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Spring 2017,
in the province of Florence,

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life in Poggio alla Croce is turned upside
down by the announcement of the arrival

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of a group of migrants.

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Between fear, anger and indifference,
inhabitants are looking for a solution.

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(Background music and kitchen noises)

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I AM BECAUSE WE ARE

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Piera, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

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In these last few years a lot has changed

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Things were different before

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people were different

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They often came into the centre.

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Now they stay at home,

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the village is less lived in.

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Before we were all in my shop.

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Most of the world,

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most of life took place around it.

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A place to meet, to understand each other,

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maybe argue with different opinions

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but still have a dialogue. It was easier

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it was life... I mean it was life

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Andreas, project creator

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Poggio alla Croce could be defined

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as “a small Switzerland”

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Located in a beautiful spot

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between Chianti and Valdarno

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Residents are active and cooperative

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In summer a nice festival is organized

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attracting people from both valleys

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When problems arise, like ice in winter,

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informations flow over the internet.

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Looked like and ideal place

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Then in April 2017 the “bomb”:

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thirty migrants coming in the “palace”,

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a former hotel in the village

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It sounded as if a spaceship full

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of little black men was about to land

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(tense music)

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Black men are coming, black men are coming

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We are all with our hairs raised,

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very worried, me too to be honest because

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Even if you hear a lot of good

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but also bad about these youngsters

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The strongest reaction, intense and wide,

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was an immediate refusal,

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a “belly” reaction that caused

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an immediate decision

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to collect signatures against,

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in less than three days

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230 signatures were collected

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even if we are some 190

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Attilia, a teacher in migrants school

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A first meeting was held

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one and half year ago in summer

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before the migrants arrived,

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so we did not know them

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They had no face for us, they had no name

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and there was a meeting in the village

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I don’t live in Poggio alla Croce,

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I come from a nearby village

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During the meeting there were

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some very aggressive people,

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I guess they were sincerely scared

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Martin, parson of Poggio alla Croce

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Their reaction was not due to being bad.

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Behind there was also a reality

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that must be told. It must be told that

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none was pepared because none

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had been alerted that these foreigner,

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these migrants were coming

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Noise of iron hammering

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Paolo, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

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Someone started collecting signatures,

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and I agreed only because I wanted to know

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where would these kids be hosted,

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what did they come for then it became

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clear that this was not the reason

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they did not want to welcome them

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So I said my signature was extorted

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and was not in agreement any more

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Luana, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

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They told us

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in a year time we’ll remind you of this..

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we are scared..

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I have an 18months old little girl

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who won’t be able to walk outside anymore

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They asked us to sign against

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but I refused

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and became the black sheep...

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They are simply black

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and this is not easy to accept

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Integration is not easy, not easy.

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Also on their side

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There was a bad feeling around,

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an awful atmosphere

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My legs trembled, really.

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I recognized kids that I knew

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when they were little children.

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And now as grown ups they were scared

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and said they did not want the migrants

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because their life would change,

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it would not be possible

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anymore to go quietly around in Poggio.

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No more walkabouts but they shouted

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all this in a really aggressive way..

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and I started to tremble and was unable

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to tell what I meant,

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that I felt very sorry to see children

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who had grown up together and were

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used to share… and I remember

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there were also coloured children

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in our classes and all played together

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and had now become so

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And now I was more scared of them

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than of the incoming migrants.

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I could sense a rage and violence

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that really frightened me

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(laundry noise)

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When the spaceship with the little

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black men had actually landed

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we managed to organize

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a first circle in a room under

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the church that our parson Martin

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put at our disposal

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for the rest of the story

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we organized a first circle

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where we played,

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by arranging ourselves on the chairs

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in a completely random way,

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so mixed up, a little bit of them and

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a little bit of us.

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We sticked a piece of paper on the wall

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and each and one of us started to write

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Andrea Formiconi, italian, speaks italian

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Then casually pointed the felt-pen towards

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one or the other and they wrote in turn

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Each and one of us wrote his name,

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which country he came from,

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which language he spoke,,,

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This simple game basically opened up

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a whole world, a universe

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because it turned out that with

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fourteen-fifteen of them there were

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twelve-thrteen languages spoken

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Then we discovered illiterates,

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you could tell by the unlikely way they

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held the marker...

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In fact they did not write the name but

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drew it. At the same time

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some of them attended school

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and to one extreme there was a guy

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that had escaped while in his fourth year

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of mathematics at university.

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This helps understand the enormous

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range of stories and different human

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situations hiding behind this stereotype

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which we call with univocal names:

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the migrant..

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which prompts the image of the

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little black man, always the same, and his

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standard story.

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Absolutely not!

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(gentle music)

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(kitchen noises)

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Malò

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I think that the spark that triggered

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all this craving for school

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was a Malian boy, Ali,

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who had spotted me because

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we had spoken a little French

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and one day I saw him arrive at my house

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I don't live in the village,

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there is about a mile of dirt road.

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he arrived alone, with paper 
and pencil, telling me:

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«Io voglio imparare l'italiano».

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We are three guys who embarked on this

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'little school' adventure 
in Poggio alla Croce

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without really knowing what to expect.

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We felt the urge to do something

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to help these guys,

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and we thought that teaching them

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italian language was the thing to do

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also to improve their trust in themselves.

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As we are scared of them blacks,

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they are scared of us whites

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This has to be understood.

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They are afraid, they are afraid of us.

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The funny thing is that a lot of people

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were involved who had nothing .

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to do with teaching.

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People like Marcie who is canadian

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with very little italian but

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she taught italian.. and Willy
(a Peruvian resident)

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who is still with us who reads

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and does dictation

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and anything else with them.

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I teach in primary schools

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on Tuesday when finished

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With my class, often very tired like last

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year when I taught in first

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I sit in the car and say to myself

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“why do you do it ? I'm crazy...

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you should go home to rest or make dinner”

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then I close my eyes and think

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“if it is the right thing to do I'll find

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the missing energies” and there I go

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and afterwards I am happy because you get

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there and see those smiles with white

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teeth, peculiar of black people

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those happy eyes...

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I see Ajan, I see Dedo, the Kurds...

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waiting for you who thank you for

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being there, thanking you for being there,

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looking forward for you

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to teach them something.

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(Car noise...)

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Laura, Andreas' student

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I arrived here a bit by chance,

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I got to know this experience

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thanks to Andreas, his stories

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in university classrooms and I decided to

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to come and have a look.

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The question I get asked most often

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is why I'm doing this, especially because

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what strikes me about me is the fact

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that I come from almost 90 kilometres

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almost two hours by car anyway

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just to get here.

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It's not easy to explain,

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because the reason

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lies in so many little things:

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gestures, looks, emotions,

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the feelings you have when

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you get in touch with these people

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which in the end are lives

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are experiences, are worlds

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with which you come into contact

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and of which you often know nothing.

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(Traffic noise...)

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(Country noises, chirping...)

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(Squeaking bicycle...)

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(Background music...)

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Madou, student of the school

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I go to school in Figline Valdarno

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every day, On Mondays and Tuesdays

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I go by car but the other days

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I ride my bike. It's not difficult to go,

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but it is difficult to return

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because it takes an hour and thirty

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minutes, it's difficult, It's tiring.

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When I was in Africa I didn't go to

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school and fortunately I found myself in

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Europe and met the people who

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are helping me

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and enrolled me in school.

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My goal is to learn the Italian language

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I would like to stay in Italy,

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I would like to work to help

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my family in Africa. Therefore

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I have to concentrate on studying,

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it's my goal.

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My name is Madou Koulibaly, I come

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from Guinea and I'm 20 years old.

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I arrived in Italy a year and

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two months ago, it was a very

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difficult trip, I can't forget it,

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It was very dangerous.

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I sacrificed my life

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to seek my fortune in Europe

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and thank God I entered Italy

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on 13 June 2018

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and I was transferred

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to Poggio alla Croce.

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I met some very good people who

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treated me like one of their own,

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they are like my parents here,

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not only me but all the Africans

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who live in Poggio alla Croce.

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I would like to continue studying,

279
00:19:01,762 --> 00:19:03,413
if there is a possibility,

280
00:19:03,413 --> 00:19:07,413
I'd like to study and learn

281
00:19:07,413 --> 00:19:10,878
a job, for example a welder.

282
00:19:10,878 --> 00:19:14,878
(Noise spring water, chirping...)

283
00:19:44,445 --> 00:19:46,861
Italy saved me in the sea,

284
00:19:46,861 --> 00:19:49,258
in Italy I went to school

285
00:19:49,258 --> 00:19:51,674
and I would like to continue studying,

286
00:19:51,674 --> 00:19:54,594
I don't know what will happen afterwards.

287
00:19:54,594 --> 00:19:57,700
Poggio alla Croce is my village.

288
00:20:01,090 --> 00:20:02,675
The path is chaotic,

289
00:20:02,675 --> 00:20:04,673
one cannot expect to follow

290
00:20:04,673 --> 00:20:06,540
a preordained thread:

291
00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:08,958
it would kill this kind of school.

292
00:20:08,958 --> 00:20:15,289
So you have to follow the wind.

293
00:20:15,289 --> 00:20:17,847
An example would be when

294
00:20:17,847 --> 00:20:20,403
Samba had written the curriculum

295
00:20:20,403 --> 00:20:21,744
on the computer,

296
00:20:21,744 --> 00:20:24,511
then of course you try to help:

297
00:20:24,511 --> 00:20:26,010
"Samba, what does this mean?

298
00:20:26,010 --> 00:20:27,054
What's this...?"

299
00:20:27,054 --> 00:20:28,404
Then we read:

300
00:20:28,404 --> 00:20:32,404
"driving experience", so I ask:

301
00:20:32,404 --> 00:20:34,429
"Samba, what did you drive?"

302
00:20:34,429 --> 00:20:36,839
He light up immediately and says

303
00:20:36,839 --> 00:20:39,663
"Cow!"

304
00:20:39,663 --> 00:20:41,204
and a whole other discussion

305
00:20:41,204 --> 00:20:42,206
started from there

306
00:20:42,206 --> 00:20:43,892
about how things change over time,

307
00:20:43,892 --> 00:20:45,162
how they change in Africa,

308
00:20:45,162 --> 00:20:46,224
how they change here.

309
00:20:46,224 --> 00:20:48,234
This is an example of digression.

310
00:20:48,234 --> 00:20:51,800
It's a people-centred school, essentially

311
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,800
(Soft music, dialogue in the background..)

312
00:21:55,321 --> 00:21:57,571
We all have attics full of old computers

313
00:21:57,571 --> 00:21:59,521
and we don't know what to do with them.

314
00:21:59,521 --> 00:22:01,380
It's a problem because we have to take

315
00:22:01,380 --> 00:22:05,790
them to the eco-center and so we've been

316
00:22:05,792 --> 00:22:08,178
spreading this information:

317
00:22:08,178 --> 00:22:09,589
"Do you have an old computer?

318
00:22:09,589 --> 00:22:12,469
You don't know what to do with it,
is that a problem for you?

319
00:22:12,469 --> 00:22:15,379
Instead of giving it to the
recycling centre, give it to us,

320
00:22:15,379 --> 00:22:20,302
we install a free software operating
system, i.e. Linux

321
00:22:20,302 --> 00:22:24,018
a lightweight version of Ubuntu

322
00:22:24,018 --> 00:22:27,409
that fits into old computers

323
00:22:27,409 --> 00:22:29,487
and easily "resurrects" them.

324
00:22:29,487 --> 00:22:32,254
The Ubuntu operating system

325
00:22:32,254 --> 00:22:35,665
is so called because it is a concept

326
00:22:35,665 --> 00:22:37,983
from southern Africa and

327
00:22:37,983 --> 00:22:40,952
Nelson Mandela in a beautiful

328
00:22:40,952 --> 00:22:43,304
video that we used
for a work with the students,

329
00:22:43,304 --> 00:22:46,539
describes it with a little story:

330
00:22:46,539 --> 00:22:48,809
"Once upon a time, when a traveller

331
00:22:48,809 --> 00:22:51,228
arrived in a village and he was

332
00:22:51,228 --> 00:22:53,383
tired, thirsty and hungry, no one would

333
00:22:53,383 --> 00:22:55,508
ever ask him any question,

334
00:22:55,508 --> 00:22:58,089
they simply brought him something to drink

335
00:22:58,089 --> 00:23:00,036
and food. This is Ubuntu, that is

336
00:23:00,036 --> 00:23:02,787
thinking about the other being aware

337
00:23:02,787 --> 00:23:04,976
that this creates a community

338
00:23:04,976 --> 00:23:07,716
that lives well if we all do that."

339
00:23:07,716 --> 00:23:10,346
Ubuntu is a great African philosophy,

340
00:23:10,346 --> 00:23:14,480
a great African thought...

341
00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:18,480
that before getting to the help

342
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,812
it starts with the fact that we're all

343
00:23:20,812 --> 00:23:23,704
brothers, if I help one person

344
00:23:23,704 --> 00:23:25,830
that person can help

345
00:23:25,830 --> 00:23:27,748
another person close to me,

346
00:23:27,748 --> 00:23:29,746
therefore a general connection

347
00:23:29,746 --> 00:23:32,632
of society in that we all consider

348
00:23:32,632 --> 00:23:34,622
ourselves brothers and sisters.

349
00:23:34,622 --> 00:23:36,683
What happened in Poggio alla Croce

350
00:23:36,683 --> 00:23:38,932
is Ubuntu, it's definitely

351
00:23:38,932 --> 00:23:40,732
authentic Ubuntu.

352
00:23:40,732 --> 00:23:43,952
(Chorus of African children...)

353
00:23:43,952 --> 00:23:48,336
I think that following a principle

354
00:23:48,336 --> 00:23:53,387
where helping someone will help me

355
00:23:53,387 --> 00:23:55,668
in turn is good for both, better than

356
00:23:55,668 --> 00:23:58,043
fighting with each other,

357
00:23:58,043 --> 00:24:00,530
even though in fight wins may be

358
00:24:00,530 --> 00:24:04,120
happier than the loser.

359
00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:06,575
This principle guides my whole life

360
00:24:06,575 --> 00:24:12,005
since I started reasoning I have always

361
00:24:12,005 --> 00:24:19,995
used the time I had available 
in social activities.

362
00:24:19,995 --> 00:24:24,069
But not for “goodism”, not because

363
00:24:24,069 --> 00:24:27,713
I am good and consequently must do good,

364
00:24:27,713 --> 00:24:31,544
help others, help beggars, no.

365
00:24:31,544 --> 00:24:34,758
Maybe I am led by selfishness,

366
00:24:34,758 --> 00:24:38,056
I think I earn something this way

367
00:24:38,056 --> 00:24:42,956
and so live a better life, be serene.

368
00:24:42,956 --> 00:24:47,118
You get a lot of rip-offs, but not like

369
00:24:47,118 --> 00:24:50,318
those you get when fighting and losing.

370
00:24:50,318 --> 00:24:56,172
More like opportunities that leave

371
00:24:56,172 --> 00:25:01,891
a bitter taste in our mouth 
but do not create

372
00:25:01,891 --> 00:25:07,288
big problems. (Opportunities) 
that I know I must seize.

373
00:25:07,288 --> 00:25:13,702
There were problems of an almost racist
nature in Poggio alla Croce, so to speak,

374
00:25:13,702 --> 00:25:17,030
and I stepped in for that too.

375
00:25:17,030 --> 00:25:19,508
It was my way of doing things.

376
00:25:19,508 --> 00:25:22,032
I'm a migrant myself in Poggio alla Croce,

377
00:25:22,032 --> 00:25:23,942
moving from town to the country.

378
00:25:23,942 --> 00:25:26,231
I choosed to and almost from start

379
00:25:26,231 --> 00:25:29,589
And I tried to integrate 
myself into the association.

380
00:25:29,589 --> 00:25:31,669
here in Poggio alla Croce,

381
00:25:31,669 --> 00:25:35,050
because it was natural for me.

382
00:25:35,050 --> 00:25:37,119
It is a way of living,

383
00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:42,939
no heroism, it's normal
I think everybody

384
00:25:42,939 --> 00:25:46,539
can understand this.

385
00:25:46,539 --> 00:25:48,079
Marcie, canadian teacher

386
00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:51,429
When I hear the word Ubuntu
it strikes according with me

387
00:25:51,429 --> 00:25:54,112
because it means “humanity”.

388
00:25:54,112 --> 00:25:57,370
And in hebrew religion we have a word

389
00:25:57,370 --> 00:25:59,400
which I just learned

390
00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,400
“tikkum olam”, which means

391
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,410
healing the world.

392
00:26:05,410 --> 00:26:07,745
So I see how they connect together

393
00:26:07,745 --> 00:26:09,752
and it's really quite beautiful,

394
00:26:09,752 --> 00:26:13,752
because slowly slowly people are
one by one

395
00:26:13,752 --> 00:26:17,780
healing the world and show humanity.

396
00:26:17,780 --> 00:26:20,134
We must concentrate on this positive part

397
00:26:20,134 --> 00:26:22,424
of the world because if we don’t,

398
00:26:22,424 --> 00:26:25,114
if we do nothing, we are doomed.

399
00:26:25,114 --> 00:26:27,800
So for me, coming here is a small small

400
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,174
thing but it has a lot of 
meaning in my life

401
00:26:31,174 --> 00:26:39,619
This idea of Ubuntu, this idea 
of refurbishing computers,

402
00:26:39,619 --> 00:26:42,578
objects tools that were doomed to be

403
00:26:42,578 --> 00:26:46,344
thrown away, is what inspired also

404
00:26:46,344 --> 00:26:49,769
this community to act and slowly to

405
00:26:49,769 --> 00:26:57,738
re-generate itself. This is what actually
means our motto “We need you”.

406
00:26:57,738 --> 00:27:01,778
That motto, in fact, means just that.

407
00:27:01,778 --> 00:27:05,778
Our local community was re-generated

408
00:27:05,778 --> 00:27:09,210
by your arrival, thanks to your spaceship

409
00:27:09,210 --> 00:27:11,611
with you, little black men, 
because it generated

410
00:27:11,611 --> 00:27:16,608
into us a new need to 
co-hoperate, to leave

411
00:27:16,608 --> 00:27:20,608
our homes and our sofas, 
forget about tv,

412
00:27:20,608 --> 00:27:23,597
get out trying to solve together a problem

413
00:27:23,597 --> 00:27:26,607
for the benefit of the whole community.

414
00:27:31,778 --> 00:27:34,148
Samba, student

415
00:27:34,148 --> 00:27:40,198
(words from a malian rap song, 
music in headphones)

416
00:27:51,570 --> 00:27:54,430
I am Samba and I come from Mali,

417
00:27:54,430 --> 00:27:57,996
I am an artist

418
00:27:57,996 --> 00:28:02,709
but before when I sang with my friends

419
00:28:02,709 --> 00:28:08,162
my family was against me making music,

420
00:28:08,166 --> 00:28:11,305
but I love it so much.

421
00:28:11,305 --> 00:28:15,521
In 2016 I went first to Algeria

422
00:28:15,521 --> 00:28:21,173
then also to Libia

423
00:28:21,173 --> 00:28:24,963
Then I arrived here two years ago.

424
00:28:24,963 --> 00:28:27,698
I have a complicated life,

425
00:28:27,698 --> 00:28:36,149
I would like to be an artist

426
00:28:36,149 --> 00:28:44,457
a rapper like many italians 
(Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta..)

427
00:28:44,457 --> 00:28:47,957
I would like to do what they do

428
00:28:47,957 --> 00:28:49,327
Luana, a resident

429
00:28:49,327 --> 00:28:51,027
I don’t really know what happened

430
00:28:51,027 --> 00:28:52,808
but we have all changed

431
00:28:52,808 --> 00:28:56,022
I found out they changed in relation to us

432
00:28:56,022 --> 00:28:58,503
in the begining they would just pass by,

433
00:28:58,503 --> 00:29:00,718
just give us a little smile but when they

434
00:29:00,718 --> 00:29:02,510
realised we really liked them…

435
00:29:02,510 --> 00:29:07,197
I cannot speak for all, 
but for people like me.

436
00:29:07,197 --> 00:29:09,474
When we see a new one we stop him

437
00:29:09,474 --> 00:29:11,840
with a “ehi”, and if he is tall tell him

438
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,564
to bend down or we can’t reach him, and he

439
00:29:14,564 --> 00:29:17,454
calls us and we say 
“grandmas and grandpas”

440
00:29:17,454 --> 00:29:19,614
and he replies “grandpa,grandma”,

441
00:29:19,614 --> 00:29:23,614
We speak italian so we try to make

442
00:29:23,614 --> 00:29:26,840
ourselves understood and when we see

443
00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,119
they reaaly don’t understand we gesture

444
00:29:29,119 --> 00:29:31,676
like this..to make them bend down

445
00:29:31,676 --> 00:29:34,695
And so they learn and when they pass

446
00:29:34,695 --> 00:29:38,396
they ask “nonna, need help ?”..

447
00:29:38,396 --> 00:29:40,319
”no, not today, tomorrow”.

448
00:29:40,319 --> 00:29:46,781
Some know some english and so I tell them

449
00:29:46,781 --> 00:29:49,965
“tomorrow” and they understand.

450
00:29:49,972 --> 00:29:53,984
Yes, but if you knew the story 
about "tomorrow"... Bloody hell!

451
00:29:53,984 --> 00:29:56,492
I always said I have no room at home but

452
00:29:56,492 --> 00:29:59,424
if I did I would happily take one or two,

453
00:29:59,424 --> 00:30:01,333
depends on how many I could take in

454
00:30:01,333 --> 00:30:03,273
If the house were mine,

455
00:30:03,275 --> 00:30:04,955
because in my view

456
00:30:04,955 --> 00:30:07,412
they also need to be understood

457
00:30:07,412 --> 00:30:11,253
they need to feel the good

458
00:30:11,253 --> 00:30:16,907
not just through a smile...

459
00:30:16,907 --> 00:30:21,397
There are other essential things in life
of all, especially in their case,

460
00:30:21,397 --> 00:30:23,998
they leave their families and flee from

461
00:30:23,998 --> 00:30:28,480
very bad systems, suffer hunger...

462
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:33,367
...many things... to come in Italy 
they faced... and so on...

463
00:30:33,367 --> 00:30:35,233
Maybe we are able to give them this

464
00:30:35,233 --> 00:30:37,250
things, we are just two or three that

465
00:30:37,250 --> 00:30:39,250
are really fond of them straight from our

466
00:30:39,250 --> 00:30:40,731
hearts not just from our mouths

467
00:30:40,731 --> 00:30:42,691
And they can feel it, as soon as they see

468
00:30:42,691 --> 00:30:49,054
us they come for a kiss, for some food,

469
00:30:49,054 --> 00:30:52,184
for biscuits, as with a little child that

470
00:30:52,184 --> 00:30:54,594
needs to be taught to speak.

471
00:30:54,594 --> 00:30:58,682
With those we see more often,

472
00:30:58,682 --> 00:31:05,226
we got this contact, so we spend time

473
00:31:05,226 --> 00:31:08,432
but it's not wasted time, it's good time

474
00:31:08,432 --> 00:31:13,825
Therefore... people who saw us doing that

475
00:31:13,825 --> 00:31:15,825
in the beginning were critical

476
00:31:15,825 --> 00:31:17,979
but now they say “it is true they make

477
00:31:17,979 --> 00:31:23,714
themselves loved, but how did you do it ?”

478
00:31:23,714 --> 00:31:25,675
How ? Well we talk to them!

479
00:31:25,687 --> 00:31:29,687
Sooner or later they understand…

480
00:31:31,060 --> 00:31:34,413
Slowly things got more stable,

481
00:31:34,413 --> 00:31:36,493
these guys are very nice

482
00:31:36,493 --> 00:31:38,809
they don't bother anyone, 
they greet everyone,

483
00:31:38,809 --> 00:31:42,995
they pass they call you, we reply,

484
00:31:42,995 --> 00:31:46,260
at least I do, others won’t.

485
00:31:46,260 --> 00:31:48,389
The village is quiet now,

486
00:31:48,389 --> 00:31:50,751
it showed the worst of itself because

487
00:31:50,751 --> 00:31:54,634
misleading informations help produce

488
00:31:54,634 --> 00:31:58,243
bad reactions. I mean...

489
00:31:58,243 --> 00:31:59,983
Then you learn things, you see them,

490
00:31:59,983 --> 00:32:02,947
you live them because in the end

491
00:32:03,163 --> 00:32:05,472
it's about leaving with them, isn't it?

492
00:32:05,472 --> 00:32:07,232
and it's also nice.

493
00:32:07,232 --> 00:32:12,434
The way I see it, these guys were jailed

494
00:32:12,434 --> 00:32:14,898
they are locked in there...

495
00:32:14,898 --> 00:32:17,727
without this group of people that taught

496
00:32:17,727 --> 00:32:19,597
them italian and other things ..

497
00:32:19,597 --> 00:32:23,246
what could they do? I mean...

498
00:32:23,246 --> 00:32:28,134
If you close thirty guys in a shelter....

499
00:32:28,134 --> 00:32:31,850
What for ? What's the use?

500
00:32:31,850 --> 00:32:34,505
it seems to me that it does 
not help anything

501
00:32:34,505 --> 00:32:37,806
If they are not made active, they are all
young, 20 years old guys

502
00:32:37,806 --> 00:32:39,578
what are they supposed to do ?

503
00:32:39,578 --> 00:32:42,268
If they do something, if it is possible

504
00:32:42,268 --> 00:32:45,791
to make them do something, work, play..

505
00:32:45,791 --> 00:32:51,555
then it is different. They can be useful

506
00:32:51,555 --> 00:32:54,218
but you must train them, let them in,

507
00:32:54,218 --> 00:32:56,610
something impossible to do 
in two-three months

508
00:32:56,610 --> 00:32:59,148
Since then you have to overcome distrust,

509
00:32:59,148 --> 00:33:00,981
seeing a black man by your side

510
00:33:00,981 --> 00:33:04,851
has some effects - it has to be said.

511
00:33:05,195 --> 00:33:07,220
But in the end this means nothing

512
00:33:07,220 --> 00:33:08,895
in the end he's like me, I mean...

513
00:33:08,921 --> 00:33:11,621
You learn to know learn him, he's a guy.

514
00:33:11,621 --> 00:33:14,393
But even if I'm with you, 
who don't know you

515
00:33:14,393 --> 00:33:17,809
may be we share the same opinion;

516
00:33:17,809 --> 00:33:19,609
it seems logical to me.

517
00:33:19,609 --> 00:33:21,659
(Car noise)

518
00:33:21,659 --> 00:33:24,609
Sibghat, student

519
00:33:27,490 --> 00:33:31,946
The first village I saw after 
entering Europe

520
00:33:31,946 --> 00:33:34,760
was Poggio alla Croce

521
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,622
I will never forget because they gave

522
00:33:36,622 --> 00:33:41,630
a new life, an unforgettable experience:

523
00:33:41,630 --> 00:33:44,770
the people, the joy, they 
gave me a respect

524
00:33:44,770 --> 00:33:49,160
for society, from day one when they

525
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:53,951
took me around to look for a job, to take

526
00:33:53,951 --> 00:33:59,165
the driving licence, to school..

527
00:33:59,165 --> 00:34:05,277
and I thought “look, these people ask

528
00:34:05,277 --> 00:34:09,593
nothing of you, but give you a lot,

529
00:34:09,593 --> 00:34:12,110
indeed a life, a new life

530
00:34:12,110 --> 00:34:13,110
(music in the bar)

531
00:34:15,785 --> 00:34:16,785
Hi anna...

532
00:34:16,785 --> 00:34:17,785
Ciao Sibi!

533
00:34:23,821 --> 00:34:26,541
I have to give them something back

534
00:34:27,531 --> 00:34:31,244
so I thought, all right, it can be a good

535
00:34:31,244 --> 00:34:34,357
thing that I go along

536
00:34:34,357 --> 00:34:37,957
with them, helping them also phisically”

537
00:34:37,957 --> 00:34:39,958
In my life I will never forget

538
00:34:39,958 --> 00:34:44,276
this village and the people

539
00:34:44,276 --> 00:34:46,157
who know me, as well,

540
00:34:46,157 --> 00:34:48,125
My family,even if not in Italy,

541
00:34:48,125 --> 00:34:51,305
they know Poggio alla Croce!

542
00:34:51,305 --> 00:34:56,231
It is a big joy for them too,
and in my view

543
00:34:56,231 --> 00:35:00,420
if they ever meet an italian or european

544
00:35:00,420 --> 00:35:03,365
person they will respect them because

545
00:35:03,365 --> 00:35:07,365
they have given a good thing, a new life

546
00:35:07,365 --> 00:35:09,932
to their son.

547
00:35:09,932 --> 00:35:15,678
In future I would like to help 
with the school,

548
00:35:15,678 --> 00:35:20,773
I don’t speak Italian well but 
I could help

549
00:35:20,773 --> 00:35:25,160
with the Pakistani who don’t speak english

550
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:28,505
and have not studied. I could be

551
00:35:28,505 --> 00:35:31,212
an interpreter between them and an italian

552
00:35:31,212 --> 00:35:34,753
explaining the rules and other things.

553
00:35:34,753 --> 00:35:38,261
It would help them but also one way

554
00:35:38,261 --> 00:35:45,250
to give something back to society, 
to the village.

555
00:35:45,250 --> 00:35:49,610
You are integrated in this society but now

556
00:35:49,610 --> 00:35:53,358
you are teaching other people 
to integrate in society

557
00:35:53,358 --> 00:35:56,969
so that they can do good new things.

558
00:35:56,969 --> 00:36:02,101
I have a lot to learn still, but people

559
00:36:02,101 --> 00:36:07,798
from Poggio gave me a nice life, something

560
00:36:07,798 --> 00:36:14,946
difficult to explain in words, but I will

561
00:36:14,946 --> 00:36:17,596
always try to give something back to this

562
00:36:17,596 --> 00:36:21,596
unforgettable, beautiful village.

563
00:36:21,596 --> 00:36:27,229
This initiative (the school) helped people

564
00:36:27,229 --> 00:36:32,747
who did not know each 
other to get in touch,

565
00:36:32,747 --> 00:36:38,610
collaborate, become friends..
Not only the migrants

566
00:36:38,610 --> 00:36:43,287
have a school for italian and mathematics

567
00:36:43,287 --> 00:36:47,287
but we all from the village 
have learnt to mix,

568
00:36:47,287 --> 00:36:49,541
live together and it is much better.

569
00:36:49,541 --> 00:36:51,898
Another memory that I have and I think

570
00:36:51,898 --> 00:36:56,748
I will never forget is the second day

571
00:36:56,748 --> 00:36:59,880
that I came back to the school and it was

572
00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:01,555
the birthday of the great Duccio,

573
00:37:01,555 --> 00:37:05,555
our mascot. He was one year old

574
00:37:05,555 --> 00:37:10,753
and at a certain point during the mini

575
00:37:10,753 --> 00:37:13,316
buffet that his mum had prepared for us

576
00:37:13,316 --> 00:37:18,371
the boys opened a bag and pulled out

577
00:37:18,371 --> 00:37:23,172
a little wooden cart, all coloured

578
00:37:23,172 --> 00:37:25,776
and you could see that it was homemade,

579
00:37:25,776 --> 00:37:27,867
the kind that I could find

580
00:37:27,867 --> 00:37:30,017
in my grandmother's attic.

581
00:37:30,017 --> 00:37:34,017
They were pieces of wood assembled with

582
00:37:34,017 --> 00:37:38,816
this rope attached to pull the cart along

583
00:37:38,816 --> 00:37:41,116
with wheels it was really well made.

584
00:37:41,116 --> 00:37:43,586
Claudio, resident, father of Duccio

585
00:37:43,586 --> 00:37:46,806
It was handcrafted by them

586
00:37:46,806 --> 00:37:49,295
and the gift was really appreciated by

587
00:37:49,295 --> 00:37:53,295
Duccio because among the many toys here at

588
00:37:53,295 --> 00:37:56,605
home, fantastic toys that play, sing,

589
00:37:56,605 --> 00:38:02,588
shout, this simple wooden cart made with

590
00:38:02,588 --> 00:38:07,384
pieces of wood and buttons... he liked it

591
00:38:07,384 --> 00:38:09,254
immediately and played with it without

592
00:38:09,254 --> 00:38:11,332
knocking it on the ground as he does

593
00:38:11,332 --> 00:38:13,200
with other toys after thirty seconds of

594
00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:15,521
of holding it in his hands and
throwing it away.

595
00:38:15,521 --> 00:38:18,746
Also because, maybe, since when he was

596
00:38:18,746 --> 00:38:22,746
a baby, as soon as he was born, we tried,

597
00:38:22,746 --> 00:38:28,223
both me and my partner, to integrate

598
00:38:28,223 --> 00:38:31,407
Duccio together with these guys,

599
00:38:31,407 --> 00:38:35,407
without letting him live this experience
as if it was something outstanding

600
00:38:35,407 --> 00:38:37,587
but as if they were our relatives, our

601
00:38:37,587 --> 00:38:44,827
friends, our brothers, when he sees them

602
00:38:44,827 --> 00:38:46,754
he laughs and goes to meet them.

603
00:38:46,754 --> 00:38:49,852
You know, my son is just 18 months old...

604
00:38:49,852 --> 00:38:53,031
He has practically become the mascot

605
00:38:53,031 --> 00:38:56,405
of the shelter because every time they see

606
00:38:56,405 --> 00:38:59,008
him they call him: "Duscio, Duscio"

607
00:38:59,008 --> 00:39:01,381
you can see that when there is "Duscio"

608
00:39:01,381 --> 00:39:07,069
they smile... and

609
00:39:07,069 --> 00:39:10,358
and I am really happy about that.

610
00:39:10,358 --> 00:39:13,021
It's a cliché, but I want my son to become

611
00:39:13,021 --> 00:39:14,961
a citizen of the world, not a citizen of

612
00:39:14,961 --> 00:39:16,411
Poggio alla Croce.

613
00:39:16,411 --> 00:39:19,594
So... everything's fine... and work?

614
00:39:19,594 --> 00:39:23,594
(Dialogues not intelligible between 
Claudio and Salif, student...)

615
00:39:33,772 --> 00:39:37,565
Duscio! Hello Duscio...

616
00:39:38,525 --> 00:39:41,315
And bread? Bread? Bru

617
00:39:41,315 --> 00:39:44,745
(Madou explains the recipe for bread,
oil and salt in his own language)

618
00:39:44,745 --> 00:39:47,580
cocò...? bru, cocò... And oil?

619
00:39:47,580 --> 00:39:51,580
tulù bru, tulù, cocò...

620
00:39:55,625 --> 00:39:59,141
So: bru, tulu, cocò!

621
00:40:01,587 --> 00:40:03,159
You are good!

622
00:40:03,216 --> 00:40:05,077
Yeah, good.

623
00:40:05,077 --> 00:40:07,797
(Laundry noises...)

624
00:40:14,410 --> 00:40:17,735
My name is Omar and I come from Senegal,

625
00:40:17,735 --> 00:40:20,953
I have been in Italy for two years.

626
00:40:20,953 --> 00:40:23,670
I've arrived in Poggio alla Croce

627
00:40:23,670 --> 00:40:26,275
and I'm happy, I've met many people.

628
00:40:26,275 --> 00:40:33,229
they teach a bit of Italian and I became

629
00:40:33,229 --> 00:40:37,229
friends with these people I go to school,

630
00:40:37,229 --> 00:40:42,744
I did the grape harvest and
the olive picking.

631
00:40:44,664 --> 00:40:52,135
They helped me to find a good job,

632
00:40:52,135 --> 00:40:54,795
I found a mother and a father,

633
00:40:54,795 --> 00:40:57,205
I only miss my brothers but my mother

634
00:40:57,205 --> 00:40:59,518
and my father are close to me,

635
00:40:59,518 --> 00:41:02,686
they are Paola and Gabriele.

636
00:41:02,686 --> 00:41:06,686
They are very good,
all of them in Poggio alla Croce.

637
00:41:09,026 --> 00:41:11,686
(Pruning noise...)

638
00:41:11,686 --> 00:41:14,426
When a foreigner comes here and leaves

639
00:41:14,426 --> 00:41:16,837
his homeland, he still has this nostalgia,

640
00:41:16,837 --> 00:41:19,501
he believes that where he goes

641
00:41:19,501 --> 00:41:23,285
he will perhaps find a welcome, a smile.

642
00:41:23,285 --> 00:41:26,950
When he comes and finds rejection it is

643
00:41:26,950 --> 00:41:30,655
a moment of great difficulty, a sadness.

644
00:41:30,655 --> 00:41:34,252
We are all foreigners to someone else,

645
00:41:34,252 --> 00:41:40,886
I too am a foreigner and I arrived here

646
00:41:40,886 --> 00:41:44,181
in 2000 and now 19 years have passed

647
00:41:44,181 --> 00:41:47,377
and I am here as a priest
in Poggio alla Croce.

648
00:41:47,377 --> 00:41:51,983
They give the idea that they have somehow

649
00:41:51,983 --> 00:41:53,859
taken the destiny of their lives back

650
00:41:53,859 --> 00:41:55,733
into their own hands.

651
00:41:55,733 --> 00:41:57,978
The transformation of course,

652
00:41:57,978 --> 00:42:00,371
and this is perhaps one of the
significant aspects,

653
00:42:00,371 --> 00:42:02,858
is not just about them:

654
00:42:02,858 --> 00:42:07,154
it is always wrong to focus on 'them'.

655
00:42:07,154 --> 00:42:11,154
Things work when the context allows

656
00:42:11,154 --> 00:42:14,931
itself to be changed and in this sense

657
00:42:14,931 --> 00:42:19,046
this is a positive reaction 
of the population.

658
00:42:19,046 --> 00:42:23,920
Old ladies who were perhaps terrified

659
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:26,612
in those famous, awful meetings

660
00:42:26,612 --> 00:42:29,150
at the beginning can now call them,

661
00:42:29,150 --> 00:42:31,524
when the woodcutter unloads a ton of wood

662
00:42:31,524 --> 00:42:33,684
in front of their house and for them

663
00:42:33,684 --> 00:42:36,004
there is the problem of taking it to the

664
00:42:36,004 --> 00:42:37,944
garden, bringing it inside...

665
00:42:37,944 --> 00:42:40,197
and so, as they say, they call a couple

666
00:42:40,197 --> 00:42:42,154
of these "big guys" and say

667
00:42:42,154 --> 00:42:44,184
"Will you bring it inside?"

668
00:42:44,184 --> 00:42:46,444
and clearly these guys do the job

669
00:42:46,444 --> 00:42:49,048
in ten minutes and they maybe pay them

670
00:42:49,048 --> 00:42:51,950
a cappuccino or give them some money.

671
00:42:51,950 --> 00:42:54,760
In this way a normal life has been

672
00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:57,705
recovered, it is healthy normality that

673
00:42:57,705 --> 00:43:05,672
makes up the real civilisation
of a population.

674
00:43:06,343 --> 00:43:08,784
And by the way, and this moves me,

675
00:43:08,784 --> 00:43:11,487
the people who are now with me and

676
00:43:11,487 --> 00:43:14,019
who have involved me in this adventure,

677
00:43:14,019 --> 00:43:18,019
two in particular, two women who started

678
00:43:18,019 --> 00:43:20,547
this adventure, are the same people

679
00:43:20,547 --> 00:43:23,321
who welcomed me twenty-six years ago

680
00:43:23,321 --> 00:43:26,261
when I arrived here in San Polo.

681
00:43:26,261 --> 00:43:28,503
And this is important for me, because

682
00:43:28,503 --> 00:43:31,486
it was a beautiful experience that I had

683
00:43:31,486 --> 00:43:33,598
and that I want to give
to others, to them.

684
00:43:34,711 --> 00:43:39,652
What is the name of this dish? Mafe

685
00:43:41,652 --> 00:43:43,222
How do you make it?

686
00:43:43,222 --> 00:43:44,816
Just meat, vegetables...?

687
00:43:44,816 --> 00:43:47,254
How do you manage this dish?

688
00:43:47,747 --> 00:43:53,338
Meat, some vegetables... tomato...

689
00:43:53,339 --> 00:43:59,413
Peanut... Peanut butter Good...

690
00:44:03,835 --> 00:44:06,318
.opala...show him, show him...

691
00:44:07,612 --> 00:44:10,121
Ah! Is this opala? Yes, this is opala.

692
00:44:10,121 --> 00:44:16,241
(undecipherable dialogue)

693
00:44:17,273 --> 00:44:19,243
How do you do it, do you have

694
00:44:19,243 --> 00:44:20,043
to clean, cut?

695
00:44:20,043 --> 00:44:24,043
Yes, clean, cut... Good! Bravo!

696
00:44:24,043 --> 00:44:26,063
I'll let you guys work

697
00:44:26,063 --> 00:44:28,675
while I watch and help you.

698
00:44:29,646 --> 00:44:31,636
What is this white thing?

699
00:44:34,326 --> 00:44:35,926
In Poular: "Bantara"

700
00:44:36,254 --> 00:44:38,066
and how do you cook it?

701
00:44:38,477 --> 00:44:39,477
A long time...

702
00:44:39,887 --> 00:44:41,494
Does it take a long time?

703
00:44:41,725 --> 00:44:43,795
yes, it takes a while... I don'tknow...

704
00:44:43,935 --> 00:44:46,405
In Senegal yes, I don't know in Europe...

705
00:44:46,526 --> 00:44:48,196
it's too hard

706
00:44:48,383 --> 00:44:50,693
ah you don't know...

707
00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:54,500
(undecipherable dialogue)

708
00:44:54,647 --> 00:44:56,895
...because if it is fresh it cooks

709
00:44:56,895 --> 00:44:59,037
very quickly if it is old

710
00:44:59,037 --> 00:45:00,627
it takes longer...

711
00:45:00,627 --> 00:45:04,627
(Music, kitchen noises...)

712
00:45:38,351 --> 00:45:40,381
This sort of migrants' Barbiana

713
00:45:40,381 --> 00:45:41,681
at Villa Viviana in

714
00:45:41,681 --> 00:45:43,341
Poggio alla Croce closes.

715
00:45:43,341 --> 00:45:45,642
Today there is a great silence

716
00:45:45,642 --> 00:45:47,612
since these young people who

717
00:45:47,612 --> 00:45:49,530
had brought life back to the

718
00:45:49,530 --> 00:45:51,310
depopulated village two years ago

719
00:45:51,310 --> 00:45:53,320
were forced to leave.

720
00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:57,320
(Music...)

721
00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:59,741
They left in a hurry without warning,

722
00:45:59,741 --> 00:46:01,707
some things are still there.

723
00:46:01,707 --> 00:46:03,509
The Cristoforo cooperative,

724
00:46:03,509 --> 00:46:05,415
which ran the centre, is leaving because

725
00:46:05,415 --> 00:46:07,847
its budget, reduced from 35 to 21 euros

726
00:46:07,847 --> 00:46:10,058
per migrant, has already had to close

727
00:46:10,058 --> 00:46:11,780
5 out of 17 centres and this

728
00:46:11,780 --> 00:46:13,373
is only the beginning:

729
00:46:13,373 --> 00:46:14,970
the situation is no longer

730
00:46:14,970 --> 00:46:16,697
financially sustainable.

731
00:46:16,697 --> 00:46:18,257
Some thirty migrants arrived in

732
00:46:18,257 --> 00:46:21,381
Poggio alla Croce, in the municipality 
of Figline and Incisa,

733
00:46:21,381 --> 00:46:22,728
two years ago

734
00:46:22,728 --> 00:46:24,440
amidst the mistrust and protests of

735
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:26,108
the few inhabitants of the village.

736
00:46:26,108 --> 00:46:27,458
But then everything changed

737
00:46:27,458 --> 00:46:29,288
some adopted them, some decided

738
00:46:29,288 --> 00:46:31,088
o improvise a school, to teach them

739
00:46:31,088 --> 00:46:34,273
how to cook or prune olive trees...

740
00:46:34,273 --> 00:46:36,568
The result was a unique experience

741
00:46:36,568 --> 00:46:39,598
of integration until now, when 
all of a sudden they were

742
00:46:39,598 --> 00:46:40,938
forced to move to another

743
00:46:40,938 --> 00:46:43,317
centre in Sesto Fiorentino.

744
00:46:47,774 --> 00:46:51,774
(gentle music)

745
00:46:52,164 --> 00:46:55,414
Today was the last day of study at

746
00:46:55,414 --> 00:46:59,108
Poggio alla Croce, it was a school

747
00:46:59,108 --> 00:47:03,108
where foreigners learn a lot of things,

748
00:47:03,108 --> 00:47:05,829
it was the school where we learned

749
00:47:05,829 --> 00:47:07,666
everything we needed

750
00:47:07,666 --> 00:47:12,523
Italian, English and above all 
Italian culture.

751
00:47:12,523 --> 00:47:16,164
At this time it is very difficult to be

752
00:47:16,164 --> 00:47:18,364
away from the inhabitants of

753
00:47:18,364 --> 00:47:26,011
Poggio alla Croce or to be away 
from our teachers.

754
00:47:26,092 --> 00:47:28,542
We are very sorry but we have

755
00:47:28,542 --> 00:47:31,657
not chosen, we tell you that we do not

756
00:47:31,657 --> 00:47:34,193
have many words to say because living

757
00:47:34,193 --> 00:47:35,995
with you has been very beautiful.

758
00:47:35,995 --> 00:47:39,073
You must be proud of yourselves for all

759
00:47:39,073 --> 00:47:41,192
that you have done

760
00:47:41,192 --> 00:47:43,202
and are still doing:

761
00:47:43,722 --> 00:47:46,429
you have created an incredible and

762
00:47:46,429 --> 00:47:49,692
unforgettable history in your little

763
00:47:49,692 --> 00:47:51,896
village, a village where humanity

764
00:47:51,896 --> 00:47:53,454
is respected a lot.

765
00:47:54,269 --> 00:47:56,899
For some people, living with African

766
00:47:56,899 --> 00:47:58,941
boys is a bore or a sin.

767
00:47:58,941 --> 00:48:02,391
But with you it was not like that,

768
00:48:02,391 --> 00:48:05,857
always with smiles, nice words

769
00:48:05,857 --> 00:48:08,310
without swearing or distinction of skin.

770
00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:13,165
We were lucky to live with you

771
00:48:13,165 --> 00:48:18,655
in this journey. After the study

772
00:48:18,655 --> 00:48:23,062
in Poggio we understood that each of us

773
00:48:23,062 --> 00:48:26,886
must be the master of our own destiny.

774
00:48:26,886 --> 00:48:29,596
Thank you for teaching us a good attitude

775
00:48:29,596 --> 00:48:32,616
how to behave in Europe, thank you for

776
00:48:32,616 --> 00:48:35,420
making us understand that we should not be

777
00:48:35,420 --> 00:48:38,299
like people who are delinquents or beggars

778
00:48:39,559 --> 00:48:41,235
I will never forget you,

779
00:48:42,225 --> 00:48:44,422
warm regards....

780
00:48:58,355 --> 00:49:01,531
In my opinion, this story of the Poggio,

781
00:49:01,531 --> 00:49:03,584
of the little school, is really a love

782
00:49:03,584 --> 00:49:08,113
story because we volunteers love each

783
00:49:08,113 --> 00:49:10,278
other, because we are together

784
00:49:10,278 --> 00:49:13,455
in a special way, and we with the guys,

785
00:49:13,455 --> 00:49:17,059
and they love us, real friendships have

786
00:49:17,059 --> 00:49:18,858
been born, it's a love story.

787
00:49:19,462 --> 00:49:22,591
It is these small gestures, these tales

788
00:49:22,591 --> 00:49:27,798
of everyday life that make our experience

789
00:49:28,254 --> 00:49:33,343
so special. It is what makes you say:

790
00:49:33,343 --> 00:49:38,493
"I care about you" It is the most

791
00:49:38,493 --> 00:49:41,307
precious gift we can take home.

792
00:49:41,660 --> 00:49:52,886
Ubuntu 
I am because we are

793
00:49:54,396 --> 00:49:58,278
Despite the closure of the migrant 
centre, the experience of the "Scuolina"

794
00:49:58,278 --> 00:50:02,118
has not been interrupted and is
continuing in Poggo alla Croce and

795
00:50:02,118 --> 00:50:06,528
at the COSPE, both for teaching 
and for supporting integration.

796
00:50:06,528 --> 00:50:11,838
Thanks to the project "Open Laboratory 
of Active Citizenship LACA19" a crowdmap

797
00:50:11,838 --> 00:50:16,078
based on the Ushahidi software 
has been developed to witness

798
00:50:16,078 --> 00:50:20,148
and connect the welcoming practices 
at regional, national and European level.

799
00:50:21,611 --> 00:50:27,521
Filmed between February and September 2019

800
00:50:28,391 --> 00:50:32,391
Closing credits