حراقة - When the Sea swallows its youth

حراقة, or 'Harga' is a neologism used to describe irregular migration from North Africa to Europe. Young Tunisian men have been taking boats across the water to Italy since the 1980s.

Zarzis, a small coastal town near the Libyan border, is a town almost completely devoid of youth and has fallen into disrepair over the years. "Most people leave as soon as they turn 18", Dhia says. Dhia's two brothers made Harga and now live in France. Most of his friends have also left, returning in the summer with rented Lamborghinis and tell the stories of a better life.

The bodies that wash ashore here are the result of unsuccessful crossing attempts and have sadly become all too common. These people find their final rest at the 'Jardin d’Afrique', a memorial and cemetery created by artist Rachid Koraïchi for the bodies of nameless migrants who have been buried in unmarked graves, only identifiable by the clothes they were found in.