The Southern Border

Spain, Ceuta, April 2, 2012. In the picture, the fence that separates Spain and Morocco on the western border situated in Benzú. The place is highly guarded by Spanish Guardia Civil and enforced by cutting edge technology of spotlights, noise and movement sensors, and video cameras, all connected to a central control booth. The migrants must swim from the Moroccan coast to the Spanish one trying not to drown and trying to escape from persecutions of Armed Forces on both sides. According to many stories related by migrants who succeed to reach Ceuta, when they finally cross to the Spanish side, they stay in the sea and don't get out of the water until either the Red Cross or the Press shows up. If not they know the Spanish Guardia Civil will just kick them out the little door in the fence, back to Morocco.
Spain, Ceuta, March 3, 2012. Zacharia, 28, from Guinea watches a football match between two teams of sub Saharan migrants, in Barrio Sardinero.
Spain, Ceuta, March 30, 2012. A group of migrants, mostly sub Saharan, walk through a vacant lot in Barrio Sardinero.
Spain, Ceuta, March 30, 2012. A group of migrants mostly sub Saharan, rest after a football match. It was the semi final for the “Friendship Cup”, a tournament organized by the local NGO, Elìn.
Spain, Ceuta, April 7, 2012. A group of migrants from the Ivory Coast pray during an Easter Celebration inside the headquarters of the local NGO Elìn.
Spain, Ceuta, March 31, 2012. Wilson, from Cameroon, performs a traditional African dance at the C.E.T.I. headquarters. (Temporary Holding Centers for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym)
Spain, Ceuta, April 6, 2012. Armel from Cameroon, walks through a large vacant lot during an Easter procession.
Spain, Ceuta, April 4, 2012. Mohamed Fulmate, 19, from Chad, is standing in a side street close to a supermarket during his “day job” of parking cars. This is the most common job migrants can hope for in Ceuta. There are several spots in the city, some better than others. Migrants who work have a rigorous “first-come, first-served” list for the best parking areas in the city. At the better loactions a guy could earn as much as 10€ per day, once or twice per week. That day Mohamed earned less than 2€. Because of the rain, he said.
Spain, Ceuta, April 6, 2012. Zacharia, 28, from Guinea, runs through a vacant lot in Barrio Sardinero.
Spain, Ceuta, April 10, 2012. Migrants staying at C.E.T.I. (Temporary Holding Centers for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym) are heading to the canteen for dinner. Meals mark the day. Breakfast at 8am, lunch at 1pm lunch and dinner at 9pm. It’s the same everyday.
Spain, Ceuta, April 10, 2012. Two guests of C.E.T.I. (Temporary Holding Centers for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym) kill time next to the fence.
Spain, Ceuta, April 2, 2012. Zacharia’s note-book. 28 years old from Guinea, Zacharia is illiterate and is now learning to write and read in Spanish.
Spain, Ceuta, April 10, 2012. Waiting on line inside the canteen at meal-time.
Spain, Ceuta, April 10, 2012. Group prayer in the courtyard of C.E.T.I. (Temporary Holding Centers for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym) Many of the guests are Muslim.
Spain, Ceuta, April 10, 2012. A guest of C.E.T.I (Temporary Holding Centers for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym) rests on a bench inside the main courtyard.
Spain, Melilla November 9, 2012. Guardia Civil Major Captain Pedro Guerra patrols the sea side by one of the many watchtowers built along the Spanish - Moroccan border.
Morocco, Nador, November 11, 2012. In the forests and mountains that surround Nador, groups of migrants survive and wait for the right moment to cross illegally the border that separates Morocco and the city of Melilla in Spain. The Moroccan Police and Army constantly harass the migrants and during the night raid the camp in order to deport people to Algeria. In this picture, migrants from Senegal and Guinea Conakri walk through the woods near the Spanish-Moroccan border.
Spain, Melilla November 9, 2012. A Guardia Civil vehicle patrols the border between Spain and Morocco.
Morocco, Nador, November 11, 2012. In the forests and mountains that surround Nador, groups of migrants survive and wait for the right moment to cross illegally the border that separates Morocco and the city of Melilla in Spain. The Moroccan Police and Army constantly harass the migrants and during the night raid the camp in order to deport people to Algeria. In the picture, a migrant from Mali lay down under a cave used as a shelter.
Morocco, Nador, November 11, 2012. In the forests and mountains that surround Nador, groups of migrants survive and wait for the right moment to cross illegally the border that separates Morocco and the city of Melilla in Spain. The Moroccan Police and Army constantly harass the migrants and during the night raid the camp in order to deport people to Algeria. In this picture, a migrant from Mali drinks tea made with tree leaves.
Morocco, Nador , April 26, 2013. A migrant from Guinea prays near a makeshift campsite in Gurugu mountain.
Morocco, Nador , April 26, 2013. A migrant from Guinea lies wounded in a makeshift campsite in Gurugu Mountain. Many immigrants tell that they are continuously hurt and beaten by Moroccan Police.
Morocco, Nador , April 26, 2013. Pots and dishes are seen on the floor inside the makeshift campsite built in the Gurugu Mountain by West African migrants.
Morocco, Nador, November 11, 2012. In the forests and mountains that surround Nador, groups of migrants survive and wait for the right moment to cross illegally the border that separates Morocco and the city of Melilla in Spain. The Moroccan Police and Army constantly harass the migrants and during the night raid the camp in order to deport people to Algeria. In this picture, migrants from Senegal and Guinea Conakri gather in their provisional campsite in the Gurugu mountain.
Spain, Melilla, April 29, 2013. Graffiti is seen on the exterior wall of C.E.T.I. (Temporary Centre for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym)
Spain, Melilla, April 29, 2013. Young migrants from an unknown region of West Africa, gather under a bridge next to C.E.T.I. (Temporary Holding Centers for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym)
Melilla, Spain, November 11, 2012.View of the border fence that separates Morocco from Spain.

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During the last two years, I’ve devoted my photography to the theme of migration on the southernmost border of Europe.  I have started to trace the path that many migrants have covered to reach the two Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, two cities located on the coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Because of their unique geographical location, both of them have become, over the years, major staging posts for thousands of Africans migrants that try to reach European soil. "I was so scared. I had many difficulties in the water.  I reached a level where I was not able to move. I prayed to God: I said, God! Please help me, I'm dying!" Cheng Celestene, 19 years old, from Cameroon.   Survivors.  Heroes from a contemporary Odyssey that won't end up in any books, if no one dares to tell it; Histories of overcoming, braveness, and fearlessness; The courage to leave everything, look behind you and see nothing.
As a photographer and storyteller, I feel a special attraction for the stories where human beings fight in extreme situations, to try and change their destiny.  We are often fascinated by heroes and adventures we see in the movies and we don’t realize that these same heroes are much closer to us than we might think. In Ceuta, I met Sani, a 20 year old from Chad.  He had to escape when the rebel militia invaded his village, and since then he has been traveling.  He spent some months in Niger, others in Cameroon and then the big desert.  Now he is stuck in the limbo of Ceuta, he can’t go back nor can he reach Europe.
I’ve then traveled around the border of Melilla.  In the forests and the mountains that surround Nador, the first Moroccan city after the six meters of fence that divides the two countries, groups of Sub-Saharan migrants survive and wait for the right moment to cross illegally this last barrier.  The Moroccan Police and the Army constantly harass them and often during the night they raid the migrant’s camp in order to deport them to Algeria.  I’ve never seen people so scared and at the same time so determined to change their lives.
I also photographed the Institutions that play a fundamental role in the so-called safeguard of the integrity of the European perimeter. I’ve patrolled the border fence with Spanish Guardia Civil in Melilla and I’ve spent 2 days inside the C.E.T.I. (Temporary Holding Centers for Immigrants in its Spanish acronym) a very contentious place that has seldom been photographed.

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