1 of 18
© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“I was disappointed from the time I landed on this island. It was just an airstrip, not an international airport. I realised something was wrong.
This court has been locked from African players. We cannot access it for no reason given to us. Yet this was our refuge, we found peace here and we are entitled to use it. "
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“ I am in English prep school, then I would like to study business. At least here I have a chance to study unlike the rest of Europe. Racism here is not against the men, just towards women, I think.”
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
"My stay here has been totally depressing. I pray and I find comfort in god. Depressing in a manner that you are in Europe, but not in Europe at the same time. And also you are in Turkey but also not in Turkey at the same time. So you are basically trapped and the only place you can go to back to your country. Here you are a free man but in prison at the same time."
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“Twice, I have gone to the border to try my luck, and each time I have been turned back. One time, I went with my Cypriot boyfriend and hoped we could convince the authority. They refused. My boyfriend and I have resulted into seeing each other every fortnight when he crosses over to my side for a weekend.”
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“ I had come to do my master. But life was too expensive for me and I had to return home. Now I am on a short visit here to see my friends. It is pretty here, but it isn’t Europe.”
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“ My father said: You are going to Cyprus? Don’t call me.
When I came it was tough, but I had to take a bold step and try to achieve something. I went for a walk one day, there I discovered that Turkish men feel like African girls are cheap. That day, I came home and asked myself: “ What can I do?”
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“ I did not know that this island is separated. A friend said: ‘Where you are going, things might get difficult’. I have been to every angle of this part and it feels small.
I have experienced physical and verbal racism. My dream is to become a pilot. All this what I am going through is part of this dream, it’s a link to where I want to be. ”
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
"My first impression was very bad. I thought I wold be able to work here and send money home. Instead all I found was a job as a waitress in a beach club. I worked 12 h a day every day and made as little as 1800 Turkish Lira (280 Euro). I was treated badly and felt exploited. If I wanted to rest I had to lock myself in the toilet. As a black you work like a slave."
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
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15 of 18
© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“I work everyday, 7 days a week, from 1 pm up to midnight. I dream of working as an air hostess in Dubai. Sometimes I regret to have come here. I had a chance to go to China…What I I like is that it is peaceful. But it is boring. They told us it is Europe, but it is not.”
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“I don’t like it here. It is a struggle. My fees are expensive which I was not aware of before. I don't think going back home is a bad thing, but my family is watching me.
My brother sacrificed all to see me to be here. I’m so disturbed about how I'm going to manage the next semester with my fees, house rent and feeding. "
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
"One day I was in Lefkosia, just walking with my guitar, singing. Suddenly the police came and arrested me. I hadn’t realised that I’d crossed the border. I didn’t know that you couldn’t go there. I was jailed for three months. Ever since that moment, I’ve felt like a prisoner on this island."
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© 2020 Anne Ackermann
“The view of the Mediterranean Sea from the sky was glorious. But I couldn’t stop thinking about people whose lives had been lost in the same waters. Only the lucky ones made it across.”
Public Story
Education Island
Credits:
anne ackermann
Updated: 04/05/20
In the tiny self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) over 100,000
mostly international students are currently enrolled in a total of 20 universities,
hence its nickname: “education island”.
The revenues from these students, of which as many as 20,000 come from African countries,
are the backbone of the economy of this internationally unrecognized piece of land.
Many of the young Africans were brought to the island by malicious agents advertising
free scholarships for “studying in Europe”. Yet this is not Europe.
While they struggle to pay tuition fees and cover the high costs of living,
many face racism, economic hardship and a general feeling of being stuck.
When going back home is not an option and the gates to Europe are closed,
life on a “no man’s island” often gets tough.
by Café Babel. There is an english text available.
