Nana Yaw’s Story: A Journey of Struggles and Loss
Nana Yaw, a tailor from Sokoban village in Kumasi, embarked on a challenging journey in search of greener pastures abroad to care for his ailing mother.
His plan was to travel through Algeria and Morocco to reach Spain, but the journey has been anything but smooth.
“I left Ghana on March 9, 2024, with the intention of passing through Algeria to Morocco, and then to Spain. We knew someone in Morocco—a fisherman—who promised to help with a place to stay. Unfortunately, during the trip, a car drove off with my bags, leaving me with almost nothing. I had saved GHC 18,000 for this journey, but I only carried GHC 5,000 on me. Now, I rely on small amounts of money sent to me from Ghana to survive.”
Life in Algeria has been far from what he imagined.
“You can’t roam freely here. If you’re Black, the police can arrest you for no reason. Most Ghanaians here are either in prison or struggling to survive. Algerians don’t like Blacks; they pay you poorly for work, and the living conditions are harsh. I sleep on the streets and bathe wherever I can find water. There’s no freedom here.”
Nana Yaw’s motivation for traveling was his mother’s health.
“My mother was always sick, and she was the reason I wanted to travel—to provide for her. Sadly, she passed away after I arrived in Algeria. I didn’t even get the chance to help her.”
As the eldest of four siblings, Nana Yaw felt the pressure to support his family.
“I’ve always been blamed for many things as the firstborn. I wanted to make a better life for my family, but tailoring wasn’t doing well in Kumasi. My father was a mason, and he warned me to be careful if I decided to travel. He suggested I go with a group, which I did, but the journey was still incredibly difficult.”
The road to Algeria was fraught with challenges.
“We faced a lot of trouble in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In Niger, they told us Ghana removed them from ECOWAS, so we were harassed. We were four in the group, but one of us returned to Ghana. He said Muslims were spared, but some Nigerian Christians were killed like chickens in the desert.”
Upon reaching Algeria, Nana Yaw initially found a job, but the opportunities dried up after Ramadan. “There’s no stable work here, and I can’t speak French or Arabic, which makes things even harder. I linked up with some friends from Côte d’Ivoire, but even they struggle. I want to move to Morocco, but I’m broke. It costs about GHC 10,000 to migrate from Algeria to Morocco, and I can’t afford it.”
Reflecting on his journey, Nana Yaw advises others to think twice before taking the same path. “It’s better to save money and buy a ticket with a visa to Morocco instead of traveling by road. The risks are too high, and the suffering is unimaginable. I wouldn’t advise anyone to come to Algeria.”
Now stranded and grieving the loss of his mother, Nana Yaw remains determined to find a way forward. “Everyone wants a better life for their family. That’s why I took the risk. But if I could do it over, I’d choose a safer route.”
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