Dealing with Diversity and Difference in Public: Traces of Casaman�ais Cohabitation in Catalonia?

In Carrer Rossell6, a pedestrian street of a neighbourhood in Matar6, Catalonia, a couple of large seats half-heartedly invited people to rest, chat, or daydream. It was one of the few permanent installations inviting social gatherings on Carrer Rossell6. Most of the time when I passed by, a couple of people would be sitting there or a smaller group would stand around and chat. On a visit in 2011 however, one of the chairs was gone. As often before, I nevertheless found Souleyrnane Toure, a Balanta from the Casamance, sitting on the remaining chair. It was early in the morning and the alley was still quite empty. As the sun was rising quickly, at the far end of Carrer Rossell6 a hermandacfl pre­ pared the march for the Matinal de Saetas, a performance of devotional fla­ menco songs which commonly inaugurate Holy Week. Souleyrnane explained that the chair had been taken away by the town authorities since a w.oman living in the house next to it had frequently complained about people gather­ ing there and being noisy. When his flatmate came, they then squeezed together into the remaining chair. They continued to inhabit this space although it had caused tension. Public spaces like Carrer Rossell6 were used in many ways and local residents held different opinions concerning their use. This needed to be negotiated, which in the case of Carrer Rossell6 had seem­ ingly resulted in a new consensus around maintaining the street as convivial space. Spontaneous gatherings continued to happen involving different con­ stellations of local residents. For Souleyrnane this was part of the everyday and nothing spectacular. Casaman\ais streets, in tum, placed hardly any limits on people gathering. jo, lakof2'Come, sit down!' Leaving the yard of Samboukunda, the home of my first host Dame Sambou in Ziguinchor, I was often invited by acquaintances