3 min.
I was a street vendor, I sold women’s clothing; in 2002, I began selling mobile phones and then I graduated, but my true love is sports. I have three brothers and three sisters and we all lived in the country in Chad with my mother. I will never forget February 2, 2008. The rebels began their attack on the capital and I took refuge in Cameroon. During the twenty-one-day war my family – just like the rest of the population – lost everything. I had to leave, take a two-week journey across the desert …
This is one of the many experiences narrated in “Shoes in the Desert” by Valeria Scafetta. The book, which was presented yesterday evening during the course of the “If on a Summer Night, Travellers …” event, recounts stories that allow us to experience the sensations of refugees and their fear for life.
“I have had the privilege of learning about courageous men and women who have left everything because they had no other choice,” explains the writer.
Sector experts and operators discussed integration and reception at the Chiesa della Natività in Rome (via Gallia 162). It was a special evening concluded by a concert of African drums played by Ismaila Mbaye and Goree. The event, promoted by the Arciconfraternita SS. Sacramento e S.Trifone with the sponsorship of the Province of Rome, featured the participation of many guests from the Centro Enea.
Afghan, Somali, Eritrean and Ethiopian immigrants represented Project Re-fugees, a free association of young refugees that produces small works of art and craftsmanship to promote their culture and traditions in Italy. The project, in fact, is prpomoteed by the Cooperativa Arte Integrale.
Deputy Prefect Dario Caputo recounted the postive experience experimented in the Municipality of Riace in Calabria that has proven exemplary in the reception of immigrants.
Alfonso Molina, Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, told his own story as a refugee and explained his work with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale at the Centro Enea to accelerate the process of immigration through the use of new technologies.
“For a refugee,” explains Professor Molina, “the journey of life and its challenges all begin when everything is lost.”
Rossana Calistri from the Province of Rome emphasized how the creation of the Centro Enea streamlined the reception process and implemented a multi-functional centre that aims to make refugees autonomous and independent.
