16 May 2013 09:00
Behind Mayotte’s tropical paradise image lies a precarious social situation rife with slums and poverty. This island, an overseas department of France located in the northern Mozambique Channel, suffers from problems such as a chaotic migration policy, a saturated education system, and poor health care. It is also a destination for illegal immigrants from nearby Comoros. These illegal immigrants face grave danger in their journey to Mayotte in search of a better life. Once they are in the country, they often settle in the slums.
One shantytown in particular — located in the Kawéni commune — has become known to many as the “largest slum in France.” It’s a sea of undulating shacks with an exceptionally high youth population. Most of the inhabitants are from Comoros, though there are also Congolese and Rwandans as well. Youth come to the country with family, and alone – as was the case for Comorians Djof and Abdallah. For them, the hope of a promised land is nothing but a long gone memory. All they have found is an indefinite waiting game for jobs, shelter, and naturalization.
Additional information:
In a referendum on the island of Mayotte, located in the Indian Ocean, 95.2% of the population voted in favor of becoming an overseas territory of France. Shortly after, on the 31st of March 2011, Mayotte officially became the 101st overseas territory of the French Republic. With 212,645 inhabitants living in an area of 376 km2, the island is the most densely populated of France’s overseas territories.
To Read Description in French Go To: http://transterramedia.com/media/18093
