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Belonging
Catalina Barragán Hinestroza | 3 March 2021
No matter what document, if you were not born here, you don't belong here.... Migrating is the sin of many
A 21-year-old immigrant has been out of his country for 6 months. He works in public transportation, struggling to eat.
A few years ago he was in a classroom studying his fourth year of law. He decided to become a lawyer because he felt dissatisfied with the judicial system of his country and wanted to fight for his own rights and those of others. He was very young but he had already worked his entire life because his family had little income. His first job, which he tells about with great emotion, was selling soda that he carried in a small container to the market where he shouted "refresco refresco" (soda soda).
"migrating is the sin of many"
When he arrived here, he found a very different reality to the one he expected. He figured that in a neighbouring country he would find a similar culture. But on the contrary, he had to fight against stereotypes and xenophobia. And the economic situation is not easier than the social one because he is not allowed to work formally and informal work generates little income. He tells me that he never imagined having to go through this situation. But it does not prevent him from going out every day to support himself and to be able to send some money home to his family. His family is his engine, enabling him to endure everything with a smile on his face.
"a dreamer who fights to recover his country"
"Look friend, we have the same flag, come from the same liberator and opportunities should be given to anyone." He dreams of returning to his country. And he wishes that he can one day breathe air of freedom, and children can play with their parents in a safe and fair country. More than an immigrant he is a son of his homeland, a dreamer who fights to recover his country.
On the other side of the world the same story is told: a 27 year old immigrant fights to belong in a country that claims to welcome him after years of living in war zones, of suffering attacks that left his body scarred for life, of walking, swimming and running to get there and enduring in the most deplorable conditions to receive a document that allows him to belong in a new country.
"one is always different from the one who was born here"
After all this he could only imagine that upon arriving to this country that legally would be his asylum, his new home, he would be able to rebuild his life and recreate his dreams. But the situation is different: the society that receives him has already labeled his kind as unpleasant and dangerous. But wasn't he supposed to be part of the whole now, wasn't he supposed to belong just like anyone else born here? No matter how someone has migrated or what his reasons were, one is always different from the one who was born here.
Xenophobia, hatred, stereotypes and fear of the unknown have become one of the greatest social crises of our times. Armed conflicts, economic hardship and development have for centuries led to mass displacement. But only in recent years this event has become a major social problem. Previously migration was thought to bring development: the Vikings were called explorers and their travels were celebrated. Now migrants are segregated, discriminated and attacked for the simple fact of seeking better conditions.
"No one leaves their country unless they cannot eat to live"
These judgements make no sense. If we trace our own path to our deepest roots, we see that we are all the result of a mass movement that has combined cultures and created new societies. That is why today the call is to understand that behind every movement there are very deep causes. No one leaves their country unless they cannot eat to live. No one leaves their family unless it’s not safe enough for them to survive. Migration is a decision of many reasons.
That is why we need to understand that the homeland, the territory and the nation are social constructions. Nature migrates, combines and grows, and that is exactly what we must do. Let us welcome everyone, let us fight for inclusive policies, let us make it easier to be away from home, let us be good to those who had to leave everything.