Global Crossings

A reflection on the past and present of human migration: human right to migrate and global citizenship.

Exposição "Vidas Refugiadas" (2017)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Carrying out global crossings is the essence of humanity and humanity, in its essence, is one. 

The exhibition is an initiative of the Global Crossings Project, run by the Jean Monnet Chair at the Federal University of Uberlândia and coordinated by Prof. Claudia Loureiro, who is also the curator. With the aim of exploring global citizenship, the exhibition proposes a concept that transcends the traditional links between the individual and their country of origin, promoting respect for human rights and encouraging citizenship practices in a global context.

Using resources from the Immigration Museum's collection and testimonies collected by the curators, the public is invited to think about the principle of humanity and the right to migrate. Addressing universal values that transcend borders, we propose an interdisciplinary dialogue with civil society, encouraging reflection on the reception of forced migrants and the guarantee of their rights, avoiding their dehumanization.

Imigrantes e migrantes nacionais no pátio interno da Hospedaria de Imigrantes (1930)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Humankind

Humanity concerns the quality of being human, humanness, and the consideration of all human beings as a whole, humankind, that is, it refers to the quality of being human, in an abstract sense, since the totality of existence is indivisible and independent of borders.

Quarto dentro das dependências da Hospedaria de Imigrantes do Brás (1880/1980)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

The principle of humanity expresses a feeling of goodwill toward humanity, a moral value or attitude of gentleness, gentleness, generosity, patience, and compassion.

Exposição Migrar: Inquietações, perguntas e possibilidades, 2023, From the collection of: Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo
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Portuguese immigrants pose in front of the main building of the Hostelry of Brás, Unknown, 1938/1938, From the collection of: Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo
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The former Hostel for Immigrants, now the Immigration Museum, played a crucial role in welcoming immigrants to São Paulo, alleviating their suffering. Forced migration creates great pain, and it is essential that States, international organizations and the global community are sensitive to this reality. Barriers imposed by the international community increase the suffering of migrants fleeing conflicts, environmental disasters and human rights violations.

Exposição "Infância refugiada" (2018)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Treating migration as a global issue is fundamental to the protection of human rights, as the dehumanization of a migrant affects humanity as a whole, and the violation of rights anywhere impacts the entire world.

Immigrants and migrants awaiting the call to enroll in the Registration Book of the Hostelry of Brás (1930/1939) by UnknownImmigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

People of the world, world of people

Forced migration, in which people cross borders as undocumented people, causes individual and collective suffering, affecting human dignity and the rights of all humanity. Solving this problem is the responsibility of the entire global community.

It should be noted that no immigrant is illegal, since everyone is looking for better living conditions and, often, survival in the destination countries. Many leave their countries of origin to escape the atrocities experienced and, thus, migrate without documents and without obtaining prior authorization from the destination countries, but, regardless of this, migrating is a human right provided for in article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948.

Depoimento Abdoulaye Guibila - Mensagem para os governos:Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

The status of illegality would be equivalent to the revictimization of these human beings who undertake global crossings for various reasons, such as armed conflicts, environmental disasters, degradation of human rights, survival and the search for better living conditions.

Imigrantes embarcando em transporte ferroviário (1880/1980)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Human mobility is part of the trajectory and development of humanity. Our ancestors were already migratory. Migrating means moving from one place to another and, in this sense, migration is a genre whose species include forced and voluntary migration.

Exposição "Costurando dignidade" (2019)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Dehumanization

Forced migration degrades the human rights of those involved, subjecting them to exploitation and vulnerability. The temporary exhibition Costurando Dignidades, exhibited at the Immigration Museum in 2019, presented women who were subjected to exploitation in sewing workshops in São Paulo.

Forced migration objectifies people, considering them less than human, causing human beings to be considered as objects and not as subjects of rights, depersonalizing them, which affects their integrity, diminishing their humanity.

The dehumanization of a human being impacts the degradation of everyone's human rights and, thus, all of humanity, humankind, becomes a victim. Therefore, rescuing the human dignity of migrants is of global interest, as it impacts the consideration of humanity as a whole.

Barco da TIC sendo consertado em Itanhaem (1801/1999)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Absence

Missing home, school, family, work, the smell of food and routine is common among migrants. Separated from their families, homesickness is a difficult feeling to assimilate and the letters demonstrate the immigrants' desire to have a family reunion.

Carta de Adama Konate (2015)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

"I want to tell all of you, my parents and friends, that everything is fine and I hope you are also at peace. The only thing that makes me lose sleep is missing my country and each one of you."

"Today my heart and my thoughts are focused on my homeland, because being away from my mother, my father, my brothers and friends is as difficult for me as this journey to a new world."

Depoimento Abdoulaye Guibila - Saudade da mãe:Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Every human being belongs to their State of origin, with which they maintain a legal-political link of nationality, but they also belong to a global community, as a global citizen, and must be considered as a subject of law in the national and global context.

Exposição "La Jornada: A resiliência do povo venezuelano em busca de refúgio no Brasil" (2019)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Dehumanization reflects the power of telling a unique story. Over time, the lives of migrants have been told, unilaterally, based on the speech of those in power, which is very dangerous. 

Exposição Fotográfica "Quem conta essa história? Refugiados jornalistas ou jornalistas refugiados?" (2021)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

In the words of the Pakistani poet, Mourid Barghout, reproduced in Chimamanda Adichie's speech, a story needs to be told from different places, mainly from the perspective of the people involved. 

Depoimento da pesquisadora Evelize Moreira – Trabalho de resgate de memória do Museu da Imigração:Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Lançamento Carderno Globo Deslocamentos e Refúgios (2019)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Paths to Trans_Humanity

Global citizens are a mosaic of people from different parts of the world, with different cultures, different customs and different appearances. It remains for us to accept others, their diversity, to evolve as humanity.

Trecho Declaração das Raças Unesco (1950)Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

Depoimento Profa. Sonia – Mundo sem fronterias:Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo

The human race is one. The world is one. Humanity is one. Borders are porous. Migrating is a human right.

Credits: Story

GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO

Tarcísio de Freitas
Governor of the State of São Paulo

Felicio Ramuth
Vice-Governor

Marília Marton
Secretary of State for Culture and Creative Economy

INSTITUTE FOR THE PRESERVATION AND DISSEMINATION OF THE HISTORY OF COFFEE AND IMMIGRATION

Alessandra Almeida
Executive Director

Thiago Santos
Administrative Director

Caroline Feijo Nóbrega
Communication and Institutional Development Manager

Daniel Correa
Administrative Manager

César Pimenta
Infrastructure Coordinator

Henrique Trindade
Training and Education Coordinator

Otávio Balager
Preservation Coordinator

Thiago Haruo
Research Coordinator

Thâmara Malfatti
Institutional Communication Coordinator

GLOBAL CROSSINGS

Achievement
Jean Monnet Chair
Federal University of Uberlândia
Global Crossings Project

Funding
European Union

Curatorship and research 
Claudia Loureiro
Evelize Moreira

Testimonials
Abdoulaye Guibila
Sonia Altomar
Evelize Moreira

Exhibition assembly
Gabriela Araújo Santos

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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