Pensando en la migración

Más allá de mis hermosos recuerdos de la infancia, fui a Siria de adulto para ejercer mi derecho a la libertad de circulación.
Syrian Arab Republic, Western Asia

Story by Kamelia Khalil. Translated by Aobh Mc Anulty
Published on July 26, 2020.

This story is also available in GB de it



Soy hija de un matrimonio mixto: mi madre es búlgara y mi padre es sirio. Nací en Sofía, la capital de Bulgaria. Actualmente soy profesora de inglés en Damasco (Siria). La gente suele sorprenderse al oír que he emigrado a Siria, cuando hay tanta gente que emigra de ese país. Los medios de comunicación y las fuerzas políticas presentan a Siria como uno de los lugares más peligrosos del mundo. Aunque es cierto que muchos sirios se han enfrentado a inmensas dificultades en los últimos años, yo veo la vida en Siria de forma muy parecida a como mis amigos europeos ven el trabajo o los estudios en América: Busco nuevas oportunidades, nuevas conexiones, nuevas visiones de la belleza de la humanidad. Veo más allá de la representación de los medios de comunicación y la política de Siria como un lugar peligroso.

Es cierto que me sentí atraído a residir en Siria porque mi padre es sirio. Como ya he dicho, nací en Sofía, Bulgaria. Pasé todos mis años escolares en Sofía, y tengo buenos amigos y recuerdos allí. Mi infancia también incluyó visitas anuales en el verano a Siria, donde residen los padres de mi padre. Esas vacaciones de verano estaban llenas de alegría y risas: mi hermano y yo nos sentíamos libres, pasando todo el tiempo jugando al aire libre con los niños del barrio. Sin embargo, más allá de mis hermosos recuerdos de la infancia, fui a Siria como adulto para ejercer mi derecho a la libertad de circulación. Tengo derecho a viajar dentro de un país, derecho a salir de cualquier país y derecho a entrar en un país del que soy ciudadana. Así que estoy ejerciendo mi derecho y demostrando que este derecho debería ser accesible para todos los seres humanos en cualquier lugar.

Muchos de mis amigos de países europeos ejercen su derecho a la libertad de circulación. Emigran a América en busca de oportunidades educativas y de un mejor empleo. Viajan al sudeste asiático y a África para ver la belleza de diferentes culturas. Hoy en día, hay incluso turistas en Siria, que recorren las calles de Damasco con curiosidad voyerista para ver qué ha pasado y qué pasa en un país que ha sobrevivido a 10 años de guerra.

Por lo demás, los ciudadanos de la Unión Europea disfrutan de una de las mayores libertades de circulación del mundo, con la posibilidad de atravesar las fronteras abiertas de todo el continente (al menos hasta que el COVID lo cerró todo). Sin embargo, esos mismos europeos (y canadienses y estadounidenses) con pasaportes poderosos [1] niegan el acceso a sus países del que disfrutan en el resto del mundo.

Ninguno de nosotros debe olvidar que la migración ha existido desde que la humanidad camina sobre la tierra. Aunque cada uno tiene sus propias razones para emigrar, los resultados suelen ser los mismos: nuevas experiencias, nuevas relaciones, nuevos retos y nueva belleza. En este momento en que los derechos a la migración se han convertido en un tema candente a nivel mundial, es hora de crear un nuevo discurso. La migración no debe considerarse un derecho de algunos o una amenaza para otros, sino algo fundamental para la experiencia humana.


[1] Para saber más sobre los pasaportes fuertes y débiles, lea "Every Passport Has a Story" del corresponsal Fortunat Miarintsoa Andrianimanana https://correspondentsoftheworld.com/story/every-passport-has-a-story


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Kamelia Khalil

Kamelia Khalil

My name is Kamelia Khalil, 25 years old and born in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria. I'm currently an English teacher in Damascus, Syria.

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