Memories from the ‘invisible city’: migration traces at the French-Italian border of Ventimiglia

ABSTRACT

Since the reintroduction of border control at the French-Italian border in 2015, the town of Ventimiglia has witnessed an increasing number of migrants who are deemed illegal in the eyes of the current EU migration system. These people have been blocked or slowed down in their attempt to continue their journeys. This article examines around 120 drawings and writings left by migrants in Ventimiglia at the ‘Eufemia’ InfoPoint opened by Progetto20k, a collective that provides support to migrants attempting to cross the border. By reflecting upon these migrant experiences, the present work offers a unique perspective of undocumented movements to and through Europe. Such empirical material is invaluable in order to supplement the debate on ‘migration traces’ along international illegalised migratory routes. Through the analytical lens of ‘migration traces’, this work evidences the complexity of migration narratives from a bottom-up perspective. It also highlights the need for said perspective to challenge the dominant representation of undocumented migrants, perceived merely as threats and ‘objects to be governed’.

KEYWORDS:

• Borders
• undocumented movements
• migration traces
• Ventimiglia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://www.breakinglatest.news/news/migrants-france-accuses-and-italy-replies-in-ventimiglia-you-do-worse/

2 Progetto20k is defined as ‘a collective of women and men believing in the universal right to free movement’. Cf. https://www.facebook.com/progetto20k/.

3 The project started in July 2017 and is currently ongoing. From December 2018 to February 2022, Progetto20k reconfigured the InfoPoint’s activities to meet and support transiting migrants through a van operating in a crucial area of the town. Since June 2022, Progetto20k has opened another InfoPoint relatively close to the previous one.

4 Even if most people passing in Ventimiglia were men, it was common to meet women alone or in little groups, sometimes with children.

5 https://artmuseum.pl/en/news/daniel-rycharski-3.

6 These rich materials were also the basis of an installation ‘Eufemia. I sommersi e i salvati’, https://www.laboratoriosociologiavisuale.it/new/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Catalogo-Eufemia-Ita-Eng-WEB.pdf.

7 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/01/behrouz-boochani-on-literary-prize-words-still-have-the-power-to-challenge-inhumane-systems

8 Speech of Ariela Iacometti, a feminist activist at the Eufemia InfoPoint, delivered at the Passaggi /Racconti di ricerca azione tra Ventimiglia e la Val Roja conference, Genoa, 8.11.2018.

9 Since 2015, there has been no official register of people who have lost their lives attempting to cross the French-Italian border illegally. Based on information gathered from journal articles, witness accounts, and police statements, we have counted around 46 certified deaths in the area over time. A memorial to remember the victims was built by the solidarity network in front of the border. https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2023/02/07/da-mentone-a-ventimiglia-la-commemorazione-per-i-migranti-morti-sulla-frontiera-42-vittime-dal-2015-per-loro-ce-totale-indifferenza/7031821/.