Roma (NEV), January 10, 2020 – Now in its seventeenth year, the Annual Santa Cruz Valley Border Issues Fair provides an opportunity for scholars and activists from around the world to share perspectives on border and immigration issues. This year, Mediterranean Hope’s Francesco Piobbichi, social worker and social artist, has been invited to be one of the keynote speakers.
Hosted by UCC Church of the Good Shepherd, the Fair runs alongside Common Ground on the Border, a three-day arts festival which connects people with migration issues through music, art, writing and dance. Located in Sahuarita, Arizona, on the US/Mexican border, it brings participants directly to “the Borderlands”, where migrant struggle is a daily reality. Field trips to the border and into the desert will provide further insight and challenge for participants.
Francesco will be accompanied by Fiona Kendall, Mediterranean Hope’s European & Legal Affairs Advisor, and by Hannah Kummer, who will join the team in Rome as a legal operator later this year. All three will be connecting with churches and interest groups working directly with migrants across Arizona over the next fortnight in a programme put together by Global Ministries, which has a long-standing connection with FCEI.
Developing global connections whilst sharing, comparing and contrasting experiences could not be more valuable at a time when nations and societies so often seem fragmented. Mediterranean Hope is delighted to have the opportunity to present more about the work being done here and, indeed, to bring back best practice from the US/Mexico border which will inform our own approach.
