Immigration (War is over…NOT)
So this’s Christmas and what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun. A very happy Xmas & a Happy New Year – it was for me – let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear…
So, why 6 days in 2014 only do I feel already powerless and threatened? Could it have to do with the latest news about immigration? This time, we hear it from the Nation itself: Immigration needs to be cut down….What does that realistically mean? For whom? Is there a before and after the poll? Or are we, all migrants, put in the same basket?
Give it two more years and it’ll be about 15 years I’ve been living in the UK – will this number of years play in my favor? I’m not Eastern European but from a country which, despite centuries of rivalry has been GB’s ally at crucial times in history. Does it count as such?. For years, I have worked in offices, with communities, volunteered in groups, participated in public forums, been involved in charities’s projects, championed national causes (at my level) and embraced 2012 as if it was my second National Day. How many browny points on the staying scale do I get?
Then I’m an artist. I’ve spent my day looking after my voice, promoting my latest solo show around town, watching Siobhan Davies’s dancers moving beautifully at the ICA, talking about my worries related to my practice, checking opportunities for my next creative venture, contacting potential collaborators and thinking about my near future. How do I contribute to the country’s economy? Am I still a threat for its stability? Or an asset for its diversity?
Yes, a very Merry Xmas – it was – and a Happy New Year! Let’s hope it’s a peaceful one without any more fears?
