Latin music and dance

To live in a city, you need to feel a connection with the city. It is really important to feel ‘at home,’ but this can be extra hard for migrants who are used to a very different environment. People can have several reasons to move to another city, sometimes even in another country. Garcia states in his paper that a lot of people migrated to Berlin, because of the strong affinity they felt with the city and especially its music scene. People he interviewed stated that Berlin was a city for outsiders, a place where they had the feeling they were being accepted and belonged to a group which made them feel at home. Another reason for people to choose a specific city can be that it reminds them of their home town, recognition is important for them. Here you can think of the type of buildings, people and the atmosphere.

One night I went to a Latin dance party. In Groningen itself you don’t see many people from different cultures, but here a nice mix of cultures was present. Especially, quite some African people were there to show their dance moves. This made me think about the paper of Garcia. In Groningen, I think it is not the case that people migrate here, because of the music (dance) scene, but that they are creating it. Some African or Latin American people made the Latin music and dance scene bigger here, which helps them to feel at home. I think it gives them some sort of belonging, because it reminds them of home. This is the same for Irish or Jazz music for instance, scenes that were also expanded because of migrants. All these people together make Groningen a more diverse city where everyone can feel at home.

My friend dancing at the party

Reference:

1) Garcia, L. (2015). At home, I'm a tourist: Musical migration and affective citizenship in Berlin. Journal of Urban Cultural Studies, Volume 2: 1&2.