Legend has it that Andrea, a slave, fled across the Mediterranean on a piece of wood – an act of survival that was celebrated as a miracle. Today, thousands of refugees dare to make the same dangerous journey, but their arrival often ends in rejection and despair.
Andrea Alfossi was kidnapped by corsairs in the 16th century and taken to North Africa, where he had to work as a slave on a ship. After years of torment, he was given the opportunity to escape one day while on shore leave in Lampedusa. He hid in the bush and discovered an image of the Madonna in a cave. Without a boat or equipment, but with a deep faith in his ability to survive, he found a piece of wood that would serve as a raft. He attached the image of the Madonna to it as a sail. It was his only support, his symbol of hope.
He stepped onto the improvised raft and let himself be carried by the wind. Legend has it that the Madonna guided him across the stormy waves of the Mediterranean and brought him safely the 2400 km to the coast of Liguria. Andrea survived, and his escape was revered as a miracle, as evidenced by images in the city church and in the Santuario della Madonna di Porto Salvo on the island of Lampedusa.
Andrea's story still has symbolic significance today. More than 500 years later, thousands of people from North Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world are fleeing across the Mediterranean in search of safety and a better life. In 2023, more than 120,000 people reached Italy, many of them on the island of Lampedusa. Often, they have nothing but the hope of a better life and a piece of wood – metaphorically speaking, as a sign of their will to survive – that leads them from the coast of Africa into the wide, dangerous waters of the Mediterranean.
For today's refugees, the Mediterranean is not just a geographical barrier, but one of the most dangerous escape routes in the world. Thousands have drowned or disappeared on this journey in recent years. Many of those who make it are confronted with a system in Europe that often treats them not as people, but as a problem. While Andrea was celebrated as a hero who gained his freedom through faith and courage, today's refugees are often perceived as a threat, their stories not as those of survivors, but as those of “illegal” immigrants.
The parallels between Andrea's escape and the escapes of today are hard to miss. Both groups were and are driven by the same motivation: the desire for freedom, security and a life without persecution. But the conditions and the reactions of society to these escapes could not be more different. While Andrea was able to experience a miracle that saved him in his time, today's refugees are rejected by the political reality of Europe, by a society that is often unwilling to hear their stories or recognize their plight.
Andrea's story shows that the hope that drives the will to survive is timeless. It is an act of survival that is not bound by time or geographical boundaries. I wonder why one flight will be seen as heroic and the other as a threat. Perhaps the answer lies in how we, as a society, are willing to face our own fears and prejudices and to show today's refugees the same respect and humanity that Andrea was able to experience in his time.
The Lampedusa Project
- Year
- 2024-2025
- Venues
- Lampedusa, Italy
- Works
- Exhibitions
- Blog