Wreckage of a Dream: human trafficking from Africa to Europe
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ONGOING WORK
“Wreckage of a dream” is the end of a travel and a reflection on the uncertain route taken by the migrants from the North African Coasts and arriving in Europe. Here is where they start their other odyssey, crossing again from a border to another. The hope to access the security and the freedom prevails over the tremendous dangers they face.
This is an ongoing work that has been started between Calais in France and Pozzallo in Italy. It documents traces left by the migrants during their first contact with their dreamed land.
CALAIS – FRANCE
Syrians, Sudaneses, Eritreans, Afghans and many others Asylum seekers’ who fled wars, persecution and poverty: their graffiti and belongings in Calais testify the strenuous temporary living in the makeshift camps (known locally as “jungles”) scattered across the port town. Their hopes are betrayed, eventually their attempt is dissolved by police stormings. United by common dream of a better life across the Channel every night hundreds jumps on trucks heading to UK, trying to elude passport controls.
POZZALLO – ITALY
In an area of the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, the Italian port authority piled up seized fishing boats used by ruthless men to traffic human beings from Africa to Europe. Those wreckages silently testify the load of suffering and death reclaimed by the Mediterranean sea.
Every week new wreckages are added here to the pile, following each rescue mission by the Italian coast guard in the strait of Sicily, Mediterranean sea. The Mare Nostrum operation was replaced by Frontex operation Triton on Nov. 2014 with consistent criticism, highlighted by the recent shipwreck of Apr. 19, 2015 in which more than 850 refugees have drowned.
European Union foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, commented that this tragedy has at last awakened the EU to the whole picture, uncovering the actual gravity of human trafficking in the Mediterranean basin.
Pozzallo, Italy. Apr. 05, 2015
Mandatory credit: Francois Razon / UnFrame
