“Cafe au Lait” in Plaza de la Soledad: provisional cartographies of Congolese migrants in Mexico City

Abstract

In this ethnographic research note, my initial intention was to map important spaces in the Plaza de la Soledad to understand the subjectivities and material needs of migrants in the process of being trapped and waiting. As many news items and measures of Donald Trump were and continue to be implemented, some migrants spent more time than they should have in the aforementioned square. Instead of staying for a few days or weeks, they had to stay for months, and I wanted to understand possible needs and spaces of opportunity. One strategy that seemed interesting to me for this was the creation of maps (PRIETO DÍAZ, 2017). However, the language barrier sometimes prevented the implementation of some of these data collection techniques. In addition, there was a lot of uncertainty, as for a time people thought I was a journalist or a police officer. Above all, because many were tired of just having their photos taken and then leaving, and because the possibility of deportation and forced return were constant concerns for some migrants. Considering the difficulties encountered, I chose to describe improvised situations experienced by migrants in waiting areas throughout their journeys in search of better living conditions and human dignity. The waiting area observed was Plaza de la Soledad, in Mexico City, where I was able to observe and interact with Latin American, Caribbean, and, mainly, African migrants.