Migrants of the Mediterranean

‘Grave concerns’ over rights for asylum seekers under EU migration pact – The Irish Times - EUROPE SAYS The largest overhaul of migration and asylum legislation, due to come into force next year, will “radically reduce” asylum seekers’ rights, a coalition of

‘Grave concerns’ over rights for asylum seekers under EU migration pact – The Irish Times

https://www.europesays.com/2511761/

The largest overhaul of migration and asylum legislation, due to come into force next year, will “radically reduce”…

Migrants of the Mediterranean The Humanitarian Storytelling Organization. We give voice to the people who have crossed continents, countries, desert and sea in search of safety, freedom and opportunity. Read their journey stories ...

And subscribe to our newsletter: www.migrantsofthemed.org

Meet Enoch — Migrants of the Mediterranean

Every week, we share a Story from the Archive with our newsletter subscribers. Read more of Enoch’s story: migrantsofthemed.org/meet-enoch

At the time of this recording he was waiting for his next appointment and interview. Stay tuned for updates as they develop.

Enoch is an #AmazingHumanBeing

Back in Nigeria, he left his home, his family, his profession, believing they would all be waiting for him when he returned. When Enoch’s sports visa expired he claimed asylum, on 2 January 2024.

In Italy, for him, everything is foreign and uncertain. He waits to hear from his wife and two sons who are on the run. He experiences racism, which he had never encountered before in his life.

“What matters is not being idle,” Enoch explained. He cut tiles for a building renovation to earn some money and distract his mind from the anxiety, but it was a short-term job. So he layered on a puffy coat to brace against the winter weather and collected change outside of a supermarket.

He boarded a train south to Naples, to claim asylum, and to meet a friend who would help him with the process. He was surprised to find his friend outside the train station in Naples, panhandling for change. But, he quickly learned that this was one of the only ways to survive while in limbo.

It was there that he received a phone call from his family that changed everything. Their home had been ransacked. They were told to flee or they would be killed. Enoch understood that his life was now at risk if he were to return to Nigeria.

In December of 2023, Enoch had taken a flight from Lagos, Nigeria to Paris, with a sports visa that allowed him into the European Union for athletic training. With his team, he traveled through Rome to Torino, in Northern Italy.

“I believe in transparency. I believe in hard work,” said Enoch, when he shared his journey with MotM, in Naples, Italy, “I believe in God.”

Meet Enoch.

Enoch (Nigeria) in Naples, Italy. 31 January 2024. ©Pamela Kerpius/Migrants of the Mediterranean

Migrants of the Mediterranean The Humanitarian Storytelling Organization. We give voice to the people who have crossed continents, countries, desert and sea in search of safety, freedom and opportunity. Read their journey stories ...

And sign up for our newsletter: migrantsofthemed.org

Meet Buba — Migrants of the Mediterranean

Read Buba’s full story: migrantsofthemed.org/meet-buba

Buba is an #AmazingHumanBeing

Once in Libya, he stayed in Tripoli for a few months before making his way to a coastal camp. It felt like fast motion, he said of his time at the coast. Suddenly, he found himself pumping air into a rubber boat and pushing out into the sea.

They drank water whenever they could, even from wells so dirty they looked black. “You don’t think about the dirtiness,” he said, when you are that thirsty.

When they reached a taxi on the street, they asked, “Take us anywhere you know…just far from this place.”

In Agadez, they found someone who helped them continue on their journey North. Soon, they were travelling across the Sahara in the back of a pickup truck for a week.

It was Ibraham, “I remember the boy’s name,” Buba said, who had the idea to run. Under the promise of a quick trip to a toilet stall 50 meters away, the pair took off running, risking gunfire behind them, a better alternative, they thought, than what would’ve met them had they stayed.

He would fill empty bottles that he found with salty water from the tap. The next step was a bus to Agadez, Niger, a trip that took about two weeks. On arrival, the police arrested seventy or eighty people at the station, including Buba.

In Niger, Buba stayed in a connection house filled with thousands of people—the true number, for him, immeasurable. There were no beds, only thin mats laid out on the floor. There was no guarantee of food or clean water. Only a small supply of bread.

Each hour he felt the bus roll to a stop. When it did, the passengers inside would pool their money, trying to support those whose funds had depleted. Even then, it wasn’t enough. “Every stop someone [was] left behind,” Buba said.

Meet Buba.

Buba left Gambia on a small ferry that transferred him to Senegal, where he boarded a bus to Niger. In two to three days he crossed two more countries, Mali and Burkina Faso—often paying bribes to officers at checkpoints in order to avoid being beaten or thrown in jail.

Every week, we share a Story from the Archive with our newsletter subscribers.

📸 Buba (Gambia) in Naples, Italy. 19 January 2024. ©Pamela Kerpius/Migrants of the Mediterranean

Preparatory Workshop Series: Solidarity Across Borders - Goethe-Institut USA Mon, 09/22/2025 – Migrants of the Mediterranean

MotM Founder, Pamela Kerpius, alongside MotM community members, will be speaking at The Goethe Institut–New York on September 22, 1:00pm ET, discussing the way solidarity is expressed in our Humanitarian Storytelling practices and impacts. Register now free! www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/ve...

Hi! We made the switch over to Bluesky earlier this year. Excited to join you here