Performing community: Lampedusa in Festival against the border spectacle of Mediterranean migrations

Abstract

Over the last decade, Lampedusa has frequently been represented in the EU media as the setting of a supposed migration emergency due to the unprecedented number of displaced individuals transiting through its harbour. However, in contrast with such discourses, a growing number of social and artistic interventions have emerged, advancing a counter-narrative of solidarity and cultural dialogue. This article examines the case of Lampedusa in Festival, a community event organized by the Askavusa collective, which took place each year between 2009 and 2015. Interpreting its nature, evolution and limits in the light of event studies, this article argues that the festival constituted a collective performance of resistance which combined local and transnational resources, with the potential to re-spectacularize migration as a political and social opportunity.