“We have to accept it
that life is simple
the search for happiness.
(Albert Camus. “The Stranger”)
Chile has a long history of migration. The development and history of people is culturally enhanced by the knowledge of movement that some subjects show. There were migration experiences among the indigenous people, the Colony, in the 19th century, as a result of its racial prejudice that was established until today, it encouraged colonial and European migration campaigns, also some solidarity experiences such as those which the Spanish Republican refugees had in the 20th century and especially those later for humanitarian reasons for victims of war or natural disasters.
Given our racial and class position, we are not a country that supports all migrants; our prejudices threaten healthy social cohesion. The resurgence of conservative ideologies on what we might call the political right fuels hatred of what is different to us. Migrants, especially those displaced by conflict, are stigmatized daily; to understand this, it is enough to turn the television a little.
The play “Being a Foreigner in Chile”, which has just had its first performance at the GAM, gives us a clear reflection on our ethnicity and classism, ideological issues that we do not show a lot. The stories represented on the stage are true testimonies of the same protagonists who have matured in their situation as migrants, accepting their new identity as a living expression of today caused by the controversial co-existence in our region.
An interesting commitment from the cultural group Teatro en Casa which has already given us several works that invite us to think from a political perspective, such as “Stage Encounter of Political Demonstration” (2019), “Story of Memory” (2020 -2021). ) and “A Place in Chile” (2021). In the ten years of existence of this group they have been recognized for their concern to create binding communication with citizens. The Teatro en Casa Group stands out for being a work of collective participation in creation and direction, regarding “Being a Foreigner in Chile” the creators are: Nicolás Fernandois, Belén Alfaro , Paulina Moreno and Marcelo Salinas: with a cast made up of: Wolinsky Phadael, María Fernanda Gómez, Doralí Lobo, Angie Mercado, Johanna Boya, Yury Escárraga, Maya Rodríguez, Irina Kovacevic and Marcelo Torrealba.
Alex Ibarra.
Dr. in American Studies.
