From the Sahara to the Classroom: The Remarkable Journey of Ousman M. Touray

In the sprawling coastal town of Gunjur, located in the Kombo South district of The Gambia’s West Coast Region, lives a young man whose story is a powerful reflection of courage, struggle, and resilience.

My Bones and the Desert, by Ousman M. Touray

Ousman M. Touray, a student at Kotu Senior Secondary School, has emerged as a voice for thousands of young Africans who risk everything in search of a better life in Europe.

In his recently completed literary work, My Bones and the Desert, Ousman recounts a harrowing one-year journey through North Africa, a journey marked not by success, but by survival.

Born into a humble family as one of seven children, Ousman’s upbringing was shaped by financial hardship. His parents, though lacking in material wealth, instilled in their children a strong work ethic and a belief in education. However, like many young Gambians burdened by poverty and high unemployment, Ousman began to lose hope that schooling alone could lift his family from their struggles.

In 2021, driven by the dream of reaching Europe and securing a better future, Ousman left school and embarked on a dangerous migration route through Senegal, Mali, and into Libya. What awaited him, however, was not opportunity, but torment. During the journey, he endured imprisonment, torture, and the complete loss of his financial resources. The path to Europe, often painted as a route to prosperity, became a landscape of suffering and despair.

After surviving conditions that left many others broken or dead, Ousman made the brave decision to return home. On February 8, 2022, he came back to The Gambia and re-enrolled in school, this time with a renewed purpose. “I felt it was my duty to tell the truth,” he said. My Bones and the Desert is the result - an honest, unflinching account of the perils faced by irregular migrants.

Through his writing, Ousman hopes to raise awareness among young people about the true cost of illegal migration. His story is not one of defeat, but of awakening. He wants others to understand that while the desire for a better life is valid, the route through the desert is too often a path to ruin, not redemption.

Ousman’s return to education and his literary achievement speak volumes about the resilience of the human spirit. He proves that change is possible - not just through escape, but through self-reflection, education, and community dialogue.

As he continues his studies in the Arts stream at Kotu Senior Secondary School, Ousman dreams of becoming an advocate and writer who helps shape national conversations around youth empowerment, migration, and education.

In a time when many young Africans, Gambians in particular are tempted by the mirage of Europe, My Bones and the Desert stands as both a warning and a beacon - a reminder that true strength lies not in the escape from hardship, but in the courage to confront it and inspire others to do the same.

Interested youth organisations, and educational institutions can contact Ousman M. Touray to collaborate in raising awareness and promoting youth empowerment.