Ça va waka

Hundreds of illegal immigrants continue to flow each year into Algeria, braving the human pitfalls and the harshness of nature that undermine the long journey through the largest desert in the world. Many of these immigrants do not consider Algeria just as a first stage of their travel or a stepping stone to Europe. They rather put down their luggage in the hope of building a stable life one day. Noting that Algeria had taken no action to put in order illegal immigrants who chose to settle down, I wondered about their situation in the Algerian society. What good did all this time they spent in Algeria brought them? How and with what social status do they live the present time? How do they see their future? Are their days numbered as the laws remain indifferent toward them? After a two weeks immersion with a small community from Central Africa, I started to get some answers. It became clear that the presence of "the undocumented" was very fragile in Algeria, especially in the current context. Indeed, many of them arrived ten years ago but they still live under the threat of sudden deportation. The esthetic choice has been then imposed by the uncertainty in which they live. Subjects appear transparent illustrating the precariousness and fragility of their world but also the fact that they are invisible to the society around them. This series will mark the beginning of a long process which aims to start a debate about a topic that remains taboo in Algeria especially with the increasing phenomenon of the moving out populations due to the recent crisis that hit the African continent.