, but the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere. I’ve always wanted to live abroad and now I’ve got to the point where I appreciate what’s there in my own country. After 36 years, I want to go back home. But I understand why people want to go and discover what’s going on elsewhere, it opens your mind, it changes your way of thinking. I feel privileged to be able to come here (to Senegal) without any problems.”

“We’re constantly measuring the inequality between us. We’re lucky. Personally, I’ve never had any problems traveling. I have quite a few Senegalese friends through surfing. And they’re always in awe of the fact that I can move around because they themselves feel suffocated. I have a Senegalese friend, he’s the same age as me. He’s never left his little room, his little bedroom, his little village. He can’t take it anymore. He says to me ‘You’ve got to help me leave’. So yes, there is a form of injustice in migration. I move from country to country as I please.”

“I want to do a third year. But it’ll probably be my last because I don’t think I’ll ever feel at home here. It’s very difficult with the Senegalese. We don’t have the same culture. We’re very different, even though they’re very nice people. But I know I won’t be going back to France because I’ve had the opportunity to see something else. Another way of life where family and health come first. In France, we talk a lot about work. I think we’re losing a bit of our humanity.”

“My parents have a house on the Canary Islands. They live in a small village where one of the village’s 20 houses has been converted into a temporary home for around thirty children who arrived from Senegal by boat without their families. We always talk about the canoes that run aground at sea. I’d only seen photos. Meeting 8- or 10-year-olds who had been through the same thing made the experience more personal. When you read in the papers that 100,000 migrants have arrived for economic reasons, those are just statistics. This experience has changed my perspective because it’s very easy to make judgements based on what you see in the papers. If I were in the same situation as some of the people I met in Senegal, what would I do? I think that if I had the opportunity to send my child abroad, even if it hurt a lot, I would accept it. If people tried to build a personal relationship with migrants in order to understand the complexity of the reasons why they leave, it would really change perceptions.“