Guinean migrant warns against the illusions of emigration

Mamadou Lamine Barry, a Guinean national living in Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire, has shared his reflections on four decades of migration. Having moved from the Mamou region of Guinea to Daloa in 1986, Barry initially worked as a street vendor selling items such as cigarettes and sweets.

Reflecting on his long-term residency abroad, Barry warns younger generations about the hidden costs of emigration. He characterizes the experience as being “75% a loss,” even if financial gains are achieved. He argues that long-term migration causes individuals to become strangers in their own homelands and expresses concern that children raised in foreign cultures may lose their original cultural roots.