Second week: No man is a prophet in his own land.

 During our second class, we discussed many things but one took a while. 

Photo by yousef alfuhigi on Unsplash

 What made us, as Latinos, find success in other lands. During the discussion, a phrase pops up that we as Latinos say a lot:  No man is a prophet in his own land. 

Researching more about the origin of this phrase, I found out that it comes from the bible (Luke 4:16-30): "23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown". 

It wasn't rare to me because is a fact that the primary religion is Christianity in its different ways. The thing is that the bold phrase before was also referring to what we discussed in class. It's not only to go to another place, usually the North (North America or Europe) but to be recognized for what that person does far away. 

My case was different, I went to Argentina for my first Masters but still, I went elsewhere within Latin America (outside my hometown, even though I did well in my city). I think that is not only a thing of going to the north but to go somewhere where you can find opportunities if you don't find them in your home country. Nowadays you can also think of other places like Australia, Japan, South Korea, or China. 

As I said in the last post, you will deal with the popularity of your home country. Also, in the behavior of other immigrants of your country, before you. For example, when I lived in Argentina, Colombians were loved because usually, the immigrants were university students undergraduates, and graduates. But then, in 2012 or 2013 they found a cartel or small drug dealers, so Argentinians started looking different to Colombian immigrants. 

Now in Colombia, we are worried about Mexicans, but there have been numerous arrivals of Mexican drug dealers who have been settled in a department called Cauca. The violence is even harder than before. Is a different violence because that department used to have Guerrillas and drug dealers too, but they had reached a moment of tranquility and now violence has taken place again. That combined with the treatment in the Mexican airports and some violence to Colombian women who were living in Mexico, is making people think differently. But still, Colombians love Mexicans because they similarly treat people. is more about a migration policy.

This also happens in Ecuador, Ecuatorians sometimes think of Colombians as drug dealers or thieves but now this thinking has changed to Venezuelans. 

I think every country has its own prejudice against immigrants from other countries. Germany is one country that is receiving a lot of immigrants but they still have their own thoughts about them. Also, there is a necessity of cheap labor and that is usually the issue that benefits (in a way) the immigrant.  Now some countries are closing their doors like Canada and Australia. In the case of Canada, to Indians and Latinos. Australia, to Latinos and other Asian nationalities.

In the case of my city, we receive immigrants from other parts of our country (all the Pacific area, the coffee area, and the south of the country) and from other neighboring countries like Venezuela and Ecuador. Cali is used to receiving a lot of people and that's why is difficult to establish an identity profile. For example, if you say the Caribean Colombian Coast you have Volteao hat as a clear and autochthonous representation, if you say  Medell[in, you have the Carriel, but when you say Cali or Bogota, you have to appeal to the food...and in Cali the food is divided in two: the one that comes from the Pacific Ocean that usually comes from Buenaventura or the Andina food. Bogota and Cali, also are known in an autochthonous way because of their accent but with the mixture of cultures that coexist together, are getting lost. 

This inner immigration also comes along with what this post initiates with. Migration also comes along inside the countries, most of them from the rural places to the cities or from small cities to the bigger ones or just where each person or family find opportunities or escape from violence. This last part is common in my country. We called them displaced people. And that's very common because of Drug trafficking, Guerrillas, and Paramilitarism violence. Or Economy. 

Let's take my husband for Example. He is from Sevilla, Valle. A town that is 2 hours and a half North of Cali. His family arrived escaping from the violence of Antioquia and also looking for a better Coffee economy. At that moment, decades ago Sevilla and its surroundings were known as rise economic area. They came by horse and walking, but when the principal road was built and people didn't have the necessity of making the detour to the town, the economic rise was settled. So now, the young ones, as my husband did, tried to find opportunities elsewhere. Many go to the nearest city that is Armenia or to Cali, which is the third most important city in the country and that is near two.

So, what makes us go to other places, seeking better opportunities, a better life, or escaping from violence. I also think that the thing that we may do better in different places than our hometown is because we can escape from the things people think they know about us or the prejudice that the people have against us. And this is not only a thing of Latinos.