Meet Salim
© Pamela Kerpius/Migrants of the Mediterranean
by
Pamela Kerpius
Recorded:
30 October 2017
Published:
November 2017
Meet Salim.
25 years old and from Tunisia.
He is not pictured and his name has been changed to protect his identity.
To reach Lampedusa he crossed part of Tunisia, living in an abandoned building for about one week. He then crossed the Mediterranean Sea in an overpacked, un-seaworthy wooden boat. He was out to sea for 25.5 hours before he was rescued by the Guardia Costiera and brought to Lampedusa in October 2017.
“People who believe,
people who do not believe, they
were all praying to God.”
The rest of the details of his journey, including the city where he is from in Tunisia, the exact date of his arrival in Lampedusa, as well as further information about other passengers on his boat cannot be disclosed to protect his identity.
He was scared when he was on the sea. He said, “People who believe, people who do not believe, they were all praying to God.”
He is afraid to return to Tunisia and said, “I cannot go back unless another government takes over.”
Salim is an amazing human being.