The List, a project by UNITED for Intercultural Action to keep track of the refugees who died trying to reach Europe, will be read aloud in Leeuwarden on Saturday.
At the Nieuwestad, one of the most prominent streets in Leeuwarden, 22 white banners filled with entries stretch nearly 100 meters along the canal. The List displays the identities, not in all cases named, of the 35,597 documented deaths of refugees, asylum seekers or migrants who have died trying to reach Europe between 1993 and 30 September 2018.
The List will remain on display at Nieuwestad until the 25th of November, and Suksawat reports that the names of the men, women and children who died in 2018 will be read aloud at the Frisian horse statue on Nieuwestad from 2:30 to 4:30 on Saturday, 10 November.
The effect of the list is humbling, putting the scale of number of people who have risked their lives in order to try and find refuge in Europe into tangible perspective. The List is an official component of the Leeuwarden-Friesland Capital of Culture 2018 programme. The project is coordinated by Amsterdam-based UNITED for Intercultural Action, a European-wide network“against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees”. The network has hundreds of affiliated organisations in 48 countries across the continent
Banu Cennetoğlu, a Turkish visual artist, has been involved with translating and updating the list in recent years. The List has also been displayed in other European cities, such as Istanbul and Berlin, and has been shown in New York City.
Photo source: @liverpoolbiennial/Instagram
