Daio’s story – Artwork by Filippa Edghill

“I was crying everyday. The police just told me to shut up. The police told me they don’t want foreigners here and I should go back to Burundi.” – Daio

Daio is from Burundi. He lost both his parents when he was six, and his grandfather did not have the means to support his schooling.

When he was 17, he travelled with a friend through Tanzania and into Swaziland, where the police stopped them. His friend ran when officers arrived and Daio never saw him again. Daio reported that police took his money, phone and clothes, and that he was then held for months in a police station in South Africa.

From there, he was transferred to Lindela, a large immigration detention centre holding thousands of people without documents. Daio described facing hostility from police because he did not speak English and witnessing violence inside the facility, including fights over food. He said he avoided further harm by keeping quiet and by relying on another detained person from Kenya, who helped him navigate basic needs like collecting meals.

He spent two months in detention before being released. Daio said he still thinks about the people he met inside and worries about what happened to them, including his friend from the journey.