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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, people were simpler

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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 concentrated on 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. That was life,

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in my view that really was.

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Andrea, who conceived the welcoming project

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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 busy at work

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and like to collaborate.

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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 with 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” went off:

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thirty migrants to be hosted in the “palace”,

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a former hotel middle of 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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Piera

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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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you hear a lot of good

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but also bad about these youngsters

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Andrea

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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 though the Poggio’s residents

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are around 190.

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Attilia, a teacher in the the school for migrants

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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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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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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 the streets anymore”

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But I refused to sign in

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and became the black sheep

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Paolo

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They are black, and that may be difficult to fathom

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Integration is not easy, not easy.

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Also on their side

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Attilia

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There was a bad feeling around,

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a terrible atmosphere

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My legs trembled, truly.

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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

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accustomed to sharing…and I remember

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there were also coloured children

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in our classes and they all played together

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And now I was frightened

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by what they had become

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Was more scared of them than

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of the coming migrants because

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I could sense a rage and violence

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that really frightened me

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Andrea

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When the spaceship

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with its little black men finally landed

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we managed to organize

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a first meeting 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 whole project.

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Sitting on chairs in a circle

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all mixed up some of us,

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some of them, we played a bit.

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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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A simple exercise that opened

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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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That some of them were illiterate,

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you could tell by the unlikely way they

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brandished the feltpen in their hands,

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In fact they did not write but

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drew their name. At the same time

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some of them attended school

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and to one exreme there was one kid

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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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fan of different human stories and situations

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hiding behind this stereotype that we call

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with just one name: the migrant..

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which prompts the image of one

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little black man, the same, and his

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standard story.

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Absolutely not like that !

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Malo’, a teacher in the school for mugrants

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Three of us that embarked in this adventure

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of the “little school of 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 youngsters,

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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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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

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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 ?

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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 teeth

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and those white teeth 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

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who thank you for being there,

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who are looking forward

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for you to teach them something.

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(Car noise...)

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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

203
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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,

209
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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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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 I ride my bike.

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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

225
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thirty minutes, 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

241
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difficult trip, I can't forget it,

242
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It was very dangerous.

243
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I sacrificed my life

244
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to seek my fortune in Europe

245
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and thank God I entered Italy

246
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on 13 June 2018

247
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and I was transferred

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to Poggio alla Croce.

249
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I met some very good people who

250
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treated me like one of their own,

251
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they are like my parents here,

252
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not only me but all the Africans

253
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who live in Poggio alla Croce.

254
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I would like to continue studying,

255
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if there is a possibility,

256
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I'd like to study and learn

257
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a job, for example a welder.

258
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(Noise spring water, chirping...)

259
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Italy saved me in the sea,

260
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in Italy I went to school

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and I would like to continue studying,

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I don't know what will happen afterwards.

263
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Poggio alla Croce is my village.

264
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The path is chaotic,

265
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one cannot expect to follow

266
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a preordained thread:

267
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it would kill this kind of school.

268
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So you have to follow the wind.

269
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An example would be when

270
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Samba had written the curriculum

271
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on the computer,

272
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then of course you try to help:

273
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"Samba, what does this mean?

274
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What's this...?"

275
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Then we read:

276
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"driving experience", so I ask:

277
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"Samba, what did you drive?"

278
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He light up immediately and says

279
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"Cow!"

280
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and a whole other discussion

281
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
started from there

282
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
about how things change over time,

283
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how they change in Africa,

284
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how they change here.

285
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is an example of digression.

286
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's a people-centred school,

287
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
essentially.

288
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Soft music, dialogue in the background..)

289
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We all have attics full of old computers

290
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and we don't know what to do with them.

291
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's a problem because we have to take them

292
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to the eco-center and so we've been

293
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
spreading this information:

294
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Do you have an old computer?

295
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You don't know what to do with it,

296
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is that a problem for you?

297
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Instead of giving it to the

298
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
recycling centre, give it to us,

299
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we install a version the Linux

300
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
operating system, a lightweight version

301
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that fits into old computers

302
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and easily "resurrects" them.

303
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The Ubuntu operating system

304
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is so called because it is a concept

305
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
from southern Africa and

306
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Nelson Mandela in a beautiful

307
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
video that we used

308
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for a work with the students,

309
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
describes it with a little story:

310
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Once upon a time, when a wayfarer

311
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
arrived in a village and he was

312
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
tired, thirsty and hungry, no one would

313
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ever ask him any question,

314
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they simply brought him something to drink

315
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and food. This is Ubuntu, that is

316
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
thinking about the other in the knowledge

317
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that this creates a community

318
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that lives well if we all do that."

319
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Ubuntu is a great African philosophy,

320
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a great African thought...

321
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it's about getting to the help

322
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it starts with the fact that we're all

323
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
brothers, if I help one person

324
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that person can help

325
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
another person close to me,

326
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
therefore a general connection

327
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of society in that we all consider

328
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ourselves brothers and sisters.

329
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What happened in Poggio alla Croce

330
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is Ubuntu, it's definitely

331
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
authentic Ubuntu.

332
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Chorus of African children...)

333
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I think that following a principle

334
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
where helping someone will help me

335
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in turn is good for both, better than

336
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
fighting with each other,

337
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
even though in fight wins may be

338
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
happier than the loser.

339
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This principle guides my whole life

340
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
since I started reasoning I have always

341
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
used the time I had available in social activities.

342
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But not for “goodism”, not because

343
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I am good and consequently must do good,

344
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
help others, help beggars, no.

345
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Maybe I am led by selfishness,

346
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I think I earn something this way

347
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and so live a better life, be serene.

348
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You get a lot of rip-offs, but not like

349
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
those you get When fighting and losing.

350
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
More like opportunities that leave

351
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a bitter taste in our mouth but do not create

352
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
big problems. There were racist

353
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
symptoms around and that is way

354
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I decided to get involved but basically

355
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was my way of doing things: I am a migrant

356
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
myself in Poggio alla Croce, moving from town

357
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to the country.

358
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I choosed to and almost from start

359
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was natural to decide joining this association.

360
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is a way of living, it is normality,

361
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
no heroism, I think everybody

362
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
can understand this.

363
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When I hear it, the word Ubuntu has an impact

364
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because it means “humanity”.

365
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In jewish religion we have an expression,

366
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“tikkum olam”, that literally means

367
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“fixing the world”.

368
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And I noticed how relationships

369
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
developed here; it is really beautiful,

370
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because people one by one are slowly

371
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“fixing the world” and show humanity.

372
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We must concentrate on this positive part

373
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the world because if we don’t,

374
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
if we do nothing, we are doomed to fail.

375
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
For me coming here to Poggio is a little thing

376
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but it means a lot in my life.

377
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This idea of Ubuntu, to re-generate computers,

378
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
objects tools that were doomed to be

379
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
thrown away, is what inspired also

380
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this community to act and slowly

381
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
re-generate itself. This is what means

382
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the motto “We need you”

383
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Our local community was re-generated

384
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
by your arrival, thanks to your spaceship

385
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with little black men, because it injected

386
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
into us a new need to co-hoperate, to leave

387
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our homes and setties, forget about tv,

388
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
get out and try to solve together a problem

389
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for the benefit of the whole community.

390
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(words from a malian rap song, music in headphones)

391
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I am Samba and I come from Mali,

392
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I am an artist

393
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But before when I sang with my friends

394
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
my family was against me making music,

395
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but I love it.

396
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In 2016 I went first to Algeria then to Libia

397
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Then I arrived here two years ago.

398
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have a complicated life,

399
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I would like to be an artist

400
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a rapper like many italians (Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta..)

401
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I would like to do what they do

402
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I don’t really know what happened

403
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but we have all changed

404
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I found out they changed in relation to us,

405
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the begining they would just pass by,

406
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
just give us a little smile but when they

407
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
realised we really liked them…

408
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I cannot speak for all, but for people like me.

409
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When we see a new one we stop him

410
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with a “ehi”, and if he is tall tell him

411
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to bend down or we can’t reach him, and he

412
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
calls us and we say “grandmas and grandpas”

413
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and he replies “grandpa,grandma”,,

414
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We speak italian so we try to make

415
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ourselves understood and when we see

416
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they reaaly don’t understand we gesture

417
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like this..to make them bend down

418
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And so they learn and when they pass

419
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they ask “nonna, need help ?”..

420
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
”no, not today, tomorrow”.

421
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Some know some english and so I tell them

422
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“tomorrow” and they understand.

423
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I always said I have No room at home but if

424
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I did I would happily take one in One, two,

425
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
depends on how many I could take in

426
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
If the house were mine, because in my view

427
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they also need to be understood, to feel

428
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the good not just through a smile. There are

429
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
essential things in the life of all, but they

430
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
leave their families flee from

431
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
very bad systems, suffer hunger.

432
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Maybe we are unable to give them

433
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
these things We are just two or three that

434
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are really fond of them straight from our

435
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
hearts not from our mouths

436
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And they can feel it, as soon as they see

437
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
us they come for a kiss, for some food,

438
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for biscuits, as with a little child that

439
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
needs to be taught to speak.

440
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Some we see more often and there is a contact

441
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We spend time but is not wasted time,

442
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it is good time. People who saw us doing

443
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that in the beginning were critical

444
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But now they say “it is true they make

445
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
themselves loved, but how did you do it ?”

446
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How ?, well we talk to them!

447
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And soon or later they understand…

448
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Slowly things got more stable.

449
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
These kids are very nice

450
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They hurt nobody, they salute everybody,

451
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they pass they call you, we reply,

452
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at least I do, others won’t.

453
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The village is quiet now,

454
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it showed the worst of itself because

455
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
misleading informations help produce

456
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
bad reactions. Then you learn, you see, you

457
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
live and living with them is also nice.

458
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The way I see it, these kids were like jailed

459
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
without this group of people that taught

460
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
them italian and other things ..

461
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what would they do ? Lock up thirty kids

462
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in a CAS, what for ? For nothing I think,

463
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
If they are not made active

464
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what can they do ?

465
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They are all young kids in their twenties….

466
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what can they do ?

467
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
If they do something, if it is possible

468
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to make them do something, work, play..

469
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
then it is different. They can be useful

470
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but you must train them, let them in,

471
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
something impossible to do in two-three months

472
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Then you have to overcome distrust.

473
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Seeing a black man by your side

474
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
has some effects. But in the end it means

475
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
nothing. If you learn to know him he is

476
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like me after all Even if I don’t know you

477
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we share the same opinion

478
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is logical I think

479
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The first village I saw after entering Europe

480
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
was Poggio alla Croce

481
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I will never forget because they gave

482
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a new life, an unforgettable experience:

483
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the people, the joy, they gave me a respect

484
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for society, from day one when they

485
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
took me around to look for a job, to take

486
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the driving licence, to school..

487
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and I thought “look, these people ask

488
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
nothing of you, but give you a lot,

489
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a new life..I must give something back”

490
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and thought it would be good to go on

491
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with them, helping them also phisically”

492
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In my life I will never forget this village and

493
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999


494
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the people who know me as well,

495
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
My family,even if not in Italy,

496
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they know Poggio alla Croce!

497
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is a big joy for them too,and in my view

498
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
if they ever meet an italian or european

499
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
person they will respect them because

500
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they have given a good thing, a new life

501
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to their son.

502
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In future I would like to help with the school,

503
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I don’t speak italian well but I could help

504
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with the Pakistani who don’t speak english

505
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and have not studied. I could be

506
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
an interpreter between them and an italian

507
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
explaining the rules and other things.

508
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It would help them but also one way

509
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to give someting back to society, to the village.

510
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You are integrated in this society but now

511
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you are teaching other peopleto integrate in society

512
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
so that they can do good new things.

513
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have a lot to learn still, but people

514
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
from Poggio gave me a nice life, something

515
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
difficult to explain in words, but I will

516
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
always try to give something back to this

517
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
unforgettable, beautiful village.

518
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This initiative (the school) helped people

519
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who did not know each other to get in touch,

520
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
collaborate, become friends..Not only the migrants

521
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
have a school for italian and mathematics

522
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but we all from the village have learnt to mix,

523
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
live together and it is much better

524
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Something else I won’t ever forget is

525
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the second day I visited the school, it was

526
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the first birthday of the mythical Duccio,

527
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our mascot. At a point during the mini-buffet

528
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
his morher had prepared for us

529
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the kids they open a little paper bag

530
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and and pull out a little cart made in

531
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
coloured wood, obviously home made

532
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as one of those things I could find

533
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in my grandma’s attic. It was made

534
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of wood pieces assembled and with a string

535
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to pull it around on wheels,

536
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
really a well done object

537
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It was handmade by them and Duccio

538
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
really liked it because among many toys

539
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the house, fantastic toys that play

540
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a tune, sing a song, shout, Duccio loved

541
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
immediately this simple wooden chart,

542
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and he played with it without throwing it

543
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to the ground, as he does with other toys

544
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he keeps in his hands for thirty seconds

545
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
then throws them away. Maybe it was

546
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because since he was born me and my

547
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
girlfried have tried to integrate Duccio

548
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with these kids, so that he could live

549
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this experience as normal, as if they were

550
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our relatives,our friends,our brothers.

551
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And now when my son sees them he smiles

552
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and goes towards them. He is now

553
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
18 months old and is practically

554
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the mascot of the centre. When they

555
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
see him they call “Duscio, Duscio..”,

556
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you can tell their face opens up in smile,

557
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and this makes me really happy. I know

558
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it may sound trivial but I want my child

559
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to be a citizen of the world

560
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
not just of Poggio alla Croce.

561
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Fantastic, but how does it work Madou ?

562
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You are far away I must try to hit,

563
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I must stay away to hit

564
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Who hits first wins ?

565
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When I cannot hit then it is her turn,

566
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
then we go around.

567
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And who hits is the winner ? Yes

568
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Madou explains in his language

569
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the recipe for bread, oil and salt).

570
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
My name is Omar, I come from Senegal.

571
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have been In Italy for two years now.

572
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I arrived in Poggio alla Croce and

573
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I am happy, I met lots of people,

574
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they teach you some italian and we have

575
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
become friends. I go to school also

576
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to learn how to prune, I collected wine

577
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
grapes and olives. They helped me find

578
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a good job, and I have found a mother and

579
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a father..I only miss my brothers but

580
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
my new parents are Paola and Gabriele,

581
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they are very good people, like everyone

582
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
else in Poggio alla Croce.

583
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When a stranger arrives here leaving

584
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
his country still has nostalgia. He thinks

585
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
where he goes he may be welcome with

586
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a smile. When he is met by refusal is a

587
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
very difficult moment, a very sad one.

588
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We are all strangers to some others,

589
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I came here in 2000 Now 19 years have

590
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
passed and I have become parson

591
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in Poggio alla Croce.

592
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They make you think as if they have taken

593
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
their life destiny in their own hands.

594
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Obviously this transformation is not

595
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
just theirs, is probably one of the most

596
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
important aspects it is wrong to focus

597
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
just on “them”. Things really work

598
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when the context accepts change

599
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This explains the positive reaction of the

600
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
population. Starting form our aged

601
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
fellow-citizen who may be were terrifed

602
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at the beginning, during those horrible

603
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
early meetings… Now they know they can

604
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
call on them when the lumberjacks

605
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
discharge 10 quintals of wooden logs in

606
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
front of the house that have to be taken

607
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
into the garden or inside the house, they

608
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
can call these “big guys” as they say,

609
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and these kids obviously do the job in ten

610
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
minutes, and maybe are offered a cappuccino

611
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
or given a little money. This way a normal

612
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
way of life was recuperated Healthy normality

613
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that makes a population really civilized.

614
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And among other things this is what really

615
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
moves me, the people that are with me

616
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
now and who have involved me in this

617
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
adventure, two in particular who have

618
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
started this adventure, are the same two

619
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who have welcomed me twentysix years

620
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ago whenI arrived in San Polo.

621
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is important for me, because mine

622
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
was a really beautiful experience that

623
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I want to help others,them, to live.

624
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“water is coming, master” “ok”

625
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“theese are three and half kilos” “ yes it is ok

626
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“what is the name of this dish ?” “ Mafe”

627
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“How do you do this dish, just meat,

628
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
vegetables ?”

629
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“meat, vegetable, tomatoes peanuts butter”

630
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“how do you do it, you must clean, cut”

631
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“ok kids I let you work, while I look on

632
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and help you”

633
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“what is this white thing ? “ Bantara ?”

634
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“and how do you cook it ? You need

635
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
long time “

636
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“in Senegal yes, I don’t know how

637
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to cook it in Europe..”

638
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“the more fresh it is the quicker it cooks,

639
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
if old it takes longer”

640
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This kind of Barbiana for migrants

641
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at Villa Viviana in Poggio alla Croce is about

642
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
about to close. Today all is silent since

643
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
these kids who had brought back some

644
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
life to this under-populated village

645
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the past two years have been obliged

646
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to leave. They went away in haste

647
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
without alerting anybody A few of their

648
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
things have remained here.

649
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The cooperative Cristoforo which was

650
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
running the centre must give up because

651
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with a budget limited to 21 euros

652
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(against 35 as before) per each migrant

653
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they are closing down five centres out

654
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of 17.. and this is only the beginning

655
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because the situation is not financially

656
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
sustainable any more.

657
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
At Poggio alla Croce, in the neighborough

658
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of Figline e Incisa, some thirty migrants

659
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
had arrived among distrust and protest

660
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ff the few people living there..Then

661
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
everything changed, many were adopted,

662
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
someone decided to set up a school

663
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to teach them italian, but also to cook,

664
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
prune olives. A distinctive experience of

665
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
integration was born And lived on until

666
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
today when they were forced to leave

667
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
moving to another centre

668
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in Sesto Fiorentino.

669
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Today was the last day of study in Poggio

670
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
alla Croce, it was a school where

671
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
foreigners could learn a lot of things it

672
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
was the school where we have learnt all

673
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that we need in italian, in english, and

674
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
above all some italian culture.

675
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In this moment it is very difficult to go

676
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
away from the residents of Poggio alla

677
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Croce, to leave our teachers We are very

678
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
sorry but have no choice, there is not

679
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
enough words to say how good it was

680
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to live together with you. You must be

681
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
proud for what you have done and are still

682
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
doing. You have created an incredible story

683
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which cannot be cancelled in our little

684
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
village where humanity is respected even

685
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
though for some people to live together

686
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with african kids is boring or a sin.

687
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
With you it was never like that, always

688
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
smiling, only nice words, never bad words

689
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
nor distinction against the colour of

690
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our skin. We have been lucky to live

691
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with your one moment in our travelling.

692
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
After studying in Poggio we have

693
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
understood that each and everyone must own

694
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
his destiny. Thank you for having taught

695
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
us the right approach how to behave

696
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
properly in Europe, how to distance

697
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ourselves from begging and delinquent

698
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
behaviours. I will never forget you.

699
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Warm greetings