Moussa Ben Driss

full interview

Okay let’s start here. I will ask you the first question. What type of housing do you live in and what is its type, and what are its circumstances?
The housing, umm.

In Spain. Yeah
The housing is a bit even if we made it here. You know is not that cozy. You find your freedom only when you have a job and you are out. There are a lot of laws, and you have no freedom. This is how it is. You have to pay rent. At your country if you have a home, you also pay electricity and water.

With whom are you living?
I live with other guys. I live with the help of an organization, it helps us to study, to get a job and stay in the organization until they have their legal papers to leave the organization.

How do you spend your time in Europe?
I have no job, but I read books, and I work as a delivery person, or I play football and hang out with my friends, this is how I spend my time.

What are the things that make you sad? Things that dry your happiness.
Chaos, anger or being bullied. These things a lot.

How is your life in Europe, what things that are negative and positive? Did you find things easy and what things you found difficult? Explain to me your life?
Well, the thing that is difficult is having a living space, the house is very important. But we go and live in the street. The thing that is good is there are associations that help, help us. You work and get a portion to help your parents.

What is your feeling about your living in Spain?
Ummm, the living?

Yeah, in Barcelona.
The living is difficult.

Difficult?
It is difficult. You don’t work, it is difficult.

What is your feeling being away from your family?
Away from my family, I feel one part of my body is taken away, because I haven’t seen my parents, my siblings, my friends. You feel a distance that is difficulty.

Ah, difficult?
Yes, it is. Difficult, too much.

How is your feeling about being away from your home and not belonging?
It affects your psychological wellbeing; you are anxious because you think about your family if something happened to them. How can I get to them? How can I get my legal papers? You are not psychologically stable. Always anxious.

How do you cope with being away from your family and everything?
There are parents who give you the strength and, and me, I want to have a good future for them and make them happy. You understand?

Do you think you are developing with these challenges? Do you think you have skills and motives within you?
Well, me, I have something inside me. I must work and do something that will guarantee me a good future to help my family. That motivates me to do something. You understand?

Yeah. Okay, question number 2. What made you leave your country? Tell us what happened and the things that allowed you to leave your country!
Well, the thing that motivated me to leave the country is you see your friends and you study hard but after that in vain, you have no salary to get paid. How to live in a country like this? But if you go to Europe you work, you secure something, it’s a must. At least you secure something. You help yourself. And poverty.

What was your feeling before? At that time?
At that time, I felt like there was no hope to achieve my future. This is what made me leave our country.

How was your journey? Was it difficult? Tell us your story? Was it a difficult experience?
My experience that I went through, my walking, I risked a lot, I went down the truck, [redacted]. Then I entered Melilla. After that I stayed in a center. Then they sent me here.

What was your feeling at that time? When had you risked yourself illegally?
My feeling was a lot of boredom because you are away from your family because you made many attempts to emigrate illegally. You think about your parents. You feel like you are of no value.

Do you think about these events. Is there something you think a lot about exactly?
Well, what I think about, how many guys died below trucks, fell under trucks and hit their heads. How many, a lot. This is how it is. You understand?

How do you feel when you think about that?
You feel how, the guys you went with, they suffered, you feel like you cannot help them to go. But nothing.

How does that affect you, these things you faced?
No, here. It doesn’t affect me. I am here in Europe. At least I secured part of my future. You understand? It doesn’t affect me a lot.

How did you go through all these challenges? These things that happened to you. You went to Europe.
No, it happens. I didn’t know whether I will succeed or die in the middle of the road. You leave things for God. You make a move and wait for God’s plan.

To remain alive did you use some plans, did you use money, or difficult memories that motivated you to leave? Did you receive aid or someone who motivated you to go?
Well, what motivated me a lot was myself a lot, and my parents motivated me a lot they advise me. My family is my strength to go. Also me because I want to achieve my future to study and work and own a project too. Help my parents and my family. These are my motives.

Okay, before all these things to leave. Your country and home. What is your dream?
My dream was to emigrate to Europe. Get out of my country.

To leave the country?
Yes.

What was your future dream when you left your home?
Well, my future dream is to be a footballer because I play football a lot and skillfully, me and my friends. I want to be a player, but the circumstances are not on my side.

Okay. What is your dream now about the future?
My dream is to work and settle down, and help my parents with everything, all that they need.

We appreciate your answers for the questions. Is there something that you want to add to help the people of Europe to help the immigrants and understand the life of immigrants?
Well, my add is Europeans should change the idea that immigrants are here for problems. They are here to search for the future, the job. They should establish associations to help the immigrants and help them get legal papers. Because without the legal papers you cannot move. I hope they can do it, Insha’Allah.

Insha’Allah.