Meet Ability
Ability on Lampedusa island, three days after his rescue on the Mediterranean Sea. Lampedusa, Italy; 10 May 2017. ©Pamela Kerpius/Migrants of the Mediterranean
by
Pamela Kerpius
Recorded:
10 May 2017
Published:
May 2017
Meet Ability.
17 years old and from Benin City, Nigeria.
To reach Lampedusa he crossed three countries: Nigeria, Niger, and the most dangerous of all, Libya.
His journey took about two months.
When he reached Agadez, Niger after four days he then crossed the Sahara desert. He was transferred among various cars across a three-day period into Libya. He had water to drink, but it was not enough. I asked him what he did when the water was out, and he said you just be patient.
He reached Libya and stayed in a trafficking house. He was hidden there among other migrants, none of whom had food, unless they arrived with extra money to purchase it from smugglers. Ability stayed at the house for one week.
He was transferred directly to the coastal camp of Sabratha, which he says was not safe. There was little food and only occasionally bottled water to drink. Tap water was available, but it was salty and unclean.
Ability crossed the Mediterranean Sea in a rubber dinghy at 11:00pm with 100 people, and arrived in Lampedusa on 7 May 2017.
Ability is an amazing human being.