Harragas.

In tribute to all the "harragas" lost at sea.

I had the opportunity to photograph the end-of-year project of a student at the French Institute of Fashion, focusing on Algerian harragas — migrants who risk their lives by taking to the sea in order to reach Europe. A «harrag» (plural «harraga» or «harragas») is an illegal migrant who takes the sea from North African countries to reach Europe to seek a «better life». The word «harraga» (in Arabic: حراقة) is a term from Darija, meaning «those who burn.» «Harga» is the act of «burning papers, laws.»

The Algerian harragas often take the Western Mediterranean route. According to a study by the UN Refugee Agency, the Mediterranean Sea was the deadliest sea in the world in 2014, with over 207,000 crossings and 3,419 deaths. The official count of deaths in the Mediterranean began in 1994.

Through my photos, I aimed to capture the feeling of a perilous expedition, blending nostalgia and solitude in the face of the vastness of the sea and the world.

إِنَّا لِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ