1 Dear Ibrahim – Rramon Isaku
Author: Rramon Isaku, Pima Community College
September 3, 2011
Dear Ibrahim,
Months have passed since our last correspondence. Since then, the situation of refugees has not improved. Thousands try their luck every day to reach Europe. Myself included. Now I am with my family and many other strangers near Misrata on the Libyan coast. For hours we have been waiting to continue our journey towards Italy. Our smuggler assured us we would arrive there with no problems. I hope we can put all our trust in him. As I have heard from many others, some have already had to be rescued by the coast guard in the middle of the sea or even died on the crossing. Unfortunately, this is not surprising as we are traveling in fully loaded, often defective inflatable dinghies and thus exposed to the open sea. I am also skeptical about this way of “traveling “; however, I have no other choice. We have already had to pay a fortune for the dinghy and transportation costs, even though we earn very little. Besides, it is the easiest and shortest route for us. I don’t want to go back to Libya. I am appalled by the current situation in the country. Of course, the situation there has not been tense since yesterday, but the circumstances have only worsened since you left us. The civil war became too dangerous for us, I had to decide. That’s why we want to start a new life in Italy. Since you have been living there for years and have the Italian citizenship, I thought you could help us get a visa so we would be safe for the beginning. I will inform you as soon as possible after we arrive in Italy. Slowly, it’s time for us to take our seats in the dinghy. I hope to see you again soon.
Best regards,
Ahmeed
September 5, 2011
Dear Ibrahim,
I don’t know how to put this news into words. On the crossing to Italy, my youngest son, Hamza, died. The pain runs deep; especially since it was my fault that we entered the dinghy. My last letter ended with the prospect of getting in the dinghy soon. What happened after that was terrible. It was a stormy night, much too dangerous to go out to sea. But the smuggler assured us that everything was safe. What a lie. When we were just off the Italian coast, a violent storm caught up with us. Enormous masses of water tossed our boats back and forth. We could do nothing but pray. We were exposed to nature. The forces of the sea were so strong. When the water masses threw us out of the dinghy, I didn’t think we would survive. With no protective vest, we had to resist the freezing water. My gaze immediately turned to my family. I saw my wife and Abdullah, but I didn’t see Hamza anywhere. I shouted, but no sign of him. He could not swim because he was still very young. He drowned. I was shocked. As if struck by lightning, I could not move. Shortly after, the Italian coast guard discovered us and helped us out of our distress at sea. They brought us to Avola in Sicily for the time being. Now, we are in a refugee camp here and can’t do anything. I hope you will visit us soon since we are in terrible shape. Your help is crucial to me. You are my best friend and, besides, I am just a refugee among thousands of others, who is not important to Europe or humanity…
Best regards,
Ahmeed
September 9, 2011
Dear Ibrahim,
I don’t know if my letters have reached you yet, but I have not heard from you. If you are reading this letter, I have already left the refugee camp. The reason is that Abdullah got sick. We don’t know yet what it is, but the doctors think it is tuberculosis. His condition is constantly deteriorating. For the time being, they gave him medical care in the refugee camp. However, because of the high number of sick refugees, the doctors have also lost track of the situation. Since I can’t lose another child, I looked for ways to heal him. Another refugee from the camp told me that there is plenty of illegal work heading west in Catania. He assured me that a worker who works in agriculture could earn around three euros an hour. I can use this earned money to buy medicine for Abdullah. Of course, it is extremely dangerous, but I must take care of the welfare of my family. To break out of the refugee camp, I had to escape at night. From the refugee camp, I continued my journey by hitchhiking in a truck trailer to Catania. I will not be away for long, but during my absence, I beg you to visit my family, which I had to leave behind.
Best regards,
Ahmeed
September 17, 2011
Dear Ibrahim,
I have been separated from my family for more than a week now. I miss them every second. I hope Abdullah is doing better. The constant unawareness about the current situation of my family makes me sick. I’m not sure why I don’t receive any letters from you, but I hope that this will be the case soon. I can’t tell you much about my situation. We must harvest many vegetables and fruits all day long. It is physically demanding work. With no breaks, the farmer forces us to plow continuously. I am not used to this. In Libya, I worked as a simple factory worker and rested all the time. I need my breaks because I am not the youngest anymore either. However, the worst part of this daily routine is my sleeping place. We must sleep in a cramped space in the worst conditions in a barn. It stinks horribly. We lie on straw beds and share the stable with the farmer’s animals. Of course, I can’t expect anything better. We are refugees and accordingly deserve nothing better… Despite this currently difficult situation, things can only get better. I hope. I was a terrible father and led us into this situation. Because of me, we fled to Italy. I can’t say that we are better off; however, we are certainly no worse off than in Libya. I couldn’t expect it to be like this. I must hang on. For my family. For Abdullah. Although I earn very little, I will save as much as I can. Maybe a new opportunity will allow me to earn more money. I will be praying.
We will see each other soon!
Best regards,
Ahmeed
October 11, 2011
Dear Ibrahim,
As I write this letter, I am no longer in Italy. A lot has happened in the last few weeks; I will keep it short. To explain why I am now in this situation, I must tell you what happened a few weeks ago. I was broken. I couldn’t do it anymore. Work made me extremely tired. Even though I was earning very little, I had to work all the time. I was looking for an opportunity to do another job where I would earn more. Shortly after, a co-worker told me that there was a job where you could earn money easily. About 15 euros an hour. Of course, I had my concerns; however, the offer was too lucrative. My friend contacted the employer and recommended me. With no problems, I could start immediately. The work comprised transporting certain goods with a box truck to the home country and abroad. I was curious to see what goods it would be. The employer assured me it would be meat. A simple job, considering what the hourly wage is. However, I was too naive to understand that it was completely different goods. After a few weeks, I got into a traffic stop. The Police officers stopped me and questioned what I had in my trunk. I answered back with meat, with them looking skeptically at me. They demanded that I open the trunk and show them the goods. Since the boxes were well packed and insulated with foil, the police officers had to use a crowbar to open the boxes. While I waited next to the car, the police officers checked the goods. Shortly after, I was arrested. The goods were human organs. The police officers accused me of organ trafficking. I tried to explain to them I knew nothing about it, but they didn’t want to listen. They sent me back to Libya because I am a refugee, and I don’t have a visa or residence permit in Italy. Currently, I am in prison in Benghazi. I don’t know how to feel now. As I write this letter, tears are flowing. I have done everything wrong I could do wrong. I lost my child, my other child got sick, and I am in one of the worst prisons in Libya. I have also lost contact with my family. I don’t know what to do. I am desperate. I don’t know if this will be my last letter. I don’t know what will happen to me in prison. I only ask you to take care of my family and tell them about my current situation. Tell them I love them. I wish you all the best for the future.
Best regards,
Ahmeed