“Hay también quienes, […] Más que migrar, huyen” -Oscar Martínez
It is not easy to leave a life behind; it is not easy to leave the country in which you grew up, it is not easy to walk thousands of kilometers, it is not easy to be attacked and labeled, it is not easy to be a migrant.
Migration is one of the most difficult problems to eradicate today, it can completely destroy the people who live this, it is an issue that has been neglected and forgotten by us, which is why we have not managed to solve it. It is a situation that we need to solve, I need to solve.
My family and I are migrants from Venezuela and Colombia, we were lucky, thanks to the hard work, tenacity, and opportunities, we have achieved a good standard of living; but not everyone has the luck and opportunities that we have, which is why I consider it important to give a voice to those who do not. During the last year, Latin American migration has grown at an annual rate of 17%, involving four million people (global, 2016), it is important to note that currently in the countries of South America there are three important spheres which are causing migration: political, economic and social.
All of the spheres mentioned above can become somewhat complicated and important in a person's life. Politics often empower a specific group of people who share an idea, can do good for the betterment of a country or can condemn it and lead to its doom. The economy is essential for human beings since we depend on it to live and cover all our needs, a bad economy can lead us to a bitter destiny. The social sphere can cause us happiness, stress, and sadness.
Art can become essential to manifest or teach the world our feelings or the affection that a situation can cause us because words are not enough in some cases. This is why countless artists have used these media to raise awareness about people who suffer from this situation and have been victims of neglect.
“Yo soy migrante” is a song created by the Mexican Joaquin Mertz, which is based on true stories of immigrants to the United States. More than 50 musicians participated and represented more than 26 nationalities.
A concert called "Venezuela Aid Live" was held, its purpose was to direct attention to the humanitarian crisis that Venezuela is currently experiencing. Singers from different parts of Latin America joined the cause to give a great show to thousands of people.
Both cultural manifestations contain the same purpose, to raise awareness about problems that people live. Which leads her to migrate, and also raise awareness about this problem. It can be seen that dozens of people participated in the causes mentioned above, meaning that it is possible to raise awareness to achieve change in our society.
Mexican artist Felipe Baeza, affirms that art is fundamental for the transformation, redefinition, and reimagination of the global phenomenon of migration (The New York Times, 2018). Baeza, with his work Untitled (so much darkness, so much brownness), sought to challenge and change the ideas that we have about migrants and other marginalized people in our society today.
Regarding the visual arts, no information was actually found on Venezuelan works.
In conclusion, it can be said and assumed that migration is a reality that affects us all in some way, even if we are not aware of it. It is certainly complex; therefore, nothing can really be done to eradicate it, but you can spread and educate people about migration, the causes, what it entails, among other things. What I propose and I would commit to doing to achieve the desired objectives, would be to give classes to migrants by the Tecnologico de Monterrey, which would help generate more opportunities for this sector of society; likewise, awareness-raising and donation campaigns would be carried out by the same institution.
We can generate more smiles and enterprising people with a human sense.
References:
Los flujos migratorios en América Latina. (2019). Retrieved 27 October 2019, from https://www.esglobal.org/los-flujos-migratorios-intrarregionales-en-america-latina/
Lescaze, Z. (junio 24, 2018). Trece miradas artísticas sobre la inmigración. noviembre 15, 2019, de The New York Times Sitio web: https://www.nytimes.com/es/2018/06/24/migracion-arte-contemporaneo/
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