Originally from the Savoy region of France, three years ago this journalist with a passionate interest in Africa moved to Tangiers, Morocco, to pursue her professional interests.

During those three years, she observed Nigerian women, some with children, attempting to emigrate to Europe, which unfortunately can offer them nothing more than a life of prostitution. She made an effort to get to know these women and discovered that nearly all of them were from the southern part of Nigeria, where the inhabitants practice a form of Christianity strongly influenced by voodoo.

In an effort to find out more about them, she decided to trace them back to their homeland, in order to understand the reasons behind this massive wave of emigration

Achievements since winnning the grant
In May 2006, Armandine published her press report in ELLE magazine, named : Nigéria, Vol Direct pour le trottoir.

In January 2007, Armandine Penna left Tangiers, to set out on a long journey via the Tangiers-Dakar Trans-African road, which is now entirely surfaced. Her travel diary (containing both text and photos), which she will put together along the way, is published by the daily newspaper La Croix in July 2007 (16-27)– she is also the paper’s correspondent in Morocco. This special report is intended to shine a spotlight on the economic and social interaction made possible by this rapidly developing intra-African road link, which Armandine has called “the road of fraternity”.