…and here we met with a comforting feeling of community, beyond and above precarity and uncertainty.

The city border of Basel meets the neighboring city Riehen in a commonly used, 180 hectares forest that also traces a part of the German-Swiss border. This recreational space invites walkers, joggers, skaters and cyclists and is widely appreciated for its animal park, the numerous family-friendly parks and its multitude of sport facilities.  

Within this open space, in the western side of the park, a sense of separation lingers in the shadows, silently imposing its invisible influence. Here, like a metaphor, the prison looms as a sentinel beside the regional asylum center and its imposing concrete blocks and uniformly spaced windows contrast with the greenery of the old adler forest. This space appears to be governed by a pervasive sense of "Limbo”, an intermediate state that is acutely experienced by the refugee community.

Just a few meters away, opposition arises against the borders and alienation. Offered as an alternative to the separation regime, every Sunday during afternoon times, the No Border Cafe opens a safe space for connection and empowerment for anybody and everybody who joins.