Travel diary: Tracking climate, migration and the far-right from Africa to Europe

"Walking through the narrow streets of the old city in Melilla, Spain, I spotted a sign high up on a wall.

“Aqui estuvo la primera sinagoga de Melilla,” it said. My Spanish is less than poor, but the Jewish star and the menorah on the sign confirmed what I understood the words to mean. Plus, I recognized the Hebrew letters for “bet haknesset.” This was the site of the first synagogue in the city of Melilla.

A few blocks away, another tile was embedded in the wall of the ancient city. This one was a bit of more modern with its branding. It had the letter M in four alphabets: Arabic, Latin, Hebrew, and Hindi. That tile represents groups of people who have lived in this city, together, for centuries.

Every place has a story that it tells about itself. And the story of Melilla is one of coexistence. The Spanish city has perched here on Africa’s northern coast for centuries. People passing through by boat and by land have created a rich cultural stew. But the stories places tell can also be myths".