Paper short abstract:

From the perspective of West Africans, any migratory journey to Europe is inherently uncertain. I explore the interpretation of that uncertainty, which in the Gambia and Guinea-Bissa stems from particular, Islamic, views on human destiny, ‘luck’, and the intervening cosmological power of witchcraft.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper I analyse the interpretation of uncertainty and contingency of the migratory journey to Europe, which in the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau stems from particular views on human destiny, ‘luck’, and the intervening cosmological powers of witchcraft and sorcery. The notion of ‘luck’ is understood as an inherent element of Islamic destiny, which is pre-determined but contingent, shaped with constructive human effort but also affected by envious others: through witchcraft and sorcery. Such an understanding of human fate leads to particular attitudes to the undertaking of migration – whether documented or clandestine – hope and optimism on the one hand, fear, suspicion and secrecy on the other. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, the analysis contributes to recent discussions in anthropology on destiny and uncertainty, and on contemporary African migrations, exploring the ways in which people manage contingency and unpredictability of migration to the Global North.