Mauritania | Setting sail | Economist.com:

Armoud, a Gambian taxi driver who attempted the pirogue trip to the Canaries last year. With time to spare, I ask him to tell me his story.

In lyrical English, he recounts three attempts to reach Europe since 2002. He tried and failed to enter through Algeria and Libya, returning to his home in Banjul where he worked for his younger brother as a taxi driver.

After eight months he returned the car. “It’s Africa,” he says defeatedly. “When you have nothing and your younger brother has a small amount, they control you.”

Determined to return to Gambia a rich man, he went to Mauritania, raised money as a taxi driver and travelled to the Canaries by pirogue. Three people died on the way because they “felt crazy inside the sea” and jumped out of the boat. The Spanish returned him to Mauritania after a few weeks.

He is determined to keep trying. He thinks his best bet is to make his fortune in Libya. It is not as “sweet” as Europe, but the risks are lower and there is work to be found. No matter what, he will only return to his family in Banjul a wealthy man. “Then,” he says, “everybody can feel proud and enjoy it together.”