Jean-Paul Mari, Vice President of LIMBO, tells us:
I remember Solomon, the young Eritrean, his black frizzy hair yellowed by the sun and sea water, his haggard eyes. He had drifted for twenty-five days on a zodiac in the Mediterranean. There were seventy-five of them at the start, five survivors at the finish. His nightmares were terrible. He was climbing a mountain, surrounded by the dead of the boat, their mouths distorted by horrible faces. Solomon was trying to reach the peak, but the others wanted to take him with them, asking him to give up life and let himself slip with them. And Solomon woke up screaming with terror. An undead.
Each migrant’s exile is an epic story, often a horrendous one. Especially when they went through the unspeakable torture camps in Libya. What is the point of arriving in Europe if you can no longer live? Seventeen percent of migrants who have made the long journey suffer from severe traumatic neurosis, the equivalent of veteran soldiers in high-intensity wars. Often unable to talk, sleep, work, relive.
Who’s in charge of them?
LIMBO, this year, continued to take care of these drifting young men and women. A week of training in Resilience at the Abbey of Conques in Aveyron. About ten trainees, all together, well cared for and active, art therapy, body expression, hiking, canoeing, meetings with the village’s craftsmen, a simple and effective method. The infernal spiral of the trauma is broken. In eight days, the trainees rediscover another life.
One internship per holiday period and, for the first time this summer, two consecutive internships, the activity is increasing, complemented by screenings of debates, conferences, awareness raising in high schools and advocacy with all actors who can help us develop our action.