TEA Museum Workshop Encourages Reflection on Migration with ‘Africa Just a Sea Away’
The TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes will host a workshop titled ‘Africa Just a Sea Away’ next week, part of its ‘La Plaza. Shared Practices Workshop’ programme. Led by writer Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel, the workshop aims to promote critical reflection on migration through creative writing and theatre.
Scheduled for Friday 18 November from 4pm to 8pm and Saturday 19 November from 10:30am to 2:30pm, participation in both sessions is mandatory. The workshop is free but places are limited; those interested must register by emailing [email protected], providing their full name, ID number, and a contact telephone number.
The museum aims to foster a more personal understanding of migration issues, encouraging participants to move beyond being mere witnesses. The workshop will explore the theme “Stepping into Another’s Shoes” in the context of “The Assault on the Fortress,” challenging attendees to engage with the pressing realities of migration.
Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel, born in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in 1966, is his country’s most translated and prolific writer. Having transitioned from a career in healthcare to literature, he started with poetry before exploring various genres and excelling in narrative.
An attentive observer of Equatorial Guinea’s realities, Ávila Laurel has expressed his views on his country’s struggles through numerous articles for the online magazine Fronterad. Notable works include the essay ‘Guinea Ecuatorial, Vísceras’ (2006), the poetry collection ‘Historia Íntima de la Humanidad’ (1999), and the novels ‘La Carga’ (1999) and ‘Arde el Monte de Noche’ (2008), among others.
His novel ‘Arde el Monte de Noche’ was a finalist for the IFFP in 2015 and has been translated into several languages. He has been based in Barcelona since 2011, after a week-long hunger strike protesting his country’s dictatorship.
This edition of ‘La Plaza’ was proposed by the TEA Thinking team, which includes Roberto Gil, Yaiza Hernández Velázquez, Inés Plasencia, Rocío Robles Tardío, Néstor Delgado, Narelys Hernández, Joel Peláez, Alejandro Castañeda, and Sergio Rubira, focusing on cultural transmission, decolonisation efforts, and various political identities.
