In a new episode of KPBS' border podcast "Only Here," we continue our series on border art with a mural that's broadcasting the voices of deportees and those commonly known as DREAMers, children brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
From heart-wrenching stories about parents being deported and separated from their kids to first-hand accounts of what it’s like to start a new life in a new country, the mural painted on the actual border fence uses technology to share stories of deportation and struggle.
You can hear the stories when you walk up to the mural in Playas de Tijuana. It's painted on the actual border fence, and you can use your phone to scan black-and-white QR codes printed on little stickers stuck to the mural. Scanning the stickers takes you to YouTube videos.
The stories you'll hear in the videos are from two digital storytelling archives:
Humanizing Deportation:
http://humanizandoladeportacion.ucdavis.edu/en/
Dacamented:
https://dacamentedarchive.com/
The Playas de Tijuana Mural Project is by artist, scholar and activist Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana. More about the project here:
https://lizbethdelacruzsantana.com/mural-project
About the Show:
“Only Here” is about the unexplored subcultures, creativity and struggles at the U.S.-Mexico border. The KPBS podcast tells personal stories from people whose lives are shaped by the tension reverberating around the wall. This is a show for border babies, urban explorers or those who wonder what happens when two cultures are both separated and intertwined.
Who we are:
Hosted by Alan Lilienthal
Produced by Kinsee Morlan
Sound design by Emily Jankowski
Follow Us:
https://www.facebook.com/onlyherepodcast/
https://www.instagram.com/onlyherepodcast/
Support Us:
https://www.kpbs.org/donate
Give us Feedback:
619-452-0228
podcasts@kpbs.org
Photo:
A picture of the mural by Alan Lilienthal.