ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY VAASA CAMPUS.

BLOG TITLE:
EXODUS TO AN UNKNOWN FUTURE.

BY
EBERE SCHOLASTICA CHRISTOPHER
2203267

PEACE, MEDIATION AND CONFLICT RESEARCH (MSc.).

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP AND INCLUSION.

4TH MARCH, 2023

“Exodus to an unknown future” as I captioned my Blog is not an exaggeration but

the reality on ground. The above picture is obtained from “TIME Online News 2015”; where
the Italian government, who within 48 hours were able to rescue boats at the Mediterranean
Sea smuggling 3,600 Sub-Saharan African migrants from Libya. I used the image as a
pictorial clip of how these irregular migrants are conditioned in their journey to a supposed
promised land full of milk and honey. Where opportunities are said to present themselves and
not sought after.

It beats my imagination as to the desperation that could bedevil the youths to abandon
everything; to the extent of selling off their assets, abandon their educations, jobs, careers,
businesses, skills and living their loved ones to seek for greener pasture via rough routes as to
pass through the deserts, mostly by foot with harsh weather conditions, starvation, thirst,
dehumanization and rape. To the crossing of mediterranean seas on an overloaded rickety
boat in order to get to the promised land with no identity. Most times; without any luggage or
just with a small bag yet with a mind full of hope on their journey to an unknown future.

This brings to mind a book I once read titled; “A Gamble to Death'' a true life story
published by a Nigerian Author where he recounts the woes he faced and how he saw
hundreds of people dead of starvation or shot dead by the traffickers and how death stared at
him. A journey he was made to believe would last for two weeks took a toil for years. Thirst
for water in the middle of the desert left him and others with him in the journey with no
option than to drink their urine.- A cautionary tale from the book says the Traffickers
understood that the average young African sees Europe and Western World as a promise to
“happy life.” So, they use this as an enticing weapon to exploit people as much as they
can(Onuoha; 2018).

In my state of wonder; I have come to realize that most of the time the victims of
these irregular migrants are being tricked or deceived by the smugglers or traffickers who
sweet mouth and feed their minds with irresistible imaginary pictures of a better life in
Europe.

These traffickers enjoy more boom in their illicit business as governments of most
destination countries tighten legal means of entry with more control measures on migration.
This action gave rise to irregular migration as intending migrants resort to patronizing the
traffickers instead(Haas; et al).

In this vein, I would suggest for the destination countries to loosen up on their
immigration criteria and work in line with governments of the countries like Libya and
Algeria to curb the activities of the traffickers from smuggling people through their borders
and the mediterranean sea to Europe. I am optimistic that there must be a solution to end this
maniac as I hope that you are with me on this boat full of possibilities.

References

1. Italy Says It Rescued 3,600 Migrants From the Sea in 48 Hours (2015). TIMES.

https://time.com/3859827/italy-migrants-rescued-libya-catania/

2. Onuoha, K. G. (2018). A Gamble to Death. : Naira Books and Press.

3. Haas, H., Castles, S., Miller, M. J. (2020). The Age of Migration (6th ed., p. 12). : Red

Global Press.