This series of photographs is about African immigrants crossing lethal waters to seek shelter or simply a better life in Italy. Conflicts, persecution and hunger are a few reasons people leave their homes looking for a new place to live. Alarmed by a large number of immigrants trying to enter Europe, more barriers are being built by European authorities to shield the borders, forcing people to use more dangerous routes to reach the continent.
Lampedusa, Italy forms part of a much-used route for illegal immigration from Africa into Europe. Smugglers charge high sums of money to arrange the crossing and immigrants are often crowded onto barely seaworthy craft. Local authorities in Italy are struggling to cope with the influx. Detention centers built to house would-be immigrants are filled beyond capacity, forcing immigrants to sleep outdoors.
This journey for many of them started months earlier on the other side of the Sahara and has cost their entire life savings. Once in Italy, all there is to do is wait to receive word of whether they will be accepted as asylum seekers or simply sent back home. However, even when they are accepted in Italy as refugees, it does not mean they have found a home.