WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Piera, a resident in Poggio alla Croce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In these last few years a lot has changed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Things were different before, people were simpler 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They often came into the centre. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now they stay at home, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the village is less lived in. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Before we were all concentrated on my shop. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Most of the world, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 most of life took place around it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A place to meet, to understand each other, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 maybe argue with different opinions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but still have a dialogue. That was life, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in my view that really was. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Andrea, who conceived the welcoming project 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Poggio alla Croce could be defined 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as “a small Switzerland” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Located in a beautiful spot 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 between Chianti and Valdarno 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Residents are busy at work 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and like to collaborate. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In summer a nice festival is organized 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 attracting people from both valleys 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When problems arise, like with ice in winter, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 informations flow over the internet. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Looked like and ideal place 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Then in April 2017 the “bomb” went off: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 thirty migrants to be hosted in the “palace”, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a former hotel middle of village 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It sounded as if a spaceship full 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of little black men was about to land 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Piera 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Black men are coming. Black men are coming. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We are all with our hairs raised, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 very worried, me too to be honest because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you hear a lot of good 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but also bad about these youngsters 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Andrea 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The strongest reaction, intense and wide, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 was an immediate refusal, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a “belly” reaction that caused 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 an immediate decision 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to collect signatures against, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in less than three days 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 230 signatures were collected 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Even though the Poggio’s residents 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are around 190. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Attilia, a teacher in the the school for migrants 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A first meeting was held 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 one and half year ago in summer 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 before the migrants arrived, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so we did not know them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They had no face for us, they had no name 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I don’t live in Poggio alla Croce, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I come from a nearby village 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 During the meeting there were 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 some very aggressive people, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I guess they were sincerely scared 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Martin, parson of Poggio alla Croce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Their reaction was not due to being bad. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Behind there was also a reality 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that must be told. It must be told that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 none was pepared because none 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 had been alerted that these foreigner, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 these migrants were coming 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Paolo, a resident in Poggio alla Croce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Someone started collecting signatures, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I agreed only because I wanted to know 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where would these kids be hosted, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what did they come for then it became 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 clear that this was not the reason 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they did not want to welcome them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So I said my signature was extorted 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and was not in agreement any more 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Luana, a resident in Poggio alla Croce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They told us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “in a year time we’ll remind you of this.. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we are scared.. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I have an 18months old little girl 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who won’t be able to walk the streets anymore” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But I refused to sign in 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and became the black sheep 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Paolo 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They are black, and that may be difficult to fathom 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Integration is not easy, not easy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Also on their side 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Attilia 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There was a bad feeling around, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a terrible atmosphere 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 My legs trembled, truly. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I recognized kids that I knew 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when they were little children. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And now as grown ups they were scared 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and said they did not want the migrants 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because their life would change, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it would not be possible 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 anymore to go quietly around in Poggio. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 No more walkabouts but they shouted 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 all this in a really aggressive way.. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I started to tremble and was unable 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to tell what I meant, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that I felt very sorry to see children 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who had grown up together 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 accustomed to sharing…and I remember 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there were also coloured children 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in our classes and they all played together 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And now I was frightened 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by what they had become 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Was more scared of them than 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the coming migrants because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I could sense a rage and violence 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that really frightened me 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Andrea 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When the spaceship 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with its little black men finally landed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we managed to organize 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a first meeting in a room under 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the church that our parson Martin 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 put at our disposal 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for the whole project. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Sitting on chairs in a circle 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 all mixed up some of us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 some of them, we played a bit. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We sticked a piece of paper on the wall 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and each and one of us started to write 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “Andrea Formiconi, italian, speaks italian” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Then casually pointed the felt-pen towards 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 one or the other and they wrote in turn 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Each and one of us wrote his name, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which country he came from, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which language he spoke,,, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A simple exercise that opened 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a whole world, a universe 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it turned out that with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 fourteen-fifteen of them there were 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 twelve-thrteen languages spoken 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That some of them were illiterate, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you could tell by the unlikely way they 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 brandished the feltpen in their hands, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In fact they did not write but 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 drew their name. At the same time 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 some of them attended school 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and to one exreme there was one kid 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that had escaped while in his fourth year 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of Mathematics at university. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This helps understand the enormous 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 fan of different human stories and situations 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 hiding behind this stereotype that we call 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with just one name: the migrant.. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which prompts the image of one 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 little black man, the same, and his 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 standard story. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Absolutely not like that ! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Malo’, a teacher in the school for mugrants 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Three of us that embarked in this adventure 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the “little school of Poggio alla Croce” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 without really knowing what to expect. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We felt the urge to do something 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to help these youngsters, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and we thought that teaching them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 italian language was the thing to do 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 also to improve their trust in themselves. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 As we are scared of them blacks, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they are scared of us whites 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They are afraid of us. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The funny thing is that a lot of people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 were involved who had nothing . 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to do with teaching. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 People like Marcie who is canadian 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with very little italian but 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 she taught italian.. and Willy 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who is still with us who reads 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and does dictation 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and anything else with them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I teach in primary schools 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on Tuesday when finished 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 With my class, often very tired like last 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 year when I taught in first 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I sit in the car and say to myself 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “why do you do it ? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you should go home to rest or make dinner” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 then I close my eyes and think 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “if it is the right thing to do I'll find 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the missing energies” and there I go 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and afterwards I am happy because you get 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there and see those smiles with white teeth 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and those white teeth of black people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those happy eyes... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I see Ajan, I see Dedo, the Kurds... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 waiting for you 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who thank you for being there, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who are looking forward 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for you to teach them something. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Car noise...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I arrived here a bit by chance, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I got to know this experience 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 thanks to Andreas, his stories 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in university classrooms and I decided to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to come and have a look. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The question I get asked most often 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is why I'm doing this, especially because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what strikes me about me is the fact 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that I come from almost 90 kilometres 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 almost two hours by car anyway 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 just to get here. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's not easy to explain, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because the reason 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 lies in so many little things: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 gestures, looks, emotions, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the feelings you have when 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you get in touch with these people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which in the end are lives 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are experiences, are worlds 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with which you come into contact 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and of which you often know nothing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Traffic noise...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Country noises, chirping...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Squeaking bicycle...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Background music...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I go to school in Figline Valdarno 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 every day, On Mondays and Tuesdays 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I go by car but the other days I ride my bike. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I ride my bike. It's not difficult to go, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but it is difficult to return 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it takes an hour and 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 thirty minutes, It's tiring. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When I was in Africa I didn't go to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 school and fortunately I found myself in 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Europe and met the people who 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are helping me 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and enrolled me in school. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 My goal is to learn the Italian language 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would like to stay in Italy, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would like to work to help 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 my family in Africa. Therefore 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I have to concentrate on studying, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it's my goal. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 My name is Madou Koulibaly, I come 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from Guinea and I'm 20 years old. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I arrived in Italy a year and 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 two months ago, it was a very 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 difficult trip, I can't forget it, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was very dangerous. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I sacrificed my life 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to seek my fortune in Europe 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and thank God I entered Italy 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on 13 June 2018 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I was transferred 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to Poggio alla Croce. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I met some very good people who 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 treated me like one of their own, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they are like my parents here, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 not only me but all the Africans 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who live in Poggio alla Croce. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would like to continue studying, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if there is a possibility, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'd like to study and learn 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a job, for example a welder. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Noise spring water, chirping...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Italy saved me in the sea, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in Italy I went to school 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I would like to continue studying, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I don't know what will happen afterwards. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Poggio alla Croce is my village. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The path is chaotic, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 one cannot expect to follow 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a preordained thread: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it would kill this kind of school. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So you have to follow the wind. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 An example would be when 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Samba had written the curriculum 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on the computer, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 then of course you try to help: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Samba, what does this mean? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What's this...?" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Then we read: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "driving experience", so I ask: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Samba, what did you drive?" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He light up immediately and says 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Cow!" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and a whole other discussion 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 started from there 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 about how things change over time, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 how they change in Africa, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 how they change here. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is an example of digression. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a people-centred school, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 essentially. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Soft music, dialogue in the background..) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We all have attics full of old computers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and we don't know what to do with them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a problem because we have to take them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to the eco-center and so we've been 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 spreading this information: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Do you have an old computer? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You don't know what to do with it, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is that a problem for you? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Instead of giving it to the 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 recycling centre, give it to us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we install a version the Linux 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 operating system, a lightweight version 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that fits into old computers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and easily "resurrects" them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Ubuntu operating system 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is so called because it is a concept 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from southern Africa and 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Nelson Mandela in a beautiful 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 video that we used 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for a work with the students, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 describes it with a little story: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Once upon a time, when a wayfarer 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 arrived in a village and he was 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 tired, thirsty and hungry, no one would 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ever ask him any question, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they simply brought him something to drink 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and food. This is Ubuntu, that is 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 thinking about the other in the knowledge 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that this creates a community 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that lives well if we all do that." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Ubuntu is a great African philosophy, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a great African thought... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it's about getting to the help 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it starts with the fact that we're all 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 brothers, if I help one person 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that person can help 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 another person close to me, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 therefore a general connection 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of society in that we all consider 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ourselves brothers and sisters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What happened in Poggio alla Croce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is Ubuntu, it's definitely 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 authentic Ubuntu. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Chorus of African children...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I think that following a principle 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where helping someone will help me 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in turn is good for both, better than 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 fighting with each other, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 even though in fight wins may be 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 happier than the loser. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This principle guides my whole life 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 since I started reasoning I have always 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 used the time I had available in social activities. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But not for “goodism”, not because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I am good and consequently must do good, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 help others, help beggars, no. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Maybe I am led by selfishness, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I think I earn something this way 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and so live a better life, be serene. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You get a lot of rip-offs, but not like 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those you get When fighting and losing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 More like opportunities that leave 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a bitter taste in our mouth but do not create 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 big problems. There were racist 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 symptoms around and that is way 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I decided to get involved but basically 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it was my way of doing things: I am a migrant 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 myself in Poggio alla Croce, moving from town 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to the country. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I choosed to and almost from start 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it was natural to decide joining this association. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is a way of living, it is normality, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 no heroism, I think everybody 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 can understand this. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When I hear it, the word Ubuntu has an impact 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it means “humanity”. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In jewish religion we have an expression, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “tikkum olam”, that literally means 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “fixing the world”. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I noticed how relationships 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 developed here; it is really beautiful, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because people one by one are slowly 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “fixing the world” and show humanity. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We must concentrate on this positive part 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the world because if we don’t, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if we do nothing, we are doomed to fail. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For me coming here to Poggio is a little thing 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but it means a lot in my life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This idea of Ubuntu, to re-generate computers, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 objects tools that were doomed to be 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 thrown away, is what inspired also 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this community to act and slowly 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 re-generate itself. This is what means 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the motto “We need you” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Our local community was re-generated 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by your arrival, thanks to your spaceship 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with little black men, because it injected 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 into us a new need to co-hoperate, to leave 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our homes and setties, forget about tv, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 get out and try to solve together a problem 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for the benefit of the whole community. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (words from a malian rap song, music in headphones) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I am Samba and I come from Mali, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I am an artist 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But before when I sang with my friends 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 my family was against me making music, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but I love it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In 2016 I went first to Algeria then to Libia 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Then I arrived here two years ago. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I have a complicated life, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would like to be an artist 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a rapper like many italians (Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta..) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would like to do what they do 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I don’t really know what happened 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but we have all changed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I found out they changed in relation to us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the begining they would just pass by, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 just give us a little smile but when they 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 realised we really liked them… 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I cannot speak for all, but for people like me. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When we see a new one we stop him 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with a “ehi”, and if he is tall tell him 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to bend down or we can’t reach him, and he 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 calls us and we say “grandmas and grandpas” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and he replies “grandpa,grandma”,, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We speak italian so we try to make 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ourselves understood and when we see 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they reaaly don’t understand we gesture 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 like this..to make them bend down 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And so they learn and when they pass 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they ask “nonna, need help ?”.. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ”no, not today, tomorrow”. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some know some english and so I tell them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “tomorrow” and they understand. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I always said I have No room at home but if 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I did I would happily take one in One, two, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 depends on how many I could take in 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If the house were mine, because in my view 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they also need to be understood, to feel 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the good not just through a smile. There are 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 essential things in the life of all, but they 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 leave their families flee from 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 very bad systems, suffer hunger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Maybe we are unable to give them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 these things We are just two or three that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are really fond of them straight from our 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 hearts not from our mouths 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And they can feel it, as soon as they see 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 us they come for a kiss, for some food, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for biscuits, as with a little child that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 needs to be taught to speak. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some we see more often and there is a contact 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We spend time but is not wasted time, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it is good time. People who saw us doing 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that in the beginning were critical 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But now they say “it is true they make 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 themselves loved, but how did you do it ?” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How ?, well we talk to them! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And soon or later they understand… 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Slowly things got more stable. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 These kids are very nice 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They hurt nobody, they salute everybody, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they pass they call you, we reply, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 at least I do, others won’t. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The village is quiet now, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it showed the worst of itself because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 misleading informations help produce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 bad reactions. Then you learn, you see, you 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 live and living with them is also nice. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The way I see it, these kids were like jailed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 without this group of people that taught 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 them italian and other things .. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what would they do ? Lock up thirty kids 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in a CAS, what for ? For nothing I think, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If they are not made active 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what can they do ? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They are all young kids in their twenties…. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what can they do ? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If they do something, if it is possible 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to make them do something, work, play.. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 then it is different. They can be useful 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but you must train them, let them in, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 something impossible to do in two-three months 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Then you have to overcome distrust. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Seeing a black man by your side 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 has some effects. But in the end it means 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 nothing. If you learn to know him he is 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 like me after all Even if I don’t know you 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we share the same opinion 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is logical I think 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The first village I saw after entering Europe 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 was Poggio alla Croce 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I will never forget because they gave 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a new life, an unforgettable experience: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the people, the joy, they gave me a respect 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for society, from day one when they 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 took me around to look for a job, to take 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the driving licence, to school.. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I thought “look, these people ask 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 nothing of you, but give you a lot, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a new life..I must give something back” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and thought it would be good to go on 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with them, helping them also phisically” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In my life I will never forget this village and 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the people who know me as well, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 My family,even if not in Italy, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they know Poggio alla Croce! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is a big joy for them too,and in my view 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if they ever meet an italian or european 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 person they will respect them because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they have given a good thing, a new life 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to their son. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In future I would like to help with the school, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I don’t speak italian well but I could help 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with the Pakistani who don’t speak english 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and have not studied. I could be 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 an interpreter between them and an italian 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 explaining the rules and other things. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It would help them but also one way 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to give someting back to society, to the village. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You are integrated in this society but now 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you are teaching other peopleto integrate in society 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so that they can do good new things. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I have a lot to learn still, but people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from Poggio gave me a nice life, something 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 difficult to explain in words, but I will 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 always try to give something back to this 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 unforgettable, beautiful village. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This initiative (the school) helped people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who did not know each other to get in touch, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 collaborate, become friends..Not only the migrants 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 have a school for italian and mathematics 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but we all from the village have learnt to mix, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 live together and it is much better. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Another memory that I have and I think 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I will never forget is the second day 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that I came back to the school and it was 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the birthday of the great Duccio, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our mascot. He was one year old 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and at a certain point during the mini 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 buffet that his mum had prepared for us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the boys opened a bag and pulled out 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a little wooden cart, all coloured 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and you could see that it was homemade, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the kind that I could find 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in my grandmother's attic. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They were pieces of wood assembled with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this rope attached to pull the cart along 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with wheels it was really well made. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was handcrafted by them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the gift was really appreciated by 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Duccio because among the many toys here at 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 home, fantastic toys that play, sing, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 shout, this simple wooden cart made with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 pieces of wood and buttons... he liked it 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 immediately and played with it without 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 knocking it on the ground as he does 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with other toys after thirty seconds of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of holding it in his hands and 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 throwing it away. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Also because, maybe, since when he was 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a baby, as soon as he was born, we tried, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 both me and my partner, to integrate 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Duccio together with these guys, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 without letting him live this experience 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as if it was something outstanding 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but as if they were our relatives, our 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 friends, our brothers and he really laughs 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when he sees them, he goes towards them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 my son is 18 months old... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He has practically become the mascot 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the shelter because every time they see 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 him they call him: "Duscio, Duscio" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you can see that when there is "Duscio" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they smile and I am really 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 happy about that. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a cliché, but I want my son to become 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a citizen of the world, not a citizen of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Poggio alla Croce. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So... everything's fine... and work? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Dialogues not intelligible...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Duscio! Hello Duscio... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And bread? Bread? Bru 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Madou explains the recipe for bread, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 oil and salt in his own language) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 cocò...? bru, cocò... And oil? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 tulù bru, tulù, cocò... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 tulù bru, tulù, cocò... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So: bru, tulu, cocò! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You are good! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Yeah, good. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (Laundry noises...) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999