Migration 3

At first I told everyone I was from Trinidad so I wouldn’t have to talk about Sri Lanka and the war. I didn’t want to say that I am a refugee.

Frank Sawatzki (2005): Maya rennt.

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, short, M.I.A. (born in 1975) is a British singer and music producer. M.I.A. stands for both Missing in Action and Missing in Acton.

Refugees often spend multiple years migrating before they reach their destination country. Because of the struggle for survival that the border regime imposes, refugees from war zones may not be able to find the space to heal the emotional trauma that they carry (experiences of war, rape, loss of family members). On the contrary: the violence and lack of shelter - especially for women - often continue in the country of arrival. In many countries, however, there are self-organised psychiatric care centres that provide assistance in dealing with psychological trauma.

*Grada Kilomba (2021): Plantation Memories: Episodes of Everyday Racism. Tkaronto: Between the Lines Publishers.

2005