"NIGER RIVER, MALI" "How many cows do you want?" "At least twenty." "That's outrageous." "I can offer you half that." "Not enough." "They're from good stock." "She's a good girl, she'll look after, you'll see." "If you're offering me ten cows, you'll have to include 100 kg of salt and some money." "And you pay for the party." "Alright." "Your future wife's waiting, go see her." "Aren't you happy?" "At last you'll be my wife." "I told you you'd end up being mine." "Why not tell your family what happened to you as a girl?" "They won't believe me." " Not even your sister Kaori?" " Kaori?" "She's only interested in her part of the dowry." "Nobody heard you cry out?" "While that creep was touching me, he held my mouth so I couldn't scream." "Didn't your mother ask about the marks on your body?" "I couldn't live one minute with that man." "I have to leave." "And go where?" "I don't know." "I'm thinking about Europe." "If he finds me, he's capable of killing me." "I have to go away as far as possible, where no-one can find me." "Stay at my house tonight." "NIAMEY, SOUTHERN NIGER" "Buba, this noise is worrying me." "Drive forwards." "A bit more." "It's not important, go ahead." "Salim!" "Leave the washing machine and fix Mr. Mustafa's engine!" "I'm sick of that idiot." "Look at him, on the phone all day." "I heard that, Salim!" "If you don't like it, get out." "Thousands of others would love to work for me." "It's very easy:" "you buy a garage, get two fools like us to work for you," "pay them when you feel like it, and meanwhile, you scratch your balls." "Buba, see if you can use this to fix the carburator." "Mr. Hamidou needs his tyre." "Leave what you're doing and fix it." "It's done already." "I'm going to train." "Hurry up, Buba, the game's about to start." "Right, lads, let's have a game." "That's it for today, boys!" "Stretch a bit and head home." "He's so good." "Our bad luck is to be born in the world's poorest country." "No international scouts come here." "If I were you," "I'd try my luck in Europe." "You look tired." "That was a top goal today." "What did your coach tell you?" "Rubbish, that I should head for Europe." "Get on, I'll take you." "Violet, what's wrong?" "It'll all turn out fine." "Don't cry anymore." "Come on, let's go inside." "Don't cry anymore." "Here, you can make it to Agadez with this." "To where?" "Agadez, in northern Niger." "Where'd you get all this money?" "My dream is to go to Europe." "I wanted to find a white man to give me kids with some cream in the coffee." "Then I can't take it." "You're going to take it." "Mine is a dream, and yours is a question of life or death." "When you get to Agadez, look for a hotel, The End of the Road." "I'm told you can always find work there." "What kind of work?" "I don't know." "As a waitress I imagine, or cleaning rooms..." "Rest up." "What are you doing?" "Dreaming of the moon again?" "Your coach is right, you've got bags of talent." "Let's go to Europe, we've got nothing to lose and I want to try it again." "Look at them, they got the glory and so can you." "I want to be like the whites on those TV series." "In Europe there must be money even under the rocks." " It's paradise." " It's not like that, Mukela." "Why not?" "Nobody starves to death over there." "It's a dangerous trip, you've often told me that." "I know part of the way." "Trust me for once," "I know how to avoid the dangers." "Where do we get the money?" "Money's not a problem." "I'll sell the motorbike." "We'll make it to Morocco on that." "I'm going." "You stay here, play football on rocks and work for that crook who treats you like a slave." "If you stay, you'll never get anything in life." "I'm going." "Mukela." "I'll come with you." "Really?" "I don't try it, I'll regret it for the rest of my life." "Shake my hand and don't you worry, it'll all turn out fine." "I'm going to miss you." "Me too." "I'll never forget you." "We'll meet again soon, God willing." "Here, it'll bring you luck." "Thank you." "Pray for me." "CLANDESTINE IMMIGRATION TO EUROPE VIA THE SAHARA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN" "Did you think it'd be a comfy ride?" "Five more have to get on at least!" "Shift up a bit!" "If you sit there, how can I change gear?" " Certificate of tyre quality." " Certificate?" "For your tyres." "Watch your wallet." "END OF THE ROAD HOTEL" "Two very cold beers." "Not me, I want a Coca Cola." "The only thing that's changed in two years are the girls." "The rest is exactly the same." "Hi, my name's Silvie." "Buy me a drink?" "You like her?" "Then forget about the other stuff." "You really missing out." "Don't go on about it, we're just here for a beer." "Beer?" "People come here for other reasons." "What about her over there?" "No, not her." "We'd better go." "Money burns a hole in your pocket in these places." "THE TENERE DESERT" "Does she look familiar to you?" "I feel sorry for her, travelling alone." "Take her something." "Eat something." "Thank you." "Do we know each other?" "Do we know each other?" "I don't speak Hausa." "Have we met before?" "You were hungry..." "It's the first time I've eaten today." "I was robbed in Agadez yesterday." "Money, food, everything I had." "Just as well I'd bought my ticket." "Are you going north?" "How will you manage it?" "Good night." "STOP AT THE SIGN" "Peace be upon you." "And upon you." "May the Prophets soon turn this place into a paradise." " Let it be so." " May the angels..." "Everybody down, passports in your hands!" "Move it!" "I don't have all day!" "Lieutenant, have a cigarette and don't get upset." "Lieutenant!" "Do the goats come down too?" "Get in single file!" "The Niger Tuaregs to one side, then the blacks, and the goats last!" "You people over there!" "I said, citizens of Niger here!" "You people, go over there!" "Goats in line as well." "You hiding anything forbidden?" "I had to get the photo from another document." "Where you going in those shoes?" "Pull down your turban, I want to see your face." "And sunglasses off!" "How can you take so long to show me your papers?" "This isn't you." "These papers are fake." "I swear, sir, it's me." "You don't know where the family you're visiting lives?" "He says he doesn't know where they are." "Is anyone transporting drugs?" "Guns?" "Uranium?" "Uranium?" "It's because of the mines in Arlit, they're near here." "Uranium's been stolen lately, they say it's Chechens." "Fall out!" "No wonder the colonel's always in a bad mood." "Living here must be hell." "Would you raise that barrier?" "The passengers are frying." "May the Prophets never change this place!" "Bastard!" "Everyone off for Tamanrasset." "Everyone going to Dirkou or Libya, stay with me." "Barghot is in 3 or 4 hours, that's Algeria already." "It's just ten houses, but you'll find some vehicle to take you to Tamanrasset." "Mukela, are you sure about the direction to Barghot?" "Mahamadou, Mahamadou!" "Mahamadou!" "In which direction is Barghot?" "You have to head northeast, always northeast!" "What did he say?" "We have to go northeast... always northeast." "Fine." "Where's northeast?" "I don't know." "It's sort of that way." "He did this with his hand." "What do you mean this?" "Now what do we do in this hell?" "Follow the Nigerians." "Don't talk crap, they're not going to Barghot." "Then we sleep under those acacias, and tomorrow we'll calmly make a decision." "Ah, leave me alone." "When we get to Tamanrasset we'll go straight to" "Mr. Passport's house and buy two Malian passports." "What for?" "Don't we have our own?" "Malian citizens don't need visas to get into Algeria." "When we head up north you'll understand." "The road is full of military roadblocks." "Did you lose them?" "They didn't want me with them." "Come over to the fire." "It's cold." "Come over." "Here." "Thank you." "Can I go with you?" "Yes, but we've got a tiny problem." "Mahamadou, the driver, told us to head northeast, but we don't really know where that is." " No, he said northwest." " No, Buba!" "He told me northeast, northeast, and did this with his hand." "Well, you told me northwest." "You're as stubborn as a camel." "Who ran next to the truck when Mahamadou did this?" "Northeast is that way." "How do you know?" "See that group of stars?" "They're the Pleiades." "That one there, the brightest, is Orion." "So northeast is that way." "Did you learn astronomy at school?" "Astronomy?" "What's that?" "People telling your future" " just by looking at your hands." " No, Buba." "That's astrology, got it?" "My father was from Timbuktu." "He was a salt merchant." "Four or five times a year, when he was still alive, he'd take his camel caravan to the Taudenni mines, in the north of the country." "I went with him sometimes and he taught me to guide myself by the stars." "I see a house over there." "Our ordeal is over." "I can see a house." "We have to reach the shelter of the trees." "We've walked in a circle." "See that under the acacias?" "It looks like people sleeping." "She's alive." "Bring some water, quick!" "Hurry up!" "He's alive too." "Ibrahim, come and see how the other one is." "May the Prophet guide you to paradise." "God is great." "He's dead." "God is great." "Bury him and we'll go back to camp." "Mukela!" "Mukela!" "Where are you?" "Relax, everything's alright." "Relax, everything's alright." "Where am I?" "Calm down, calm down." "Everything's alright." "You don't have to worry." "You're in my camp with my family." "Relax, you have to rest." "Lie down and rest." "What am I doing here?" "Who is this man?" "We found you under the two acacias." "You were in bad shape and we brought you to my camp." "How do you feel?" "As if Mahamadou's truck had run me over." "Calm down." "And Mukela?" "Where is he?" "Try to rest." "Mukela is no more." "He went to Allah's paradise." "He didn't endure the severity of the Tenere." "Why didn't you bring my brother to camp like you did us?" "I'd have liked to bury him, to tell our mother his face was serene and he died in no pain." "I understand, Buba." "We buried him as we do with our loved ones, in the place where Allah decided he was to die." "Our turban is our shroud, and the sand that covers it is of the desert that saw our birth." "What are you doing?" "We're leaving." "I won't go on without my brother." "I'm going home." "Buba..." "Your brother was very proud of you." "He told me of your talent as a footballer." "If you gave up now, he'd be heartbroken." "You must overcome your pain and carry on." "The fact that you survived means you're destined to do great things." "Think of your family who needs you." "I've no strength to cross the desert again." "The nomads will help us." "Go on, pack your bag." "How can you live in this land?" "It's dead, baked by the sun." "No, it's not." "If you look closely, you'll see there is life, it's all in motion." "Our blood holds a record of the secrets to survival." "You've never been drawn to Europe?" "Me?" "Leave?" "Never." "We Tuareg don't know how to live anywhere else." "I'm not leaving this desert for money." " We all want to go." " That's the problem, no-one wants to live in Africa." "If all the money and effort you spend on getting to Europe you used to start a business, things would start to change." "By running away, you're bleeding Africa dry." "The future is here." "Well..." "I'm going to see where the camels are, okay?" "I'll be a while." "Stop." "Stop, Buba." "I told you to stop." "Please." "What's up with you?" "You did it a lot at the brothel." "What's one more time?" "Don't ever touch me again." "There it is, Barghot, the most beautiful spot in the Sahara." " Don't forget to send me a ball." " Don't worry." "Mohamed." "What?" "This is yours." "Thank you." "Hold on." "Come here." "You'll need it for the journey." "Thank you." "Good luck to you." "Take the one that looks most like you." "If you don't find one, don't worry." "To Algerian soldiers, we blacks all look the same." "Hey, friend..." "I'll take this one." "Yes, it looks like you." "You'll have no trouble." "Give me 50 euros, and no more arguments." "50 euros?" "You're crazy!" "That's the price, I can't do it for less." "Since they increased lookouts on the north coasts hardly anyone comes through here." "Now they go via Mauritania to set out in the boats, and it's harder to get passports that aren't fake." "We had to double the price." "You must understand, there are a lot of expenses." " 50 euros?" " Yes." "Here." "When you get to the Moroccan border, go to Café Le Paradis and ask for Hussein, he'll buy it back from you." "Alright." "Bye." "Have a good trip." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Please, sir, your passport." "Where are you from?" "Mali." "Passport, please." "Sir, passport, please." "Miss, your passport." "Sir!" "What about my passport?" "Wait in your seat." "Miss, your passport is false!" "Come with me, you're under arrest." "False?" "I got it at Bamako police station." "Don't tell me tales." "Come with me." " I'm not moving!" " I order you to come with me!" "SIDI DJABEUR, MOROCCO." "BORDER WITH ALGERIA" "Relax." "ALGERIAN BORDER CONTROL" "Get out of here!" "You!" "Stop right there!" "Hands up!" " What are you doing here?" " Nothing, the Moroccan police..." "Don't tell me tales." "Passport." "What's in the bag?" " Clothes and a ball." " Let's see." "Let go!" "This'll be great for my nephew's birthday." "It's a present from my brother." "You have no visa." "But the Moroccan police..." "Not my problem, go away." "Please, sir," "I've been walking all night and I'm really hungry." "I told you to go!" "Are you deaf?" "Alright, but please, give me back my ball." "Get out of here!" "Yes, but give me my ball." "Get out of here!" "Want me to arrest you?" "What're you lookin' at?" "Bastard." "Stop right there!" "Hands up!" "Please, sir," "I'm begging you, don't hurt me, I haven't done anything wrong." "A little water." "Shit, the police!" "ALGERIA-MOROCCO BORDER" "ASILAH NORTHERN MOROCCO" "Buba, come with me." "Come in." "Sir?" "Like some tea?" "No, thank you." "Where are you from, kid?" "The south of Niger." "Poor you." "Tough luck." "I guess it took a lot to get here." "It took my brother's life." "It's hard leaving everything, family, friends,... to look for a better life." "You'll see what it takes to get to Europe, but you're close now." "You only need to make one last effort and all will be forgotten, even your brother's death." "But it's expensive." "Did you bring the money?" "This is only half, just 700 euros." "It's what the middleman told me." "The middleman..." "Son, this business is getting more complicated." "There's surveillance everywhere and the gendarmes are harder to buy." "Gas is going up every day, there's the skipper's wage..." "You'll be going in a new boat, with a 100 horsepower engine, the latest model, and you complain it's expensive." "Give me 100 more." "I've only got 80 left, and I wanted to save it for when I get to Spain." "Give it to me." "Money's not a problem in Spain." "My cousin's waiting for you on the other side." "I'll phone him tonight to get you a job." "You can go." "Good luck." "Thank you." "Where'd you get that necklace?" "None of your business." "I got it off a whore who wouldn't sleep with me." " Where is she?" " In a hotel in Asilah." "What's it called?" "The Tropical, next to the post office." "Guard!" "Guard!" "Please, I need the bathroom." "Stop!" "You're crossing tonight!" "Shit!" "Asilah." "Sorry." "Violet!" "Get your things, we're leaving." "Me?" "Go with you?" "Where to?" "Listen, if you came to fuck, there are two girls in there, okay?" "I'm sorry, it was a misunderstanding." "Please, a boat's leaving tonight." "I came for you." "Buba, wait!" "How did you find me?" "This brought me to you." "I can't go with you, I don't have enough money." "You go, we'll meet up in Spain." "We both go, or neither of us." "Run, let's go." "To the right, the right." "Here's okay." "Stop." "Who's that girl?" "She's coming too." "Here." "It's short 230 euros." "We have no more, sir." "There's no more." "What am I, an NGO?" "Please, it's our last chance." "I'm begging you." "It's our last chance, I'm begging you." "Get in." "Everyone be quiet." "We're going to walk in a line." "Move slowly." "Watch where you walk so you don't snap any branches." "There are soldiers everywhere." "When we get to the beach, run to the boat... as if a dog was chasing you." "Got it?" "Get going." "You can start it up!" "TARIFA, SOUTHERN SPAIN" "Violet..." "It's all over." "Where is he?" "Where is he?" "Let's go." "They'll keep coming and they'll keep dying, because history has shown that no wall can hold back dreams."