The Antiracist Festival, organized with great success every year by the Coordinating Committee of Immigration and Antiracist Organizations, this year had the message “From Pylos to Palestine – There is no peace without justice”, uniting the voices of the whole world of solidarity against any narrative of social exclusion and marginalization, against any intolerance and “allergy” to difference and promoting equality and social justice. The festival includes a variety of events and activities, which encourage the active participation and action of all participants – from speeches by activists, academics and experts on racism issues, mass debates, screenings, educational events, photo exhibitions, stands of Non-Governmental and Self-Organised Associations to inform, raise awareness and transmit their vision to the general public, stalls of street vendors, to concerts by musicians of all identities and journeys of our taste buds from collective kitchens from every corner of the world.
I attended the Festival on Sunday, July 7, and since it was my first time, my expectations were met. A sea of people, diverse and colorful, their faces lit up with smiles, and their eyes radiating the warmth of unity, waved in the open space of the festival. The sounds of music mingled with laughter and conversation, like a melody played by many different instruments.Smells of migrant cuisines wafted in the air, carrying flavors from distant lands. The voices of the speakers, united under a common vision of justice and equality, echoed, and their words seemed to become seeds planted in the hearts of all who listened.
It was a full day with many different stimuli. At first, my friends and I wandered around the stands of the collectives, and then we attended the speech “Pylos, Evros, Lampedusa: Borders are killing”. It was a very enlightening speech, as we learned further details about the case of the 9 from Pylos,the pushbacks at sea, on the islands and in Evros, border violence, conditions in detention centres, the trial of the three in Evros. With the end of the discussion and with our stomachs rumbling we moved to the stands with the migrant kitchens, picked up our food and sat down to enjoy it, stealing a bite from each other .We sat at tables set up in front of the Migrant Scene and enjoyed the music of Tarabesque and Adir Jan, joining in the feast and dance that followed. We were lost in the magic of this moment of merriment so deeply that time faded, time danced unseen, and our minds traveled to worlds beyond the present.
From the tragic shipwreck off Pylos in June 2023 in Greece, the borderline rise of a far-right government in France in July 2024, to the silent genocide in Congo and Palestine that has been taking place for decades, it is clear that humanity is experiencing an abysmal crisis of values, driven by the most extreme forms of violence and extermination, with irreparable consequences for the continuation of the normal flow of things. There is an urgent need to rally and organise against all forms of oppression and discrimination, and to claim the rights of all of us, regardless of colour, origin, sexual identity and preference, age and social class. Festivals of this kind are the best opportunity and occasion for people from all corners of the world to come together and join our voices in a climate that celebrates and embraces multiculturalism. In the living painting of the festival, human souls become the brushstrokes of a canvas full of light and hope. Here, where diversity is celebrated and love reigns supreme, the space becomes a symbol of a community that embraces equality and solidarity. Through music, colours and voices, a message emerges: that the true strength of humanity lies in its unity.
A Migratory Bird.
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