Could an artist become an artist without developing internal language?

Could a dandelion become a dandelion without the dandelion seed?

Artistical expression is something complex and has to do with language development, verbal for writers, and non-verbal for other artistical activities.

Unlike dandelions, there are just a few artists and a bunch of art technicians. The best tool might help with the image quality, but for the conceptual part, it's the individual brain working.

Struggling through life, thinking you have nothing and reading to escape, lured by the sonority of the word, you start decoding metaphors in international poetry and feel like you have everything you could ever think of.

There is splendor in the universe when you read and write about human rights and ecology.

As a nature and animal lover, I sometimes wonder how I managed to survive growing up in an apartment. Then I realize I'm a writer. Writing helped me. The whole process of learning to express the traumatic feeling of being trapped has kept me alive.

Learning to express emotions is essential in a human life, and when we do it, that's poetry. Poetry might be hard, but take it as imperative brain settings, when there is a functional brain.

Influenced by non-inclusive concepts derived from superficial psychological studies, the digital world either resembles this idea or is simply confused by advertising. Since ideas are scarce and pseudo-research abounds, let me remind academics that psychology and media are based on writers, not writers on media and psychology.

Solo guitar auditions.
Lemon cake is out of the oven.

It smells so good it makes me want to dance a little ballet and sing an operetta.

The cat invites herself with a few moves.

Electric crescendo, trembling dance, excitement rising.
Sweet and sour bites so finger-licking good.

The strings whip out unwritten poetry and mesmerized by the song's rhythm, my lips instantly whistle the fiery melody.

On this special day, I would like to congratulate the foolish administrations that harm citizen safety and generate additional public spending.

For each person on the street, more money is spent than if they had received reasonable support.

Arquitectura bonita con esquinas meadas, con unos olores que ni del mercado de pescado no salen tan pestilencial. Calles largas y crueles. Lavabos no hay, o apenas.

Un tío con próstata fina grita: Io no puedo mas, Fulanito, estoy meando encima, voy entre los coches! Calles largas y crueles. Lavabos no hay, o apenas.

Storytelling: Oana MarotiWe hear a lot about inclusion, but what is it?

Social inclusion is defined as the process of improving the terms of participation in society, particularly for disadvantaged people, through enhancing opportunities, access to resources, voice, and respect for rights.

As a resume, social inclusion has a strong relation with human rights implementation.

I can observe from the media and by participating in events orientated to inclusion that the very concept is not understood by those applying it.

In my neighborhood, there is a banner saying -tanquem la precariedad- we close precarity, but I´m in a precarity situation and have lived here for years. I had too much direct experience, regrettably to believe such a banner. I´m not on the streets due to nice random people... Institutions in charge of social inclusion and bureaucratic dynamics are not helpful or difficult to access. Since the pandemic having someone face to face is even more problematic, as precarity is induced once more by the very own internal dynamic.

If I had lived on a hill, among just a few people I would consider moving, but in this case there are so many like me affected by the illogical bureaucratic dance around the subject. With prolonged delays, like 3 years process to recuperate my finiquito after a company literally emotionally abused me, and didn´t want to pay the lay-off fee. Delays in medical care or wrong diagnosis. Immobility or severe impairment post bad treatment, yet no support, xenophobic remarks, and consistent delays from departments in charge with papers, and the list goes on.

My mother used to work in Madrid and she cannot believe my experience, since she was even helped with rewriting her CV and guided through formation and job orientated. It never happened to me in Cataluña, in 9 years and that´s why precisely I´m struggling. I had to change jobs, domains, and language systems, work with no payment, be delayed with some months' payment, or hang on to the job while verbally abused.

To work in Barcelona and surroundings at least it needs a lawyer. There are still businesses if not the majority that rely on immigrant's backs. Will be using them for some months, making them think they will have a contract and papers issued, but that´s not necessarily true. The delays between registering a contract in the system and actually having the papers can be consistent.

Lots of people work in the very center of Barcelona, in our face without papers, conditioned by their bosses that will only pay them from time to time the rent money and some little extra for food. Modern slavery interaction is to be found especially in big towns, touristic ones.

By not having access to the system that makes a logical coordination and assists new arrivals, to ensure a safe experience, these modern slavery businesses are flourishing. I would like to just say I´m exaggerating. I do not. My experience working in Barcelona was not a safe one. Why are lawyers not available, given the situation?

First of all, there are explicit laws that in essence protect the individual and install equity. It´s just a problem of implementation and the lack of implementation reflects corruption. When those laws are applied, the field is prepared for social inclusion, the next step is to have also the people prepared.

Even in kindergarten, when we introduce a new member to the group, there is an intermediary protocol and guidance. If we just throw the newly arrived member into a group that has xenophobic or racist ideas, that´s dangerous both for the individual and for the group. As we are not lions, we tend to punish abusive behavior by law.

In Barcelona, people are thrown to the lions, from abusive flat owners to abusive prices for water if looking as foreigners, restricted access to public institutions or medical facilities, or language preferential treatment.

Storytelling: Oana Maroti

Barcelona has had a written Strategy for Inclusion since 2017, (better late than ever) with plenty of goals concentrated on women, and many institutions apparently support women. The Strategy is to be applicable until 2027

It´s a town that means business in international education and women's protection, in theory, but is the plan functional? As an immigrant woman, there were too many negative experiences I had to face while working, searching for a flat, having a health problem, or approaching dedicated institutions to not discuss it.

9 years ago I landed in Barcelona with a blue eye and a broken heart. All my life had changed in a matter of weeks. Upon my arrival, after 2 days of travel by bus and traumatic experiences left behind, still dreaming of another type of reality for women than the one I had experienced. Barcelona was a bigger and more European town, in theory, and it had lots of publicity about how important women's rights were here.

I was dreaming of continuing my studies, I had different inclusive education projects I wanted to develop in an international place and an underground magazine I was aiming for people to show, in a more inclusive context. Well, I had so many experiences in these 9 years that it´s hard to start talking about, yet no real opportunity regarding the studies' continuation, work linked to preparation, or the possibility of publishing. I have spent all this time working diverse underpaid jobs, as paying rent is reliant on receiving a monthly consistent payment.

When my defense system lowered and got sick I received more disrespect than care. I have spent all this time among xenophobic and misogynistic remarks. I have spent all this time fighting and trying to put up whether with an absconse and illogic bureaucracy or with social adversity. I was told about a job opportunity and came to work immediately, but there was no job, just a daily fee for using an improvised bed.

My survival instinct increased, I made a fast CV with my 4 years of international cooking experience in Castellano, added my Culinary Arts diploma, left it in all central restaurants I could access, and in 3 days I was offered a job in the city's center. With the papers, it took a little longer and it was more complicated as I had no lawyer money to make it go through faster.

Having a place to sleep, and finding a room on my budget was quite a challenge. In one year and a half, I had been living in 5 different places, being asked for extra rent, and kicking a man´s butt who tried to rape me while visiting a flat. Moreover, I worked but wasn´t paid, had to recuperate my money twice, survived an aggressive spontaneous group attack, was robbed twice, and learned that locals might have nightmares about my family visiting and robbing their credit cards. The last one was a disastrous type of imagery as my parents are incredibly fair people and did not show me how to pass through life taking advantage of others.

Anyways, probably the most consuming thing was working among men only. In 2 different kitchens, I was the only woman, a new and strange situation. On one hand, I could not believe that women were not valued as cooks and as a consequence, they were not preferred to work in the kitchen. On the other hand, I was finding myself working among men, some horny and proud, really annoying. One even had the nerve to manifest opinions about my pants. At first, I had the cultural impression, as it was my first contact with different cultures that are more touchy than mine, and in mine, I´m less touchy than people in general, so the sexual pressure at work, and the constant misogynistic remarks were difficult to handle. The fact I was from Romania and unmarried didn´t help at all.

essay fragment - Dandelions series by Oana Maroti

Negotiation is not as free as the media shows.
There are specific rules in intercultural communication.

Like in a football game, there are rules and someone is arbitrating the meeting. That someone is a neutral person, a mediator who will coordinate the information exchange. Before even speaking, the interlocutors are made aware of the communication rules. If one starts offending the other, the laws of communication apply and the negotiation stops. We don´t get to the part where the bully dominates the meeting. The offender is put in the corner, sanctioned, and loses by default.

This rule applies to any type of interpersonal communication and implies equality in the verbal interchange, otherwise, we would not be able to understand each other.

We see the rules broken too often lately and even if it seems that a negotiation is going on, the way communication in international politics is presented is surely wrong. A person from the street will have to behave to have a meeting or at least to accede to a conversation, the same applies to rich people, army people, or even presidents.

Any identity meeting another, in a negotiation situation, whether individuals or groups are subjected to the same rules, stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each time we jump into the world, as human identity, we subject ourselves to these rules, with no exception.

When in an international context, facing worldwide peace vs. conflict the interaction is a delicate one, as so many lives depend on communication. Each word counts around peace, ecology, and child development. Abusive language, uneducated behavior, and physical contact are not on the menu in public communication. Why do we see it on television?

Essay Fragment by Oana Maroti

Negotiation is communication, with intersecting identities.

Negotiations often fail due to a lack of intercultural engagement and an imposed format.

First of all, the imposed format is an imposed language. Multilingual understanding is essential in international communication, but the best way to convey a message is to make sure that the sender feels comfortable and can therefore choose the language in which to express themselves.

To make ourselves understood in an international context, we must learn to be as transparent as possible by exposing ourselves to and understanding different cultures. I have seen countless examples of imposed language or denial of intercultural understanding, forcing communication to be stopped. No matter where we are, or in what language we communicate, we want to open communication, not close it. Message blocking can become a big problem.

As mediators, each identity is approached as an equal and if the parties do not comply, we impose civilized interaction, otherwise, negotiation is not possible. A correct negotiation is based on inclusive communication guidelines, the objective of which is that the main message is transmitted, and for this, the parties must be prepared with a common language and the same skills for identifying concepts.

To ensure neutrality and effective communication, the mediator must be a multicultural person, whose interaction is based on human rights knowledge and implementation.

Any superficial intercultural mediation that does not focus on what we have in common to facilitate transmission might become dangerous communication. The approach can lower or increase discomfort, and sudden discomfort should be totally avoided.

Even today, mediation favors certain parties, which produces disorder and abuse. The lack of equal opportunities is like a clock inside the collective memory. In the long run, no country can afford not to negotiate fairly.

Those who already resort too often to unfair negotiations and whose illicit policies and actions occupy long dark pages of history have only mediation and fair negotiation as a way out of the wave of hatred that their cruel policies have provoked.