Conversation at the border

A summer morning at the Pou de la Figuera. Barcelona yawns: a motorcycle starts, a truck cleans, the suitcases of those arriving or leaving roll, the coffee pot sounds and a sparrow waits for crumbs.
EileenTruax (journalist and author specialized in migrations) and Gemma Pinyol-Jiménez (researcher and expert in migration policies) meet -at last- to talk about borders.
About those lines that separate and, at the same time, allow crossing.

"The border occurs at the point where two identities meet and begin to blend. Where there is a border, there has to be a bridge." -E. Truax

From that idea, the conversation unfolds:

• From the border as an encounter to the border built from fear and exclusion.
  
• From political borders to mental borders that feed prejudices and inequalities.
  
• From the media narrative that simplifies and confronts, to journalism that contrasts, contextualizes and opens up.
  
• From rigid national identity to citizenship by residence, which recognizes responsibilities, taxes... and therefore public voice.
  
• From the wall as a metaphor to the bridge as a daily democratic practice.
  

"Anti-migration policies do not build better societies: they impoverish them." -G. Pinyol-Jiménez

Barcelona, they remind us, is already an encounter: schools, squares and neighborhoods where people live together beyond the media noise. And therein lies a key: putting local life at the center to resist the narratives that tell us that we hate each other.

Watch the complete video

"La conversa" is part of the latest issue of Convit/e - Fronteres Magazine.
🎥 Full video available on Convit/e's YouTube channel..

Why this conversation matters

Because to ask about borders is to ask about rights, coexistence and democracy.
And because, as Eileen reminds us, more diverse societies work better: they are dynamic, innovative and more capable of solving complex problems.

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