Meet Hassen
Hassen (Tunisia) in Lampedusa, Italy. 12 October 2017. ©Pamela Kerpius/Migrants of the Mediterranean
by:
Pamela Kerpius
Recorded:
13 October 2017
Published:
October 2017
Revised:
1/10/25
Meet Hassen.
39 years old and from Mahdia, Tunisia.
To reach Lampedusa he crossed the Mediterranean Sea.
His journey took 30 hours across the channel from the seaside town of Mahdia, located about 220 kilometers south of the Tunisian capital, Tunis, to Lampedusa.
Unlike others departing Libya from Sub-Saharan Africa who survive at the whim of traffickers, Hassen and his friend Faoizi arrived by their own means. With a converted fishing boat, he chartered his trip across sea, bringing food and water to make sure he would survive. He said he was not scared on the open sea, and landed in Lampedusa on 12 October 2017.
He plans to go to France where he has family.
Hassen is an amazing human being.