VOICES From Migrations | Bright Opoku's story

“VOICES From Migrations” is a project co-funded by the European Union exploring untold migration stories. Bright had to flee Ghana in 2021 and travelled across countries before finding a home in Italy. This is his history

Bright Opoku

“I’m Bright Opoku, and I come from Ghana. In 2021, I had to leave everything behind. 

Back in Ghana, I was a youth organizer for a local church. During Easter that year, I got caught in a violent clash that forced me to leave town, then the country. I hadn’t known, at the time, that the gathering I was leading would clash with another congregation - we weren’t warned. And so, as the leader of the convocation, I became targeted by the police.

It all happened very quickly, and I couldn’t bring anything with me to Burkina Faso, where I had decided to retreat until things calmed down. But my hopes were dashed, and I eventually learned that I wouldn’t be able to return to my country. Not anytime soon.

I used to work as a car washer, so I had friends who were truck drivers, who crossed from Ghana to Niger often. It is through them that I started my journey, all the way from Burkina to Libya. 

It was rough. Most of the land is a desert. I had almost no water. Almost no food.

In Libya, I met a cruel reality. I had hoped that I would be able to get a job there, but while I found work, I didn’t get paid. It was lawless, a struggle to survive. 

But I made friends, and we decided to cross the sea, risking our lives for a better future. 

Soon, I arrived in Sicily, where we received some aid. I got sent to Caltanissetta not long after, where I was granted a 6-month work permit. There, I met other Ghanaian people, who advised me to go to Rosarno for work. And so I came here. 

Since I arrived, I have been working; first cleaning the nearby beaches, then in the fields. The people who introduced me to the work also introduced me to a local lawyer. I have been trying to get my papers in order, something more permanent.

My journey was dangerous. At times, I thought I wouldn’t make it. But I had no other choice.”

Interview by: Yuliia Smykovska, Lorenzo Santos Palmer, Mauro Predoti, and Lorenzo Tramontana

Bright Opoku being interviewed by students from VOICES From Migrations

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.