Kingsley's Crossing

Kingsley's Crossing. Photography by Olivier Jobard. Produced by Media Storm.

Click on the photo above to view the 20 minute video of Kingsley's amazing journey. Olivier Jobard remains invisible throughout this odyssey, but the dedication of this photojournalist is truly inspiring. This is photojournalism!

"Kingsley is a 23-year-old lifeguard from the West African coastal town of Limbe, Cameroon. Though he longed to be a professional footballer, French soldiers trained him to become a lifeguard, and Kingsley soon found himself working at an upscale hotel giving swimming lessons to visiting Europeans. He earned just 50 euros a month, enough to pay for food and the rented two-room house he shared with his parents and seven siblings.

"Most families in my country want their children to go to Europe," Kingsley says. It is in Europe - the new El Dorado - that African immigrants can vastly increase their incomes while also providing for their families back home. So, in May of 2004, Kingsley left Cameroon on what he calls "his mission." What followed was an excruciating six-month journey across half of Africa.

Kingsley's Crossing is the story of one man's willingness to abandon everything - his family, his country, and his friends - in the hopes of finding a better life abroad. Award-winning French photojournalist Olivier Jobard documents the passage."

Mediastorm.org. (via 1mag3)