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20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Andom's Dream

Andom, an asylum seeker from Eritrea, sits in his barbershop near the Talpiot Market, Haifa, Israel, April 12, 2021. Getting to Norway was Andom’s dream. He left Eritrea at the age of 21. After a week in Ethiopia, he crossed the border into Sudan. One evening, as he was on his way home with another friend, a truck stopped next to him on the street. Several men in uniforms jumped out of the vehicle, beat him up, and forcibly pushed him into the trunk, which was already full of people sitting on top of one another. They drove for three days before stopping. When the trunk reopened, the people seemed to spill out. No one could stand after sitting in such a crowded space for so long. They arrived in Sinai, in the middle of the desert, not far from the Israeli border. The smugglers who abducted them demanded that everyone pays them to transfer them across the border. Those who refused were severely beaten. Left with no choice, Andom crossed into Israel.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Haifa, Israel
Camera: NIKON D600
Copyright: © Daniel Rolider