In the late 1500s, thousands of people set out to search for the city of El Dorado, a city then believed to be full of riches and fortune of ‘gold dust’. Expedition after expedition geared towards finding this ‘mythical’ city was mounted by a multitude of conquistadors and other seekers. A fortune of both gold and men was lost in the chase of a non-existent goal. For, the city was a mere legend based on repeated rumours and hearsay, as it was later disproved by Alexander Humboldt’s exploration of the New World.
Today, the history of El Dorado is repeating itself, albeit in a slightly different way. North of the Mediterranean, many young Nigerians believe there exists a present-day El Dorado: a continent full of opportunities for ‘making it’ in life; where the first part of ‘making it’ is making it into the fabled territory, and in this matter, reaching it justifies the means—whatever ‘means’ may mean. In their desperate search for ‘it’, these present-day conquistadors have chosen to mount their exhibition via irregular migration—which, in simple terms, is crossing state borders without complying with the ‘regular’ (legal) migration procedures.
It would not be difficult to show that, despite the deeply held (and almost religious) faith of the present-day seekers of riches and fortune in the auspiciousness of their expedition, they are holding on to a myth and the end does not justify the means. Yes, there are some who have managed to build a decent life after their expedition. One should, however, not confuse the two: making it (to Europe) with making it (in life). They are entirely different things. For, if the assumption that the cure to poverty is in Europe holds true, then every migrant, or at least the majority of migrants, should—and would—have made it. But that is far from what empirical evidence shows. Ultimately, the El Dorado the fortune hunters are seeking will be manifested as three very different experiences, depending on the class a migrant finds him- or herself in.
For the first class, there is nothing much to say. Their story ends shortly after departing Agadez; their dreams and expectations burning up on the scorching sands of the Sahara along with their bodies as they, reluctantly, give out to terminal dehydration. Some would survive this, only to end up dying at the other end of the paradox: drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, watching their dreams sink with their bodies as water forcefully gags them into the negligence of history.
The second class are those who fall prey to the traps of traffickers and smugglers. For them, there are two outcomes. On one hand, lies sheer slavery. Forced labour, exploitation (sexual and otherwise) and debt bondage are what characterize it. On the other hand, there is a thin possibility of their emancipation by the authorities of the countries in question. But what does this emancipation entail? Possible deportation. Which means a journey back home with nothing to show but the mental and physical scars from the exploitation of them.
The third class are the fortunate ones; those who make it to El Dorado, escaping both aforesaid unfortunate ends. And yet, even for this class, the reality disappoints their expectations and dreams. For, the options tend to be two: either be accepted or rejected for asylum. However, the probability of rejection is high, as Nigerians do not meet the two basic conditions for asylum: their country is not recognized as a country at war and they are not ‘systematically persecuted’ by authorities. In fact, even for those who were able to secure the almighty asylum, the prospects are not that much better. Most of them remain unemployed, struggling with merely securing food enough to eat for years—yes, years! —after their smuggler ship berthed in Europe. And of course, being called ‘filthy’ and other cases of racism, hate crimes, and violence is also a price one has to pay.
Now, let's assume—for the sake of discussion—that there is no hitch in the journey; that the road is clean of every risk, free from every trafficking vulture and smuggling viper; free from sexual exploitation. Let's assume that there is no risk of ending up in modern slavery markets in Libya. That the doors are opened to everyone. Can the reality, then, square with the migrants’ expectations? Hardly yes. Many times, the odds of ‘making it’ in the destination countries are no better than what is at home. In Greece, for example, one in every three people is poor (almost the same in Italy). The question is, how does the hungry satisfy another?
More so, crossing over to other ‘better off’ countries might seem like an option, but, in reality, it is anything but. According to the Dublin Regulation, the first country of a migrant’s destination is responsible for his or her asylum. Anywhere else, he or she is an illegal resident who cannot work or live there. Choosing this option therefore, in turn, means constantly evading authorities and surviving by engaging in odd jobs that one would not even think of engaging in at home.
Thus, there might exist an El Dorado in the dreams of the potential migrant. Unfortunately, that is where it ends: in a dream and as a dream. Just like the El Dorado of the 16th-century seekers. The idea that reaching the shores of Europe is the end of all problems is not only an unrealistic dream, but a dream shrouded in lethal risks. Over the years, many have lost their lives, their bodies (to sexual exploitation and gender-based violence), and their freedom of choice by subscribing to bogus narratives about a perfect continent that does not exist. The narratives might be repeated very often (like the El Dorado rumours) to entice one. But as Somerset Maughan observed, ‘if 50 million people say something foolish, it is still foolish.’ Ditto for dangerous. The repetition does not change the fact.
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See National Geographic, ‘El Dorado’, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/el-dorado?cmpid=int_org=ngp::int_mc=website::int_src=ngp::int_cmp=amp::int_add=amp_readtherest
See The Migrant Project, ‘Life in Europe as a Migrant’, https://www.themigrantproject.org/migration-info/life-in-europe-as-a-migrant/
See European Agency for Fundamental Human Rights https://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2019/migrants-continue-suffer-reception-centres-remain-overcrowded-and-violence-against
See the Borgen Project, ‘Economy and Poverty in Greece’, https://borgenproject.org/economy-and-poverty-in-greece/