40 - Introduction - The Western Route
2022 No 40
He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with nobles and inherit a seat of honor; for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and He set the world on them.
—1 Samuel 2:8
Today we begin a new segment on our journey to understand sub-Saharan migration. You may say…”But I don’t know that I need to understand sub-Saharan migration…I need to understand my neighborhood!" While it may be true that you do not have any SSA migrants in your neighborhood, I can almost guarantee that people from "somewhere else" surround you. I am also convinced that if you can understand the dynamics of movement in Africa, you will have a handle on understanding your community. Why is that important? Because the typical pastor or missionary is, by nature, focused on their local context. Their goal is to engage the person at their doorstep. They want to know how best to minister to their needs and effectively communicate the gospel. For many pastors in my neighborhood, sub-Saharan neighbors are plentiful. I suspect that you will also see a few in your neighborhood... if you look around.
A real challenge in ministry is that proximity can often limit one's vision and, in so doing, obscure things that might be of critical importance. I am reminded of the impact of the TIROS satellite on hurricane forecasting back in the 1960s.1 Before that time, the only information meteorologists had was their historical experience and local observations. But their capacity to understand and prepare for the storms increased exponentially when they could see the weather formations from 450 miles above the earth. In the same way, a high view of migration can help to understand trends and patterns. Seeing the big picture can lead to more genuine, face-to-face relationships and create effective pathways to share the love of Christ.
If you have been following this blog, you know that we have covered two major sections. The first was an introduction to African migration. In those posts, we examined the statistics and the principles behind many of these movements.² Our underlying assumption has been that if you can understand these components, you will have a grasp on much of all global migration. The second was an examination of the Central Mediterranean Route (CMR).3 This route is by far one of the most publicized and most treacherous of all the routes.4 Between the two, we sought to give a high view of "the forest" while occasionally landing and spending some time among the individual "trees." It is a pattern that will serve well for our examination of our next section, the Western Mediterranean Route (WMR).
It may be helpful to think of African migration as an experience with Google Maps. Getting from point A to point B may seem simple, but there are various pathways that the migrants could take. Some are short and quick but require the use of toll roads. If you don't have the money or are on a bicycle, you have to pick an alternative route. Some routes are more scenic but take a lot longer. Then there are the times when Google seems to lose its way, and you wind up on a back road that seemingly leads nowhere.5 Those along the Central Route tend to fit a particular demographic of African migrants. Using the above analogy, they desire to go to Europe but cannot do so legally. They have limited finances and no car. Thus, they must pay as they go and depend on others to get them to their destination. Often, they become stranded along the way.
The Western Mediterranean Route (WMR), however, has a much more diverse demographic composition. It is a mix of both regular and irregular movements. It covers less territory, is much faster, and often is more comfortable. But it also has some hazardous elements. The WMR is geographically simple to understand. In essence, it describes the pathways migrants take in their journey toward Western Europe. Most of those who follow this pathway originate in West Africa. They will generally transition through Algeria and Morocco, with a destination of Spain. This route has become increasingly popular over the years. In 2008, the CMR represented only 4% of migration flows to Europe.6 By 2018, it encompassed nearly 45% of all irregular flows to Europe. As of September 2022, over 23,000 migrants had arrived in Spain via this route.7 Those who have been unsuccessful may be tenfold that number.
The WMR has two distinct pathways that deserve to be considered separately. Those who cross into the Spanish mainland or one of her territories in Morocco and those who seek to enter Spain via the Canary Islands. Technically, the former is called the Western Mediterranean Route, and the latter is simply called the Atlantic Route. They share similarities, but because the demographic differences are so profound, we will maintain the separation and discuss the Atlantic Route later.
As we consider the WMR, we will divide our review into five parts. We will begin with this introduction, looking at the historical contexts of Senegal, Morocco, and Spain. We will then describe the motivations and movements in the above points of origin, transition, and destination. As before, we will do this through the testimonies of actual migrants. We will then conclude the section with a look at how God is moving through his church here in Africa and on the Spanish mainland.
On a personal note, I want to express my gratitude to many who have joined us on this journey. Our research for this project has taken us across the Mediterranean many times. We have visited with hundreds of migrants and pastors in almost every location and context of this blog. The details we present are contemporary (at the time of writing) and span the scope of governmental, non-governmental, and faith-based organizations. The experiences we share come directly from the migrants. The photos are often those we have personally taken or drawn from relevant migration media reports. We sometimes choose generic images to represent situations that would put people at risk.
One final note. As you know, we work within the francophone world. Most pastors and seminary students we engage in Africa and Europe do not speak English. Many have requested that we offer the site in French. We would love to do so, but that becomes complicated very quickly and incurs additional costs. If any of you have a level of expertise in this area, we would love to hear from you.
Thank you again for your encouragement and support of our efforts. As we have often said to many, “without you, none of this would be possible."
1 "Who Is My Neighbor?", M2M3 https://m2m3.org/1-who-is-my-neighbor/ (accessed December 7, 2022).
2 "A Search for the Principles Behind Migration", M2M3 https://m2m3.org/11-a-search-for-the-principles-behind-migration-2/ (accessed December 7, 2022).
3 "South to North Movements: The Choices Are Not Always Easy", M2M3 https://m2m3.org/24-south-to-north-movements-the-choices-are-not-always-easy/ (accessed December 7, 2022).
4 Deutsche Welle, "InfoMigrants", http://www.infomigrants.net/en/ (accessed December 7, 2022).
5 In our world, we call this getting "googled." Google tracks everyone who has a phone connected to the internet. If a farmer on a horse-cart or a teen on a moto goes across a field, Google adds it to the algorithm. If enough go that way, even pedestrians, Google maps will mark this as a preferred route. The paths we have traveled may have many who go that way, but I think we were the first to do so in a car!
6 Yousra Abourabi, "Governing African Migration in Morocco: The Challenge of Positive Desecuritisation," International Development Policy - Revue Internationale de Politique de Développement [Online] 2022. https://journals.openedition.org/poldev/4788#quotation
7 International Organization for Migration, "Europe — Mixed Migration Flows to Europe, Quarterly Overview Maps", IOM https://displacement.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1461/files/reports/Europe — Mixed Migration Flows to Europe%2C Quarterly Overview Maps (Jan-Sep 2022).pdf (accessed December 7, 2022).