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Zurrieq, Malta - 19 August, 2012: Shami Taha Mohammed, a 29 years old Sudanese immigrant who arrived in Malta in 2004, is in the kitchen of the farm house he shares with other Sub-Saharan migrants before celebrating the end of Ramadan with Sudanese and Maltese friends in Zurrieq, Malta, on 19 August, 2012. Shami co-founded the Migrants' 'Network for Equality' in 2010, after one migrant committed suicide, to give a 'voice' to the sub-saharan community. He works in a company specialized in ship maintenance. Speaking about integration of the migrants in the Maltese society, he says: "We're integrated with the Maltese, but there's racism at the top, among those who should be taking care of the refugees". He continues speakng about the amount of African workers in construction companies: "The Maltese don't like to work in construction. We built the new hospital!".. Shami sends back money to his family in Sudan, to his mother, two sisters and brother. He's currently writing a book called "Get on the boat". "Outside our country we are nobody. We are just black people", Shami says. Upon his arrival in Malta from Libya in 2004, Shami was in a detention center for 6 months.

Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times

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©2011 Gianni Cipriano
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20120817_NYT_MALTA
Zurrieq, Malta - 19 August, 2012: Shami Taha Mohammed, a 29 years old Sudanese immigrant who arrived in Malta in 2004, is in the kitchen of the farm house he shares with other Sub-Saharan migrants before celebrating the end of Ramadan with Sudanese and Maltese friends in Zurrieq, Malta, on 19 August, 2012. Shami co-founded the Migrants' 'Network for Equality' in 2010, after one migrant committed suicide, to give a 'voice' to the sub-saharan community. He works in a company specialized in ship maintenance. Speaking about integration of the migrants in the Maltese society, he says: "We're integrated with the Maltese, but there's racism at the top, among those who should be taking care of the refugees". He continues speakng about the amount of African workers in construction companies: "The Maltese don't like to work in construction. We built the new hospital!".. Shami sends back money to his family in Sudan, to his mother, two sisters and brother. He's currently writing a book called "Get on the boat". "Outside our country we are nobody. We are just black people", Shami says. Upon his arrival in Malta from Libya in 2004, Shami was in a detention center for 6 months.<br /> <br /> Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times