Map by: Maria Teresa Nagel
This map traces the multi-continent migration journey of an Anglophone woman fleeing political violence in Cameroon. Moving through Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Colombia, the route visualizes the financial, legal, and physical realities of long-distance displacement as described through firsthand testimony.
Full-Width High-Resolution Map:
Journey Narrative (Transcribed from Map)
1. Cameroon
“In Cameroon, there is no life. The military controlled by the Francophone section tortures you. You are tortured by the government for being Anglophone. They burn down your houses. You become homeless. They rape you.”
2. Cameroon to Nigeria
“I ran empty handed from my village when they came. I had no time to take money or any of my belongings. I fled on foot from Cameroon to Nigeria, where I stayed in a community school that had been converted into a camp.”
3. Nigeria to Ghana
“In Nigeria, I helped fix hair. I washed clothes. I watched over children, I babysat, I did other little jobs and saved a very little bit of money that helped me to leave Nigeria. From Nigeria I traveled to Ghana by bus. It cost about 12,000 naira, or about [$33].”
4. Ghana to Brazil (via South Africa)
“I felt safe in Ghana, but there was no work there for me. A childhood friend from school sent me $400 to make the rest of the journey. I decided to come to Latin America. I spent two days and two nights in transit, always moving. First, I took a bus to South Africa and flew from there to Sao Paulo, Brazil.”
5. Brazil → Argentina → Peru → Ecuador
“I then went directly to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and from there to Lima, Peru. I finally ended up in Quito, Ecuador. The same friend helped me with all of the flight payments—I do not know how much he spent—and he doesn’t expect to be paid back, because he is a friend.”
6. Quito, Ecuador
“In Quito, I finally stopped my transit. I stayed in a hotel in the city for just a few nights, and it cost about $125. Someone helped me to pay for this too.. I will call him a businessman. Someone connected me to this businessman and he helped with my hotel.”
7. Colombia (Overland to Turbo)
“After Quito, throughout Colombia, I was on my own. I had to prepare a bag, water, and food and made it to Turbo. I took a bus, bus all the way from the Colombian border to Turbo, which the businessman helped me to buy my ticket.”
8. Boat to Capurganá
“I then took a boat to Capurganá.”
9. Attempted Crossing of the Darién
“I tried to enter the Darién jungle, and made it a few days in, but the Panamanian police turned me back. Now, I am back in Capurganá for the second time, and I have no money.”
10. Reflection
“I am homeless, frustrated, broke, and stranded. But you have to laugh [laughs]—you have to laugh a lot. It is funny for one person to go through so much! I keep going then. I have to fight, for my daughter, and for her future. I want to go to America, where I will have a better future for myself, my mother, and my daughter.”