I did not realise how ignorant and naïve I had been my entire life, thinking that English was a language understood and spoken by almost everyone around the world, until I found myself stopping people on the street in Geneva, trying to find somebody who could give me directions, and without any luck.
I did not realise how ignorant and naïve I had been my entire life, thinking that English was a language understood and spoken by almost everyone around the world, until I found myself stopping people on the street in Geneva, trying to find somebody who could give me directions, and without any luck.
At first I thought it was because I was at the airport, and it was likely that everyone I stopped was probably travelling and not from the local area. I decided to stop looking like I was lost and went instead to nearby shops. But surprisingly to me, at the time, it got even worse as shop assistants politely signalled that they did not understand English.
In my mind, I was irritated. I whispered to myself, ‘Surely English is a very common language worldwide?’ Well, I was wrong, and I clearly had no idea how ignorant I had been until then.
I soon learnt that there were people on this planet that did not seem to need a word of English to survive. That brought on a little fear about how quickly things can become uncertain once we are out of our familiar environment.
Dismayed, I gave a quick glance to the map in my hand, which was as good as a blank paper to me at that stage, considering my inadequate geography skills. But before I knew what hit me, I impressed myself by actually finding my way to the hostel where I was going to stay.
The burden immediately off my shoulders, I warmly smiled as I saw an African brother behind the reception counter. As I paced towards him he said ‘Bonjour’ but swiftly continued the conversation in English when he heard me say ‘Hi’ in response. The reception area was full of people of all looks, attires and languages. There was no doubt we were in Geneva, a city of diversity and rich culture.
People had flown in from all over the world for the same three-day conference: People’s Global Action on Migration, Human Rights and Development. One of the main focuses was going to be the ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, a global campaign for better working conditions and treatment of domestic employees worldwide.
I had studied the schedule and programme in detail, so everything was like a special surprise and a treat of some sort to me. I did not expect a night of culture, full of music and food – which just happened to be my favourite food on the planet, Indian food! Watching amazing Filipino domestic workers from Geneva perform traditional dance as we ate was just as special.
However, one performance that is and will always be as vivid in my mind as if it happened yesterday was that of a group of migrant merchandisers based in Geneva. They took the crowd by storm when they performed a well-choreographed flash mob with a clear message that started with them entering the stage as ‘walking’ cardboard boxes, showing how fast paced and money-driven the world we live in has become, putting profit before the wellbeing of workers.
They sealed their message in an amazingly well put together breakdance that left us wanting more and amazed at such great talent and creativity. I immediately fell in love with the city, but reminded myself how enriched it had become by the presence of people from all over the world.
To be continued...
Mariaam Bhatti is a member of the Domestic Workers Action Group and Forced Labour Action Group of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland.
