The Mediterranean Sea remains one of the ways through which undocumented migrants cross in to Europe. These journeys are usually filled with danger and uncertainties. While accounts of these journeys are usually documented by the media, not so much has been written about this crossing in literary works. African Titanics, is a short novel written by the Eritrean writer Abu Bakr Khaal in 2008 but translated into English in 2014. The short novel is important to the literary study of migration because it provides a vivid depiction of migration through the desert and the Mediterranean Sea. What is more, the novel is authored by Khaal who, himself, made a similar journey. Characters in the novel, Abdar, Terhas, Malouk pursue an arduous journey through the desert and the sea into Europe.
I will argue that, for these characters, decision to migrate through this horrendous means is prompted by risk – the anticipation of catastrophe. There is complexity in decision and risk taking. Race, gender, and other socio-cultural frameworks come into play when decision making is enacted. I will examine the biographies of the characters in their target country and show how different forms of risk are involved in their formation of self and identity formation. In African Titanics, Khaal does not however present migration as permanent and final, he creates different types of migratory scenarios that are prompted by various manifestations of risk.