VOICES From Migrations | Wajab Tahiru's story
- Changemakers
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
“VOICES From Migrations” is a project co-funded by the European Union exploring untold migration stories. Wajab Tahiru is 24 years old, from Ghana, and he arrived in Italy in 2022. This is his history:
“I was born in Ghana in 2001. I became an orphan when I was six years old. One day, I heard gunshots, and came inside the house to find my parents had been killed. Just like that, my entire life changed.
I was taken in by a man from the community, who acted like a stepfather. Over time, however, he got into trouble due to chieftaincy disputes involving him. The whole community then turned against us, especially against me. I was blamed for his problems and frequently beaten.
One day, one attack was so brutal that it landed me in the hospital. That’s when I decided I had to leave. I didn’t dare risk going back and packing; I already had a small bag with me, so I just left with what little I had. This was in 2019. I was 18 years old. I walked from Ghana to Burkina Faso, eventually making it to Nigeria in different ways. From Nigeria, a friend helped me reach Libya. It took me 3 weeks to get there.
Life in Libya was hard, and I realized I couldn’t stay there. In August 2022, I left and arrived in Italy. Our boat was rescued by a ship from the UN, which made the journey easier. We got treated well on the ship. It gave me hope for the first time in a long while. We slept in tents by the seaside on the first day of arrival. The day after, we got picked up and taken to camps in Sicily.
Since then, I have been working in farming and agriculture. But without papers, I get no access to a contract, and I get left with nothing if the person who hired me decides not to pay, at the end, which has happened before. I tried applying for asylum to get access to documentation, but I was told that Ghana is a peaceful country, and I was denied assistance. Now I am waiting for my second hearing.
I’m proud I have survived, and that I made it here. But without documents, I am stuck. I want to work, live with dignity, and follow the rules of this country. All I ask for is a chance.”
Interview by: Melanie Azetmüller, Mina Speh, and Ahmed Tariq
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.
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