“I’m happy because I have some work, and I like living in a small village. The people here are kind.” These are the words of 26-year-old Yaya, spoken in Spanish. He also speaks Wolof, Pular, Mandinka, Zarma, Bambara, French, and a little English—an impressive linguistic repertoire. Yaya fled Niger a little over a year ago, escaping a conflict zone near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali. He arrived by boat on El Hierro, a small Canary Island, spent a brief time in Madrid,