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Back to index of Nerve 12 - Summer 2008
We
Are All Migrants!
'The great owners ignored the three cries
of history. The land fell into fewer hands, the number of the dispossessed
increased, and every effort of the great owners was directed at repression.
The money was spent for arms, for gas to protect the great holdings, and
spies were sent to catch the murmuring of revolt so that it might be stamped
out. The changing economy was ignored; and only means to destroy revolt
were considered, while the causes of revolt went on.'
John Steinbeck, The Grapes Of Wrath
On 1st April this year, BBC reported that 'foreign' migrant birds were no longer returning to their native countries, and were 'threatening native birds' because 'they eat all their food'. The invaders had to be caught and 'forcibly repatriated'.
Of course, this was an April Fools' Day joke. But why is it funny? Firstly, because bird migration is seen as being natural; beyond human borders. Secondly, because we would never consider goldfinch or siskin as rivals, in the same way that many people think of human migrants. Birds migrate to this country every year, and are welcomed. Workers and refugees come to this country - the fifth richest in the world - and are scapegoated for our social problems.
In fact, study after study shows that overseas workers are net contributors to the nation's wealth, meaning there should be even more to go around. So the problem isn't migrant workers or asylum seekers, it's the people at the top, who make unimaginable amounts of money off other people's work, and the governments who will not provide decent services.
At Nerve, we reckon it's well past time that we welcomed all newcomers to this land just like we do with our feathered friends. An important first step is to reach out, get to know people, see what they can offer you and what you can offer them. So this issue of Nerve is dedicated to the truth behind the myths, migrant voices, and migrant art. After all, the human race originated in Africa, so we are all migrants!
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