Ceshia Ubau, a 26-year-old singer born in Nicaragua, is moved by the problems her compatriots are experiencing in Costa Rica, where she, too, has been a refugee for five years.
“Migrating meant not only moving from one country to another, but also coming into adulthood a bit suddenly and without a prescription. I have learned to fend for myself, to look for my opportunities and learn to receive them when they come my way”, says Ubau to the voice of america.
And her condition has led her to establish empathy with people in the same situation, she explains. So it is through her music that she tries to carry a message to “heal the wounds” that causes the “immigration mourning”.
Ubau, who in addition to being a singer is a psychologist, explains that she uses music as a communication tool to make different social realities visible.
“I sing a lot to be able to strengthen the cohesion of the Nicaraguan people in Costa Rica and gradually feel more and more part of this society. I feel that what I have been doing has been trying to unify or contribute to the unification of both societies to feel part of it and prevent different types of violence”.
In Costa Rica, where Ubau is located, there are more than 209,000 Nicaraguan refugees from 2018 to 2023, according to official data.
Collaboration with UNHCR
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has recognized the support provided by Ubau through music in Costa Rica.
In fact, this year she was invited to a concert organized as part of World Refugee Day, where she performed several of her songs before an audience that included Nicaraguans.
“I feel that something that characterizes my songs and that I always try is for hope to be present. Migrating or applying for refuge is not easy, whether you have done it voluntarily or involuntarily. It implies a duel, migrating is a duel, leaving your territory is a duel. What I look for with my songs is to be able to make us feel close and awaken the internal strength that all human beings carry”, she explains.
The singer-songwriter has produced two albums: ‘Con los ojos del alma’, from 2017, which includes fifteen songs that she worked on in Nicaragua and the most was titled ‘Luz’ and published last year.
“It is a tribute to my ancestors, to my roots and as I have said lately in my concerts, my ways of loving life, putting this gift of music to society at the service”, concludes Ubau Molina, who studied music at the School de Música Heitor Villalobos, in Managua, since he was 5 years old.
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