Author: Inês Paler

Today, we failed. He died alone. And we all became a little bit poorer, a lit bit less human. I can’t imagine the despair or isolation he must have felt. What were his last thoughts? What is this all about? A man drowned in Venice. There were many people, many tourists around. They didn’t help. Instead, they took their phones and cameras and recorded the event. The people shouted “let him die”, “swim back to your country”. And then, in front of everyone, watching and recording it, he drowned. In the meantime, a boat was nearby and threw him a life ring. He refused it. Maybe because that was his intent all along; maybe because of what he was hearing. Perhaps a combination of both. He died. I wonder what happened in that moment. Did people watch him go under and waited until it was clear he was not coming back to the surface? Did they just keep walking and taking pictures of the beautiful monuments? Maybe they wondered if they should or could have done anything to prevent this? Who knows, maybe some felt a hint of guilt, although now it was too late. Initially, the man had escaped his own country and was asking for refugee status, to be accepted in Italy. However, the request was denied. He was 22 years old. Was he a father? Was his family eagerly waiting...