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People have migrated all through human history — you could say that our origins lay in migration, with the nomadic tribes homo sapiens lived in before the advent of agriculture. Migration spread wealth, knowledge, food, religion, and many other aspects of human culture and society. People left their homes and the motherlands in search of better lives — often at the expense of their sense of belonging and identity. Those who took this path sought wealth and resources, driven by the whims of rulers, and were compelled to flee for their lives, among many other motivations.
Upon reaching a new land, so begins the difficult labor of learning the ways of the people in this new place. This process can take months, years, or lifetimes. They might be welcomed, rejected, ignored, abused, exploited, or included. Sometimes belonging comes easy, sometimes it is forever out of reach, forcing generations to live in a state of “otherness.” In many cases, when newcomers look different, their children and grandchildren will still be marked as different, regardless of whether they were born and raised there or not.
In recent years, migration has mostly been driven by the twin engines of the demand for cheap labor matched with people dreaming of better lives, as well as the ravages of war and climate. The capitalist world continues to demand the free movement of capital and balk at the free movement of people and labor, and wealthier nations are reluctant to acknowledge the role they play in impoverishing the countries whose mineral resources they exploit, or in creating and accelerating the climate crisis. Stories about migration tend to put migrants and their lives into boxes and reduce their experiences to struggle, exoticism, or talking points for political parties.
Global Voices wants to explore stories of migration and bring back the nuance and diversity that lie in all human experiences. Our community comes from all over the world, and many of us live as or have lived as migrants, far from the lands where we were born, so we have asked the people from our community to write about their experiences of moving, building a new home, and facing the challenges and triumphs that come with migration.
