African Immigrants in the Canary Islands
Juan Medina
Reuters
The 2005 CARE International Award for Humanitarian Reportage sponsored by sanofi-aventis
Over the last few years I have been documenting the plight of thousands of people who risk their lives trying to reach the coasts of the Canary Islands, where I live, and I have continued to bear witness to the human tragedy which unfolds with striking regularity. The difficult voyage begins when they leave their countries of origin, usually Western Africa countries, devastated by hunger, war and exploitation.Even before reaching the African coast, many people die while crossing the desert.
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The sad news of their plight only becomes known through the testimony of relatives or companions who had better luck in their journey. It takes years for some people to reach the stage of setting off to cross the hundred kilometers of open sea that separate the African continent from the Spanish islands. They sail in fragile makeshift boats, less than six meters long. The majority of these vessels are intercepted and/or rescued by Spanish coast guard patrols or other rescue ships, though some overloaded makeshift boats capsize in the middle of the ocean. Still others become lost, and their boats stay adrift with the occupants condemned to a slow death if they are not found in time. Thousands of human beings feel obliged to carry out this dangerous journey, imposed by a cruel European filter.
