7 minute read
Maria Tomas Rodriguez - The Canary Route
Maria Tomas Rodriguez
The Canary Route
Maria Tomas Rodriguez is a member of the RPS Documentary group. She is a London-based Spanish university senior lecturer, and in her spare time shoots documentary photography.
All images © Maria Tomas Rodriguez
Since 2020, a combination of political, economic and COVID pandemic factors has triggered a new migration crisis, resulting in over 50,000 people departing by boat from West Africa and arriving on the beaches and at the ports of Spain’s Canary Islands. The objective of these perilous journeys is to reach European soil and seek a new beginning.
The Canary Route is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world. The estimated number of deaths is 4,000 but this figure only includes deaths where the body has been recovered or through shipwrecked survivor testimonies. It is not known how many boats have gone missing with all passengers on board, leaving no survivors to recount their story. There are numerous reports of debris drifting along the West African Atlantic coast or bodies being caught in the sweeping nets of fishing boats, additional indicators of these invisible shipwrecks. It is estimated that for every twenty migrants who reach the shores of the Canary Islands, one death occurs, a rate roughly double that of the mortality of the Mediterranean migrants’ crossings.
The boats used by the migrant smuggling mafias often become floating coffins, claiming countless lives on their treacherous journeys. Numerous people die due to dehydration, starvation, illness, adverse weather conditions, the precariousness of the boats, and poor navigation skills. The crossing of around 100 kms from southern Morocco and Western Sahara to the islands of Lanzarote or Fuerteventura (Eastern Canaries) takes around 24 hours. It can take more than two weeks, however, for those leaving from Senegal and heading the 1,700 kms to Tenerife o El Hierro (Western Canaries).
The boats used for these journeys vary in characteristics depending on their country of origin, but what they all have in common is that they are simple traditional fishing boats designed only for short trips on the ocean. Those departing from Morocco and Western Sahara are commonly referred to as pateras and are typically made of either wood or fibreglass. The boats that depart from Mauritania, The Gambia, or Senegal are known as cayucos, and are around 25 metres long, flatbottomed, made of wood and have brightly coloured hulls that can transport up to 200 people. As they are the sturdiest, they are safer for crossing the Atlantic, but they follow the longest journeys at sea and the riskiest paths. Sometimes to avoid being intercepted by the African coastguards they go further south then head back north again. During this lost time, they might not correctly calculate the fuel remaining and the cayuco could end up adrift heading towards the Caribbean.
Typically the boats are equipped with a spare engine in case one breaks down. The fuel to propel the boat is stored in blue plastic containers at the stern of the vessel. The mixture of gasoline and saltwater can trigger a chemical reaction that can cause severe burns upon contact with the skin. Individuals who become ill during the journey and lie down or faint at the bottom of the boat may be at risk of inhaling the vapours from this chemical reaction, which can result in death. The rudders are typically made of iron and are manually operated by the boat drivers. To navigate in the open ocean, they rely on GPS when it works. When it doesn’t, the boat drivers must use navigation by the stars to reach their destination. It is not uncommon for the pateras and cayucos to get lost on their way due to navigation difficulties and unfavourable weather conditions. Handmade oars crafted from cayuco crossbars and pieces of fuel containers can be used as a last resort when the motor breaks down or runs out of fuel.
Boats arrive either at ports, or popular beaches without the assistance of the Spanish Search and Rescue team. Arrivals on beaches are particularly perilous, as those who still have the strength to move when disembarking may fall on those who have fainted at the bottom of the boat or, unable to swim, drown just a few metres from shore. Survivors of these journeys, especially those who have been stranded at sea for weeks, often present, to a greater or lesser degree, symptoms of hypothermia, dehydration, and starvation. Skin burns often inflamed and sometimes infected by the mix of sunburn and salt water are not unusual. Some of the migrants show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder due to the experience of the sea crossing, witnessing fatalities at sea and having to throw the dead overboard.
On arrival, boat drivers are convicted of migrant smuggling offences and face prison sentences from four to eight years. If any of the passengers die during the crossing, one to four year imprisonment penalties for each person who perished will be added to the boat driver’s sentence. The individual who carries a GPS among their belongings is the main suspect, so boat drivers release the rudder and throw the GPS device overboard as soon as the boat is approached by the Search and Rescue Team.
Debris left inside the boats offers a glimpse into what might have transpired during the trip. If there are still unopened food bags or full water containers, it means that there was enough food and water onboard throughout the journey. The cayucos are equipped with gas canisters for cooking, usually located in the central section, whilst in the pateras there is no cooking on board as the trip is expected to be shorter. Pots, glasses, and knives are intermingled with clothes, shoes, and personal belongings. To avoid confusion with fuel for the engine, water is carried in yellow containers. If food or water run out during the trip, the priority is to feed and keep alive the boat driver, followed by children and women.
Although it is impossible to calculate the precise number of migrant deaths, it is feared that the toll will continue to rise due to the lack of safety on the boats, and the intensification of border control by Spain and Northwest African coastal countries in co-operation with the EU. This is shifting the human trafficking mafias towards longer and riskier routes. The Canary Route is estimated to account for one out of every five deaths during migration processes worldwide, with currently little prospect of this changing.
This photographic project was made in the Canary Islands between 2020 and 2022. It intentionally refrains from taking pictures of the thousands of people who arrived on the islands. Instead, it focuses on the stark contrast between the migrants’ expectations and the deadly reality of the journey. These images document the remains of the items and empty boats used for these crossings, seeking to recognise and dignify the countless lives lost on this route.
