When 369 people drowned in the Mediterranean just off Lampedusa, Western narratives focused on the immediate aftermath. For Eritreans, the disaster entered the national psyche and remains embedded in the country’s collective memory, writes Valentina Fusari.
In the early hours of 3 October 2013, a fishing boat carrying hundreds of Eritreans caught fire and sank near Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island. This catastrophic event resulted in the deaths of 369 people. Only 155 people survived, including 40 unaccompanied minors. The scale of the disaster shocked the world.
But amid the public outcry and media frenzy, a less visible but equally significant story unfolded in Eritrea. For Eritreans back home, the immediate concern remained the fate of their loved ones. The right to know is a fundamental principle of international humanitarian and human rights law. It required adequate measures to be taken to inform families about the fate of their missing relatives. It became a focal point for Eritrean “survivors-at-home”. They experienced the suffering of such a tragedy while remaining in their place of origin. Witnessing the tragedy from afar, they have coped with the uncertainty surrounding the fate of their loved ones, through networks of solidarity, mobilising resources in Eritrea and beyond to exercise their right to know.
This tragic event highlighted the multiple forms of solidarity that emerge in the social worlds of African migrants and the survivors-at-home. It also demonstrated that such events must be understood in the context of when they happen to fully grasp their impact on both private and public processes of memory and memorialisation.
Navigating grief between solidarity and bureaucracy
Survivors-at-home faced the dual challenge of coping with their loss and navigating the bureaucratic processes involved in confirming deaths, repatriating bodies, or getting information about burials abroad. The Eritrean government’s attempts to manage the transportation and burial of the deceased underscored the importance of mourning and funeral rites, which are an integral part of Eritrean cultural and social identity. However, such processes were further complicated by international protocols and the need for DNA testing of unidentified bodies, which often led to delays in repatriation and added to the distress of the families involved.
Meanwhile, various forms of grassroots solidarity emerged within Eritrea and its diaspora. This was not only about humanitarian aid but also about maintaining social and family ties in times of adversity. At the local level, communities organised mourning rituals and commemorations in absentia. Transnational solidarity efforts were crucial in gathering and sharing general information about the tragedy, as well as completing bureaucratic procedures to obtain detailed information about the missing loved ones. In this regard, the Eritrean diaspora had better access to international channels and were able to bridge the gap between the survivors-at-home and the broader international community.
The actions of solidarity show the importance of understanding and triangulating between Eritrean culture that shaped the experiences of those affected by the tragedy and the international humanitarian procedures. The actions of Eritreans at home and abroad challenges the Eurocentric narrative of humanitarian aid. Groups traditionally considered marginal made crucial contributions through solidarity that bridged private and charitable efforts.
Conflicting narratives and multiple responses
The aftermath of the Lampedusa tragedy revealed a clash of narratives between Western-driven humanitarian approaches and the perspectives of the survivors-at-home. The European response was focused on relief and rescue operations, but it overlooked the cultural and emotional dimensions experienced by the Eritrean community. This disparity underscored the need for more inclusive and sensitive approaches to international humanitarian action. Indeed, the survivors-at-home perceived the European humanitarian approach as decontextualised and at times even put them at risk. While Eritreans sought confidentiality, the Lampedusa tragedy was widely publicised in Europe. Media coverage risked identifying the families of the victims, who preferred to remain unnoticed to avoid potential persecution, especially as many of the deceased were likely to have left the authoritarian country unofficially.
The Eritrean government event echoed European rhetoric that blamed charitable rescues as acting as migrant taxi services, enticing young people to leave their homeland and risk their lives.
The Lampedusa tragedy occurred at a time of instability for Eritrea. In January 2013, Major General Filipos Woldeyohannes and Colonel Osman Saleh attempted to destabilise the government by occupying the Ministry of Information and broadcasting a message calling for the implementation of the constitution, the release of political prisoners, and the establishment of a broad-based transitional government. The attempted coup failed and was described by the government as a “tempest in a teapot”.
On the other hand, Arbi Harnet, a movement run by members of the Eritrean diaspora living in the US and Europe, used phone call activism to link acts of resistance inside Eritrea with the diaspora community. Their actions, which prompted an act of reflection on the sacrifices made by the Eritreans only to find themselves still in dire straits, intensified after the shipwreck. The Lampedusa tragedy became part of awareness-raising actions to challenge the state of the country.
Memories and memorials
The Lampedusa tragedy is still deeply embedded in both family and collective memory in Eritrea. The tragedy is commemorated in much the same way as the nation honours its martyrs, with many families displaying photos of lost relatives alongside certificates of martyrdom. Combining the moral and social value of the martyrs with the mourning of those who died at sea has created a link between these two categories based on solidarity and respect.
Europe has remembered the tragedy through commemorations and memorials. In March 2016, the Italian Senate declared 3 October a National Day of Remembrance and Hospitality. Although a monument to those who died in the 2013 tragedy was inaugurated in Lampedusa in October 2019, this and the many other expressions of solidarity and remembrance have not been enough to ease the pain of the relatives. In Eritrea, actions that somehow recall this tragedy have become part of new forms of memorialisation, awareness, and dissent.
The Lampedusa tragedy and its aftermath, underline the importance of bridging intentions and realities to ensure that humanitarian efforts resonate with those they aim to help.
Photo credit: Noborder Network used with permission CC BY 2.0