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“Malta? Where’s that?”
Not a lot of people know about this tiny Mediterranean island located in Southern Europe. Even myself, a seasoned ex-pat who had spent three years before living in London and Berlin and two years in Seoul. Compared to the rest of Europe, I knew very little to nothing about Malta.
But, as someone who was disgruntled with the fast pace life in London, I looked into finding work in the humanitarian sector. When I received an opportunity to work for an NGO on the island for a few months, I jumped at the opportunity. From a brief Google search, I saw images of crystal blue water, beaches, and sunshine galore in Malta.
I was sold.
However, what happened in those six months living in Malta was far from what I imagined. Even now, a year later, back living and working in Canada, it was hard to forget my trials and tribulations on that island.
But, first let’s start with the elephant in the room: The Migration Crisis. More than a million migrants and refugees have entered Europe via the Mediterranean in the last few years. This influx has sparked a debate across the continent as to how to address the issue. Malta has one of the highest ratios of migrant arrivals in Europe in the past decade. As a result of this influx, this tiny island nation has fostered a culture of xenophobia and racism as a coping mechanism to deal with the impact.
As an Eastern African woman, I encountered a multitude of racism, sexism, and xenophobia throughout my time in Malta. The intersection of all three of these forms of discrimination on my unsuspecting, naïve, and ambitious self was unprecedented.
Malta is not for black people or for anyone that’s not white.
I said what I said. Now, let me break it down.
Malta is an island with a heavy emphasis on island “mentality”. Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, it’s also one of the world’s most densely populated countries. Yet diversity was scarce. I was the only person of color at work and neighbourhood. People of color…
