This document is a transcript of a presentation given in Jaen, Spain by an immigrant from Gambia named Heriminia Nubiola on behalf of the organization Save The Gambian Orphans. In the presentation, Nubiola thanks the hosts for the invitation and asks for a minute of silence to honor African youths who have lost their lives trying to reach Europe. He discusses the hardships faced by immigrants and encourages helping the poor and needy. Nubiola promotes his book "El Viaje de Kalilu" which tells of his journey and aims to warn youths of the dangers of illegal immigration by sea or through the desert. He recounts witnessing many deaths along the route and hopes to
1. Presentación en Jaen
Good evening Ladies and gettle men
In the name of Save The Gambian Orphans,my secreatry Heriminia Nubiola and myself, I
would like to thank the Sr. Juan Espejo, Director del Diario de Jaen y la Obra Social de la
Caja de Ahorros de Jaén, and all those who are present here today including my African
friends and as well as those who want to come but due to some mis or fortunate reasons
that they are not able to.
It is a great honour for me to come and answer to your invitation in Jaen and for the
second time to be present in Andalucia after mt first lage when I was from the libration
camp in Lanzaroute in 2003.
Buenas tardes señoras y señores,
primero de todo quisiera agradecer al Sr. Juan Espejo, Director del Diario de Jaen y la
Obra Social de la Caja de Ahorros de Jaén, por el honor de invitarme a presentar mi libro
El Viaje de Kalilu aquí en Jaen.
Ladies and gettle, before I would go forword, I would like to ask your permition, for one
munite silience in memory of thausand of African yourths, who had lost their lives either in
the derset or in the sea, in an attempty to reach their dream destination in Europe.
Señoras y señores, antes de continuar, quisiera pedir su permiso para hacer un minuto de
silencio en memoria de los miles de jovenes africanos quehan perdido su vida en el
desierto o en elmar, en su intento de alcanzar su soñado destino en Europa.
Thank you for your cooperation, This is a clear evendence of humanity from which I learn
your stand towords this sad stuation in which, we the immigrants found ourself,
I will like to congradulate all those who are working and helping to overcome in human
suffering upen the poor and the helpless people, for their tremendous dedication to the
world peace effort,
this is a great honour and we will never forget to thank you and always we need your
2. support , may be one day we will be able to tacle the problem of this illigal immigration
both here and at home.
Gracias por su cooperación,Esto es una clara evidencia de humanidad, de la que yo
aprendo su posición con esta triste situación en la que nos encontramos los
immigrantes.Quiero felicitar a todos los que estan trabajando y ayudando para acabar con
el sufrimiento humano, a través de ayudar a los pobres y más necesitados , con su
tremenda dedicación y esfuerzo para un mundo en paz. Es un gran honor que nunca
olvidaremos de agradecer y siempre necesitamos de su soporte; quizás algun dia
seremos capazes de acabar con el problema de esta emigración ilegal aquí y en origen.
My mission to write a book about my journey is to sensitise the yourths, about the pitfalls
and risk of the suicidal route to Europe by land or on high sea.
Mi misión de escribir un libro sobre mi viaje , es para sensibilizar a los jóvenes, sobre los
peligros y riesgos de la ruta Suicida hacia Europa por tierra o en alta mar.
Today so many African have lost faith in their own country becouse of poverty,
mistreatement meted out by opponents and economic downturn plauing the countinent.
Many of them think that the only way that they can run away from the woes of the sociaty
is to move to europe.
Hoy muchos africanos han perdido la fé en sus propios países a causa de la pobreza,
métodos de maltrato a los opositores y caída de la economía que plagan el
continente.Muchos de ellos piensan que la única vía de escape de las aflicciones de la
sociedad es irse a Europa.
The tragic end of this dream at the sea shows clearly the folly of the yourths in thinking
that they can cross the rough sea by boat and enter in Europe illegally.
El trágico fin de este sueño en el mar indica claramente la locura de los jóvenes que
piensan que ellosd pueden atravessar la mar en bote y entrar a Europa ilegalmente.
So many have been lucky but what we have undergone in Europe is not Potable, so it is
3. time that we imform our brothers and sisters that things are far from the truth in Europe.
Y muchos han tenido suerte pero lo que sufren en Europa cuesta de soportar, así que es
el momento de informar a nuestros hermanas y hermanos que la realidad está muy
alejada de lo que pensamos de Europa.
At level of the world political sociaty, the failure of leadership must be blamed for dire
conditions and hopeleness, action and inaction of rulars have dished dreams. Generation
of high telented onece have been wasted. There have been brain drain among the
interllectuals, while the brightest once are force in to exile becouse of political excessive or
extremism.
A nivel de la sociedad política mundial, debe ser inculpado el liderazgo incompetente, las
deplorables condiciones y la sedeperanza. La acción e inacción de los dirigentes ha
mutilado los sueños. Generaciones de grandes talentos han sido desperdiciadas. Ha
habido fuga de cerebros e intelectuales, mientras que los más brillantes han sido forzados
al exílio por los excesos políticos o por los extremismos.
For this reason, it may not be enough to blame the immigrants and call them as desperate,
lazy or bunch of fools, seen in this light , illegal immigration is a criticism of this sad
situation in which the immigrants in the worldwide find them self today.
Por esta razón no se puede inculpar solamente a los emigrantes llamandolos
desesperados, vagos o pandilla de locos. Viéndolo bajo este prisma, la immigración ilegal,
es una crítica de esta mala situación en la que se encuentra hoy los immigrantes en el
mundo .
There is poverty, poor remuneration, instability, dissappearance of innocent citizens and
other factore that promote hopeleness.
Hay pobreza, baja remuneración, inestabilidad, desaparición de ciudadanos y otros
factores que alimentan la desesperanza.
I am therefore sending my massage more expecially to African yourths, that it is better to
4. be patient and hard working then seek a short, but dangerous path of succes. We can help
a task of building a suitable nation of vibrant yourhts and productive sociaty.
Por tanto estoy mandando un mensaje a todos los jóvenes africanos de que es mejor ser
pacientes y trabajar duro, que buscar uncorto pero peligroso camino al éxito. Podemos
llevar a cabo la tarea de construir una nación estable, de juventud vibrante y de sociedad
productiva.
“El Viaje de Kalilu” contain a massege that I hope will prove the big lair, that some people
use, and have been doing it for years, being parasites of the human traffic, toword Europe,
and their lack of empatty with the suffering and death that they look open as a simply
merchandise,
“El Viaje de Kalilu” contiene un mensaje que yo espero que pruebe la gran mentira , que
alguna gente usa, y llevan haciendo desde hace muchos años, convertidos en parásitos
del tráfico humano hacia Europa, y su falta total de empatía con el sufrimiento y la muerte
de quién ellos consideran como simple mercaderia.
It will also inform the yourth about the voilence, the murder, the extortion, the rape and the
stilling that are happing on a frequence basis in this kind of illegal immigration, fed by
economicy of rubbery that has grown around the human traffic, plus some times also the
genocide perpetrated in some depotation action.
También informa sobre la violencia, los asesinatos, la extorsión, las violaciones y lois
robatorios que ocurren frercuentemente en este tipo de viaje ilegal, alimentado por una
economía de rapiña que ha crecido alrededor del trafico humano, incluso también en el
genocidio perpetrado en algunos casos de deportación.
According some sources, 4000 African yourths have lost their lives in the high sea, during
this pass years, while some 17000 were arrested while trying to enter Spain.
Según alguna fuentes, 4.000 jovenes africanos perdieron su vida en alta mar, durante los
últimos años, y sobre unos 17.000 fueron arrestados intentando entrar en España.
It will be difficult to comfirm how many people have died between Libya and Italy ,or in the
5. desert before reaching Algria or while on deportaion to Mali across the Sahara desert.
Es difícil de confirmar cuanta gente ha muerto en el desierto , entre Libia e Italia, en el
desierto antes de llegar a Argelia, o en las deportaciones a Mali cruzando el desierto del
Sahara.
This is a disgress to human race and total distruction to humanright in regard to the
universal declaration on Genneva convention.
Esto es una desgracia para la raza humana y una total destrucción de los derechos
humanos contemplados en la Declaración Universal de los DDHH de la convención de
Ginebra.
The universal declaration of humaright, declear the right to free movement of all human
being and residence within the boader state, as well as the right to leave in any country or
to return to his or her own state.
La Decración Universal de los DDHH, declara el derecho de todo ser humano de libre
movimiento y residencia sin fronteras de estado, por el bién de vivir en un país oi volver a
la propia nación.
Today this rights are only seem to be base on, who are rich , difference of continents,
colour and position. There are many important reason for emmigration , some leave
becouse of war and political crimes, somes for economic reason, and many others for
education.
Hoy los derechos solo se aplican en base a ,para los ricos, según el continente de origen,
color de la piel y posición. Hay muchas importantes razones para emigrar, algunos lo
hacen por la guerra, los crímens políticos , o por razones económicas o para la continuar
educación.
So if Europe can come to Africa to invest or even explored our resource, or learn from our
resources, and build Europe better continent,
6. Por lo tanto, si Europa puede ir a Africa a investigar o incluso explotar nuestros recursos,
o a aprender de nuestros recursos , y construir un mejor continente.
Then thesame chance and opportunities have to be giving to the people of Africa without
regard to colour or poverty, even though we cannot afford the cost of movement , but
special opportunities should be giving to us in order that, we can have thesame equally
opportunity, to solve our problems depending on our needs from one country to another.
Por lo tanto, la misma suerte de oportunidades se tendrian que dar a los africanos, sin
mirar el color de la piel o la pobreza, aunque no podamos afrontar el coste del
movimiento, pero si nos dieran especiales oportunidades en este sentido, podriamos
tener las mismas oportunidades equitativamente, para solucionar nuestro problema de
dependencia que nuestro país tiene con los otros paises.
I have started my journey from my home land Gambia, I pass through Senegal ,
Mali, Burkina Faso and then arrived in Niger.
Yo empecé mi viaje en mi tierra Gambia, pase a través de Senegal , Mali, Burkina Faso y
Niger.
I can see that so many Africans end up dead in the desert or in the sea like flies, and we
all have the same reason to travel with different intention like any one ,s.
Pude ver como muchos africanos acaban muertos en el desierto o en el mar como
insectos, y todos con la misma razón de viajar, cada uno con su intención.
In all this countries I had passed, there were thausand of African yourths both men and
women with necessary intention to get to Europe, becouse we need something that we do
not have in our countries even though there can be aviable chances, if there was a proper
implementation plan for the world order toword poverty aliviation system.
En todos estos países que cruzé, habia miles de jóvenes africanos hombres y mujeres
con su intención necesaria de alcanzar Europa, porque necessitamos cosas que no
tenemos en nuestros país, aunque somos capaces , si queremos realizar el debido plan
7. mundial para aliviar la pobreza .
About 95 % of African yourths more or less, who started this journey like I, don't
reach their goal and end up with death or succumbing in a trap of illution, In this case of
circumstance they finally decided to aboundant their family and stay where ever they can,
and do what ever they can to afford their living or in what ever way they can get it, then in
some case, some depend on thiefs, human traffiching, drug dealing, prostitution, pass port
dealing fraud, and some times some with or without their option, were force to be part of
rebel fighters in the countries they might find themself.
Sobre el 95% de los jovenes africanos más o menos, que empiezan este viaje como yo,
no alcanzan su objetivo y acaban muertos a atrapados en una trampa de ilusiones . En
estos casos finalmente deciden abandonar sus familías y permanecer donde puedan y
hacer los poco que pueden hacer para sobrevivir de qualquier manera, y en algunos
casos, algunos acaban dependiendo de robatorios, trafico humano, venta de drogas,
prostitución, fraude, y en algunas ocasiones, se ven forzadods a formar parte de grupos
rebeldes en los paises de la travesía.
After Niger then I wen to Libiya across the sahara desert ,where I learn that the
desert kill more people then the sea, becouse for example in our group along, almost few
of us were able to make it up, some people died in front of our own eyes and the vast
majority were left in behind between death and alive.
Después de niger cuando fuí a Libia atravesando el desierto del Sahara, ustedes
aprenderan que el desierto mata más gente que el mar, porque por ejemplo, solo en mi
grupo, solo unos pocos lo conseguimos, algunos murieron delante de nuestros ojos, y la
inmensa mayoria los dejabamos atrás entre la vida y la muerte.
8. I have seen many senitries and lost so many comrades between Tinzaauaten and
Sibres in Mali this is a dumping zone for illegal immigrants deported from Algria.
The people without no money to paid the Tuarg trafficant to get them out of this
place, finally en up death, by hunger and thirst,
By the luck, by time I arrived at this place, I still had some money with me and I was
able to paid my fare until I finally arrived in Bamako from a depotation in
Algria, where l had spend three months in prison with many comorade, while
we trying to cross from Algies to Machnia, Algrian boader town close to
Morrocco.
I was hoping that Machania would be the end of my suffering, but my expectation
was dissapointed and I found myself in a trap. The residence of these
illegal immigrants is on the outskirt of the town, in a big quarres, their
sleeping quaters were made off plastic bags and old cardboard.
There were five quarres in diffrent locations, and anyone of this were occupaid by
the yourths from west African states, which include Nigeria ,Gambia,
Senegal, Mali and Gahana, it will make you interesting to know that this
people had organised themself in five west african state.
And each of this quarres represent each of this state, each has it,s own
government lead by chairman elected by the people, and this government
run the day to day activities in these quarres. You will learn also that these
people had form an organasition, call ECOWAS, economic community of
west African stated,
9. This Ecowas was form by the agreement of this five government in order to settle
disput between them. In your reading you find a very interesting political
movement in this sociaty.
This government were also responsible for traffiching the immigrant to and from
between Rabat and Machnia, in our own term this movement is call
COMBAT. Becouse it,s like if you are going for a war death or alive.
I have two combat between Rabat and Machania, The cocseur men who are the
big boss in this indursty , mostly live in Rabat and are the one who
organised the transport between Rabat to the sea and from the sea to
Canary island or Lanzarote or vice,visa (etc..).
After all this difficulties I had face, I had finally arrived at the sea side in Lion, I have
nearly three months waiting to cross the sea, unsure of the feature lying
ahaead of me, either death or alive.
During this waiting period and crossing the sea , you will learn a new intresting
side of the story, about what happen, where and how.
Ladies and gettle men I finally arrived in Lanzarote with the guardian of my God,
Almight Allah, on 14 of december 2003 .
I most forgive but not to forget about the suffering that has been inflict on me and
many thausands of my comorades by some people 's action.
I thank those who have giving me and many thausands of my comorades at my
present or before, their kind guesture during this hard struggle.
Thesame time thank the Spanish guardia civil and amblance teams for giving me
and all those who have pass through thesame journey, their kind
guesture and good service to save our live.
I am sending my condolence of sadness to the family of all those who have lost
their lives in the hope of comming to Europe, I pray that God rest their
soul in peace,AMEN.
10. In conclution, I am saying that, the reason behind all this matter, that resulted to the
thousand of lost of lives, is that Africa most help herself, but we also need
the help from the riches and the reach countries.
For that reason it dos'nt only suit me, to write this book to help my brothers and
sisters for life saving information, but I decided to form an association, call
Save the Gambian Orphans.
The main goal of this association is to educate the poor and fatherless children and
to develop agriculture, which is the back bone of the Gambian economiy.
I hope this will be a very good solution to our problem and if we have support, there
is more hope to be succused, to our endeaf. Well come, and if you have
any simpatty to our courses, you can find our contact by our webside on
the first page of this book. Thank you very much for your coperation.