El Salvador, A Story of Migrations and Hopes

The theme of immigration has sadly been at the forefront of global news these past weeks. People fleeing. Families separated. Lives lost on the roads, walking towards a better future.

During our trip to El Salvador, the subject of immigration was a common thread in our encounters, as for several decades, many Salvadorans have been leaving for the United States, often with no hope of return...

Why? How? And what risks do they face?

Before traveling to El Salvador, a group of Belgian-Salvadoran singers sent me sounds and images of their country: Shaka y Dres. I will tell you more about these two brothers with remarkable destinies (just like their father whom I met here) another time...

Several songs from this group touched me due to their deep social commitment. One of them tackles the theme of immigration. A subject they also know personally, having lived with their parents in Belgium as refugees during the civil war.

The song: > (Land of Corn), of which here is the music video.

Note: In the video, this is the second version of this song, which can be found in their latest album > (Too Many Memories). Personally, I prefer this version, while François prefers the first... So form your own opinion (their songs are available on iTunes and YouTube).

With their permission, I transcribed the lyrics of this song and translated them.

Patria de Maiz by Shaka y Dres ¡Que tal! I am a child of the war Made of bullets, made of trenches A couple of years ago, I crossed the border But I miss my wife and my land Walking through the tough parts of the desert The border patrol comes, bam! And I wake up These are the scars that the journey left me My nightmares remember the landscape Cold days make me tremble And still, I always go out to work I have to fight, I have to sweat To send that remittance needed back home Chorus: a one-way ticket Coyote mamey, So I don't have to return (repeat) From a distance as a child, drenched in hope Many moons of drought and the urge to survive How nostalgia hurts me, how my roots ache How memories hurt me, my homeland of maize Being far from my country hurts me From heat to cold, I can feel the change I wish I had the option to return from time to time To see my family that I miss so much And when I walk down the street With that feeling of emptiness That hits hard to the heart... a despair That nothing can heal I want to leave... to my homeland... of maize Every day the fear grips me Every day the fear catches me They tell me >

(Gringo:) > That urge to cry That walks through my bones Is killing me I'm like a sheep in a field of wolves I have to learn to defend myself from everyone I need to know where, when, and with whom Even among Latinos Where is my land, where is my sister I wish I could wake up there tomorrow I wish I could forget once and for all This wretched life we all lead here I want to enjoy my favorite beach Beans with rice, that is my food I don't need more to live in harmony Knowing that finally, I will have my family close Chorus: a one-way ticket Coyote mamey, So I don't have to return (repeat)

How's it going! I am a child of the war Made by bullets and trenches A few years ago, I crossed the border But I miss my wife and my land Walking through the harsh parts of the desert Here come the border agents > And I wake up These are the scars that the journey left me My nightmares remember the landscape Cold days make me shiver And still, I always go to work I have to fight, I have to sweat To send the money my family needs Chorus: A one-way ticket, Coyote mamey (> = smuggler; > = derogative slang: poor guy, coward), So I don't have to return (repeat) From my tender childhood, soaked in illusions After several moons of drought, the desire to survive How nostalgia hurts, how my roots ache How memories burn... My homeland of maize Being far from my country hurts me From heat to cold, the change is felt I wish I could return from time to time To see my family who I miss so much And when I walk down the street With this feeling of emptiness That hits hard in the heart, a despair That nothing heals; I want to go... to my Homeland... of Corn Every day the fear oppresses me Every day the fear catches me Let them tell me >

(American voice speaking in Spanish:) > This urge to cry That courses through my bones Is killing me I'm like a sheep in a field of wolves I have to learn to defend myself from everyone I need to know where, when, and with whom And between Latinos also Where is my land, where is my sister I wish I could wake up there tomorrow I wish I could forget once and for all This wretched life we all lead here I want to enjoy my favorite beach Red beans with rice, that's my food I don't need more to live in harmony Knowing that in the end, I will be close to my family Chorus: A one-way ticket, Coyote mamey (>), So I don't have to return (repeat)

About half of the population is in exile! And the number of illegal Salvadorans in the United States is staggering: it represents a third of the total population of El Salvador.

Salvadorans are the third largest Hispanic population in the USA. The states with the most Salvadorans are: California, Texas, New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. And in the Washington DC metropolitan area, Salvadorans make up the largest Hispanic minority.

The migration phenomenon from El Salvador is not new. Even in pre-Hispanic times, the country was marked by successive waves of migration, along with their tides of influence from the dominant cultures of the Mesoamerican region (Olmecs, Mayans).

Later, with the Spanish conquest, the Western Judeo-Christian tradition was added to the existing visions and beliefs in the country. Christianity did not erase the previous culture; it came to complement it, adding a layer of cultural mixing. Like everywhere in Latin America, people are deeply Christian AND attached to ancestral beliefs, such as Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) and the shamans.

Following that, the civil war, which caused over 75,000 deaths and an unknown number of disappearances, generated significant population displacements. Movement from the countryside to the cities, as well as from El Salvador to neighboring countries and to the United States. At the signing of the peace accords, even if a repopulation phenomenon was observed, the migration movement outward continued.

The reasons pushing Salvadorans to migrate are numerous: natural problems (earthquake, floods), gangs, poverty, lack of work, family issues...

Insecurity is no small problem in El Salvador: this country is considered the most dangerous peaceful country in the world. Behind this problem are the criminal gangs (or > as they call them there), which operate in both cities and rural areas. Since the 2000s, this growing problem has become a significant cause of migration. Many families are forced to leave their homes due to insecurity, frequent homicides, and harassment (extortion, death threats, or kidnapping). Many abandoned homes are then usurped by gangs to be used as gathering places, amplifying the phenomenon in a vicious cycle difficult to break. According to official figures, there are about 70,000 gang members in El Salvador, with 10,000 currently in prison. In discussions with people working in child welfare in El Salvador, I learned that a significant cause of illiteracy and school dropouts is precisely the gang problem. These gangs delineate the boundaries of their territory, and a person from a specific area cannot leave or even enter the territory of an enemy gang (for example, because their school is there) without risking their life... even if that person is not affiliated with any gang! And the situation is not improving: Salvadorans experienced the bloodiest summer since the return to democracy in 2015, with over 900 homicides just in August (in a country about twice the size of Belgium). The origins and reasons for these > are a complex subject. Salvadorans have explained to us that they are partly due to migrations to the United States and deportations back home in the 90s. Surely these expulsions of illegal delinquent immigrants have been a contributing factor to the development of these gangs, but it likely does not explain everything.

For many Salvadorans, migration to the USA is seen as a way to improve their living conditions. These illegal migrations expose migrants to various dangers and risks, such as insecurity, persecution, human trafficking, and smuggling.

The > (or >), as we saw in the song >, are the smugglers responsible for helping immigrants reach their targeted country and cross borders illegally.

According to the United Nations, human trafficking involves the transportation (transfer, reception) of people in vulnerable situations, against payment (or for profit), often using force (threat, abuse of power, sexual exploitation, servitude...).

Central American migrant women and children are potential victims of human trafficking when in transit. In most cases, they are subject to sexual exploitation, and secondarily, labor exploitation.

In the 21st century, the term > has emerged, even though female migration has always existed in significant proportions and numbers.

Many children and teenagers face the effects of their parents' migration. The migration of one, or even both parents, has a clear impact on household stability and the extended family.

It is often the maternal grandmother who assumes the responsibility of the children and must take on the role of the only authoritative figure, a role that can be difficult to manage at an advanced age.

While some children stay in the country and continue their education, others dream of immigrating to the United States. Among these dreamers, some attempt to migrate illegally and without accompaniment, which places them in an extremely vulnerable situation, exposing them to various risks: theft, extortion, intimidation, verbal and physical abuse, accidents, forced labor, exploitation, and deportation.

Many migrants leave in search of a better life and fall into the traps of > and there, that of disillusionment... And, often, they don't have the opportunity to return to their country of origin (without risking, among other things, no longer being able to return to the USA).

But for all these Salvadorans, the connection to their country, their >, remains important and plays a role in constructing their cultural identity.

Migration out of El Salvador is not a one-way process where migrants leave their country of origin to completely and unconditionally assimilate to the culture of their new country. We speak of > or > : the migrants forge multiple social relationships, linking their society of origin with the one where they are settled. A mix of influences that is easily noticed in their new eating habits, blending the cuisine of their home country (pupusas, tamales, atol...) and that of their host country (hamburgers, pizzas, milkshakes...).

Several big questions arise. Beyond the reasons that push them to leave and take often very significant risks to get there, the question of the identity of these migrants and the Salvadoran people is very present in this country marked by a painful history (and present).

Feeling at home, having roots, and belonging to a people is essential for defining one's personal and cultural identity; the loss of roots signifies the loss of a part of one's identity...

I was astonished to discover the extent of the migration movement from El Salvador. Astonished to see these figures align...

And so much human distress, so much violence, so many risks that these men, women, and children throw themselves into in hopes of finding a better future...

So marked that I wanted to tell you about it...

If the subject interests you and you're traveling to El Salvador, go visit the Museo Nacional de Antropología Dr. David J. Guzmán (or MUNA) which has a special room >.