Barreras: an unusual book
I am happy and honored to have received the opportunity to contribute to Barreras, a Pantingo publication. Pantingo is an independent zine and micro publishing house based in Ghent and Madrid, specializing in zines and artist books and founded by artist Tessa De Ceuninck.
In Barreras she approaches the story of boat refugees by playing out seemingly contradictory images against each other.
I wrote the following text for it, which features at the heart of the book:
Tell me
Tell me of the hardships we encountered.
Remind me of the victories
we fought for, the defeats we endured.
Help me recall our high hopes
as we set forth, and how we negotiated
the distances against all odds and opposition.
Remind me of how we held on to our stubborn hopes
to reach the other side with our heads held high.
Reassure me that all we did
was somehow worthwhile.
Help me remember their faces,
pleading, cheering, counting on us to go
where they could not, so we could live
their ambitions, fulfill their dreams.
Tell me the story one more time,
of the heroes who fought and conquered,
so that all who followed in their footsteps
would know a better fate.
For stories are all we know.
And stories are all we have to hold on to.
So speak to me. Whisper, if you need to.
Then I can try to tell the story again,
and we can all try to believe it.
Pantingo will attend the Ghent Art Book Fair (11th–12th May).
