Navigating the Eastern Mediterranean: The diversification of Sub-Saharan African migration patterns in Turkey and Greece

In common representations of migration from Africa, Europe is considered the intended destination and its neighbouring countries as ‘transit zones’. These representations are nourished by images in the media of overcrowded boats and political rhetoric of ‘influxes’ of migrants, which foster the idea that migrants are heading en masse for Europe. The stories of Boubakar and Filemon illustrate that migration processes of African migrants in the Mediterranean Region do not necessarily develop along straightforward lines following the decision to migrate (cf. Wissink et al. 2013). Neither is Europe always the intended final destination. Moreover, their experiences indicate that decisions on migrating to and through the Mediterranean are not only taken at the beginning of the journey; migration is a process which involves various moments of decision-making (see Chapters 4, 9 and 10).