From Guinea to France
I left Senegal in 2013. I had an illness on my left foot and couldn’t find the proper treatment in Guinea, where I lived. At some point, you cannot live in a country where there are no good health facilities, where there are no doctors, even if you have money to finance your needs.
To get to France, I initially left Guinea for Guinea Bissau, a neighbouring country, to see if I could get a visa to Portugal. But that was too complicated and didn’t work out. Then, a family member who lived in Senegal invited me to Senegal to try for a visa to Spain or Italy. However, the agent in Senegal had a problem with the Senegalese authorities, and that couldn’t happen either. So I flew straight to Libya as I was becoming too ill. I stayed in Tripoli for two days and then went straight to Italy. In Italy, I got some treatment for my illness, but I had to leave the hospital at some point as they could not continue to provide care for me. It was then that I came to France by train.
Why France?
When you are in Africa, you don’t know what happens in Europe, and even if someone explains to you, you don’t believe them until you get here. Since my childhood, it has been a dream of mine to go to Germany, mainly because of football. And when I got here, those childhood dreams resurfaced. But then, when I got here, I found associations that help people—and there I met people who had lived in Germany. They explained the situation there, and from our conversations, I realised it was not easy to live there, so I decided to remain in France. I went to a hospital and stayed in the hospital for three months.
Settling in France
The biggest challenge to settling in France was housing. Finding accommodation in Grenoble is not easy. But generally, the experience has been good. I am doing quite well, I have my documents, and I am working, so I have access to food and basic amenities.
In terms of money and quality of life, it’s better here in France than in Africa. When you are sick, you can go to and get treatment, you can get medicine. But for a sense of community and empathy, I can say Africa is better. When I came to France, I had to spend the night at the station with my friends. It was cold because it was winter. There’d be lots of snow, no place to eat, to dress, to wash, to wash clothes. If you don’t have your documents, there is no consideration. But when you do, and you work and earn well, it is better than living in Africa.
Tackling migration & family
People migrate for different reasons. There are people who migrate because of poverty. There are others who leave because of studies. There are those who leave because of abuse. There are those who leave to look for a better life—studies, work. But for the migrant crisis to be tackled, African states have to deal with it. If there is a lot of poverty, we are going to have migrants everywhere.
I am lucky to have come from a family that is somewhat self-sufficient, so my leaving has not really impacted them negatively. In fact, it was them who decided that I leave to seek better treatment for my foot. And when I left, my older brother took up my job. But since I came to France, I have not returned to Guniea because of my status. However, I speak to my family on the phone.
When I get my citizenship, I will go back but not permanently. Ideally, I would love to go back to live with my family permanently as long as there is peace. But my foot doesn’t allow me move very far. I need to have it checked regularly, but I can go for a year or two.