Movement, Memory and Migration

By Alejandro García Lemos, MA.

Proposal for the Buinho Artist Residency Project,

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

2024

The constant and ever increasing movement of goods and services has resulted in a massive movement of peoples from the Global South. For instance, in the United States a massive number of people from Central America, Mexico and South America arrive every day—mostly to the southern border. 

In Europe, on the other hand, this mass migration is mostly from Northern Africa, as well and the Balkans and Southern Asia. In my brief research on-line, there are a number of people particularly from Nepal, Pakistan and India who are moving to the Alentejo region in Portugal, bringing with them not only their languages, but also their customs and traditions. Often these changes create misunderstandings, contradictions and challenges.

The intent of this art project is to create a body of work exploring the impact  of historical and contemporary migrations in the Aletejo region, with a strong focus on cultural heritage, diversity and implications for the communities in the district of Beja. Through a series if interviews with both long-time residents and new arrivals, as well as community interactions, I will explore the history, memory and feelings surrounding migration in the area, in particular to the Messejana parish. 

The final project will depend on how the community responds to our interactions. Either via a series of drawings, digital animations or puppetry—or other resources available at the studio—the artist will portray the results of his findings in the town of Messajana.

As an immigrant resident of a rural area in the United States myself, I have worked extensively with both receiving and migrating communities with the objective of fostering understanding within a shared geography, characterized by strong traditional folkways.  With population decline in rural areas spurred by movement to urban hubs, migrants from more far-flung lands likely represent an important component of these areas’ future prosperity.  

With its population declines since the 1970´s and aging population, Messejana represents a unique laboratory to explore these ideas.