Misper Apawu

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In Guinea’s capital, a heartbroken family brings their son’s body home

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“If I die, I’d like my body to be sent back to Africa. My mother will be happy,” A note written by Ousmane Sylla on a wall of the detention centre in Italy where he died.

On April 8, his final wish was accomplished. Sylla’s body was flown from Rome to Conakry in a metal coffin.

Ousmane Sylla, a 21-year-old Guinean, landed on Italian shores a year before his death on February 4, 2024, one of tens of thousands of people who pay migrant smugglers hundreds or thousands of euros to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. He had no visa and had been ordered to leave after admitting that he had lied about being a minor.

In Italy, he found despair. He spent months in a crowded, squalid migrant detention centre, unable to contact his family. He died by suicide in February after other detainees said he became depressed and withdrawn.

Full story below
https://apnews.com/article/migration-italy-guinea-detention-photos-5ee4102763166513718cc9452a3c1bf0

https://apnews.com/article/migration-italy-guinea-detention-ponte-galeria-fb0892f51b4df5dd9164cea763fc74e2

In Guinea’s capital, a heartbroken family brings their son’s body home

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In Guinea’s capital, a heartbroken family brings their son’s body home

Updated Jun 2024

Location Conakry, Guinea

Topics Community, Death, Detention, Dreams, Editorial, Hope, Human Rights, Journalism, Migrant, Photography, Photojournalism, Protests, Reportage, Social Justice, Suicide, Youth

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