Darkness before Daybreak: African Migrants Living on the Margins in Southern Italy Today

by Hans Lucht

This riveting book chronicles the lives of a group of fishermen from Ghana who took the long and dangerous journey to Southern Italy in search of work in a cutthroat underground economy. A story that illuminates the nature of high-risk migration around the world, Darkness before Daybreak reveals the challenges and experiences of these international migrants who, like countless others, are often in the news but are rarely understood. Hans Lucht tells how these men live on the fringes of society in Naples, what the often deadly journey across the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea involved, and what their lives in the fishing village of Senya Beraku―where there are no more fish―were like. Asking how these men find meaning in their experiences, Lucht addresses broader existential questions surrounding the lives of economic refugees and their death-defying struggle for a life worth living. He also considers the ramifications of the many deaths that occur in the desert and the sea for those who are left behind.

Genres: Anthropology, Africa, Nonfiction

306 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ashelee Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly fond of the structure of the book - the main argument is not as clear and background/evidence seems to be all over the place. Other than that it's a good read.

[Fransje · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the book for one of my university courses, we got to ask Hans Lucht questions on skype about the book and his fieldwork. Really enjoyed that! Very good (and heartbreaking) book.