2006 Photo Contest, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize
Photographer

Olivier Jobard

Sipa Press for Paris Match

01 October, 2004

Kingsley (22) and some compatriots observe Melilla, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, from a garbage dump on the city's outskirts. Crossing the barbed wire barriers that surround the enclave is dangerous, and smugglers demand large sums to help. The short distance across the sea from northern Africa to mainland Spain or the Canary Islands is a popular route for illegal immigrants looking for a better life in Europe. Kingsley is one who attempted the passage. In his hometown in Cameroon, Kingsley earned just US$ 30 a month as a lifeguard at a hotel. He had already tried to reach Europe once before, but turned back in Nigeria having run out of funds. On his second trip, he managed to raise more than US$ 1,000 to pay for the trip, for smuggler fees, and to finance his first weeks in Europe.

About the photographer

Olivier Jobard

Born in 1970, Olivier Jobard joined the Louis Lumière School in 1990. He was offered an end-of-course internship at the Sipa Press agency and joined their photography team two ye...

This image is collected in