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Vita International | 9/2015
The refugee crisis has played out with particular intensity on Lesbos, an idyllic Greek island of high interest to both smugglers and cameramen. In Mitilini, the main port town, Arabic can be heard more often than Greek. Like its neighbour Kos—site of the Aylan Kurdi photo—Lesbos has consistently been witness to bodies washed ashore, angry clashes with the police and tense encounters between refugees, vacationers and locals.
In the universe that’s been shaping at an accelerating speed around the crisis, each player has fit into a neat role: the helpless refugees, the villainous policemen, the heroic coast guard, the nervous locals, the benevolent volunteers, the smart aid workers, the well-meaning state officials, the daring reporters, among a longer list of figures directly and indirectly related. As the historic levels of migration are reaching their fourth month, though, no narrative can tightly contain the drama that has been unfolding on the island.
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Naomi Cohen | journalist 