Matica: venezuelan migrants and migration networks in Boa Vista, Roraima

Abstract

The Migration is a contemporary phenomenon in Brazil, with a significant influx of Venezuelans entering Brazilian territory through the city of Pacaraima, which borders Venezuela. This city is located in the state of Roraima, and most migrants initially head to the capital of this state. present article has two main objectives. Firstly, to understand the construction of migratory networks within three sociability spaces among Venezuelan migrants. Secondly, to analyze the role of these networks in the Venezuelan migration process in Boa Vista, Roraima. To achieve these goals, we describe the organization and dynamics of three sociability spaces known as “maticas.” These spaces are located within the urban perimeter of the state capital of Roraima. Venezuelan migrants utilize these spaces to offer their labor informally, as they are not interested in formal employment due to survival strategies. Our methodology included bibliographic research on Venezuelan migration and participatory ethnography, during which we listened to the narratives of three Venezuelan migrants, who are the longest-standing members of each space. Following Clifford Geertz’s (1989) approach, we sought to interpret, secondhand or thirdhand, the culture of migrants interacting in these spaces. The “maticas” function as networks for migrant reception, both at the national and international levels. Within these spaces, personal, social, and migratory networks are built, enabling migrants to navigate the exclusion they face through the internalization of Operation Acolhida, as reported by our interlocutors.