When I moved to Ireland, 5 years and 3 months ago, I had nothing. No house, no job, no love, no money. Little English.
Things changed a lot in these years, definitely for the better (still plenty of room to improve, though).
But yesterday I felt a little proud and I took the time to consider how far I’ve come.
While I was working, I watched the live streaming of the EFFE award ceremony. The EU awarded the 5 best festivals of 2019. Out of hundreds of applicants, 24 were shortlisted for the cultural impact they had in the community. The Mother Tongues Festival, which I manage, was among those 24. We didn’t win, but, hey.
This Festival was born from the brilliant mind of my friend Francesca, during a very regular afternoon, talking with me.
3 years later it was in Bruxelles, among other amazing festivals, laureated for its great value.
It feels so good to be part of such an extraordinary project, giving visibility to all the cultures present in Ireland and to migrant artists.
It’s good sometimes to recognize our achievements, no matter how little they are.
It has been a rough couple of weeks and this helped me to look at things with a better perspective.
There are days when you need just to breathe and smile.