Short Wave Searching For A New Life
Nov 15, 2022
Ari Shapiro, host of NPR's All Things Considered, delves into the profound realities of climate change and its role in global migration. He shares the compelling story of Mamadou Thiam, a Senegalese fisherman displaced by rising seas. Shapiro explores the perilous journeys of sub-Saharan African migrants through Melilla and the emotional struggles of those living in temporary UN shelters. He also highlights the personal narratives of fishing communities grappling with their lost heritage and the dreams of new lives amid the backdrop of increasing far-right politics.
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Mamadou's Displacement
- Mamadou Thiam, a Senegalese grandfather and former fisherman, now lives in a temporary UN shelter.
- Rising sea levels destroyed his home in Saint-Louis, a historic fishing town shrinking due to climate change.
Permanent Displacement
- Khadisar, Mamadou's wife, notes that while her ancestors also faced floods, they could always return home.
- The increasing frequency and severity of floods due to climate change now make such returns impossible.
School's Relocation
- The local school, once by the sea, was destroyed by the flood, forcing children to attend a hot, inland tent school.
- The principal describes the challenge of explaining this drastic change to children used to playing in the ocean.