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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 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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(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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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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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

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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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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

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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

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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,

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if there is a possibility,

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I'd like to study and learn

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a job, for example a welder.

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(Noise spring water, chirping...)

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Italy saved me in the sea,

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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.

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Poggio alla Croce is my village.

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The path is chaotic,

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one cannot expect to follow

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a preordained thread:

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it would kill this kind of school.

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So you have to follow the wind.

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An example would be when

281
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Samba had written the curriculum

282
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
on the computer,

283
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
then of course you try to help:

284
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Samba, what does this mean?

285
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What's this...?"

286
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Then we read:

287
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"driving experience", so I ask:

288
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Samba, what did you drive?"

289
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He light up immediately and says

290
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Cow!"

291
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and a whole other discussion

292
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
started from there

293
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
about how things change over time,

294
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how they change in Africa,

295
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how they change here.

296
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is an example of digression.

297
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's a people-centred school,

298
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
essentially.

299
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Soft music, dialogue in the background..)

300
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We all have attics full of old computers

301
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and we don't know what to do with them.

302
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's a problem because we have to take them

303
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to the eco-center and so we've been

304
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
spreading this information:

305
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Do you have an old computer?

306
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You don't know what to do with it,

307
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is that a problem for you?

308
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Instead of giving it to the

309
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
recycling centre, give it to us,

310
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we install a version the Linux

311
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
operating system, a lightweight version

312
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that fits into old computers

313
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and easily "resurrects" them.

314
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The Ubuntu operating system

315
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is so called because it is a concept

316
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
from southern Africa and

317
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Nelson Mandela in a beautiful

318
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
video that we used

319
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for a work with the students,

320
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
describes it with a little story:

321
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Once upon a time, when a wayfarer

322
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
arrived in a village and he was

323
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
tired, thirsty and hungry, no one would

324
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ever ask him any question,

325
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they simply brought him something to drink

326
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and food. This is Ubuntu, that is

327
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
thinking about the other in the knowledge

328
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that this creates a community

329
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that lives well if we all do that."

330
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Ubuntu is a great African philosophy,

331
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a great African thought...

332
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it's about getting to the help

333
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it starts with the fact that we're all

334
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
brothers, if I help one person

335
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that person can help

336
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
another person close to me,

337
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
therefore a general connection

338
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of society in that we all consider

339
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ourselves brothers and sisters.

340
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What happened in Poggio alla Croce

341
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is Ubuntu, it's definitely

342
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
authentic Ubuntu.

343
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Chorus of African children...)

344
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I think that following a principle

345
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
where helping someone will help me

346
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in turn is good for both, better than

347
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
fighting with each other,

348
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
even though in fight wins may be

349
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
happier than the loser.

350
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This principle guides my whole life

351
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
since I started reasoning I have always

352
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
used the time I had available in social activities.

353
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But not for “goodism”, not because

354
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I am good and consequently must do good,

355
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
help others, help beggars, no.

356
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Maybe I am led by selfishness,

357
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I think I earn something this way

358
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and so live a better life, be serene.

359
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You get a lot of rip-offs, but not like

360
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
those you get When fighting and losing.

361
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
More like opportunities that leave

362
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a bitter taste in our mouth but do not create

363
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
big problems. There were racist

364
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
symptoms around and that is way

365
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I decided to get involved but basically

366
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was my way of doing things: I am a migrant

367
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
myself in Poggio alla Croce, moving from town

368
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to the country.

369
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I choosed to and almost from start

370
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was natural to decide joining this association.

371
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is a way of living, it is normality,

372
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
no heroism, I think everybody

373
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
can understand this.

374
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When I hear it, the word Ubuntu has an impact

375
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because it means “humanity”.

376
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In jewish religion we have an expression,

377
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“tikkum olam”, that literally means

378
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“fixing the world”.

379
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And I noticed how relationships

380
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
developed here; it is really beautiful,

381
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because people one by one are slowly

382
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“fixing the world” and show humanity.

383
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We must concentrate on this positive part

384
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the world because if we don’t,

385
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
if we do nothing, we are doomed to fail.

386
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
For me coming here to Poggio is a little thing

387
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but it means a lot in my life.

388
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This idea of Ubuntu, to re-generate computers,

389
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
objects tools that were doomed to be

390
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
thrown away, is what inspired also

391
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this community to act and slowly

392
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
re-generate itself. This is what means

393
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the motto “We need you”

394
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Our local community was re-generated

395
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
by your arrival, thanks to your spaceship

396
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with little black men, because it injected

397
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
into us a new need to co-hoperate, to leave

398
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our homes and setties, forget about tv,

399
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
get out and try to solve together a problem

400
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for the benefit of the whole community.

401
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(words from a malian rap song, music in headphones)

402
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I am Samba and I come from Mali,

403
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I am an artist

404
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But before when I sang with my friends

405
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
my family was against me making music,

406
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but I love it.

407
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In 2016 I went first to Algeria then to Libia

408
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Then I arrived here two years ago.

409
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have a complicated life,

410
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I would like to be an artist

411
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a rapper like many italians (Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta..)

412
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I would like to do what they do

413
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I don’t really know what happened

414
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but we have all changed

415
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I found out they changed in relation to us,

416
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the begining they would just pass by,

417
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
just give us a little smile but when they

418
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
realised we really liked them…

419
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I cannot speak for all, but for people like me.

420
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When we see a new one we stop him

421
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with a “ehi”, and if he is tall tell him

422
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to bend down or we can’t reach him, and he

423
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
calls us and we say “grandmas and grandpas”

424
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and he replies “grandpa,grandma”,,

425
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We speak italian so we try to make

426
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
ourselves understood and when we see

427
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they reaaly don’t understand we gesture

428
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like this..to make them bend down

429
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And so they learn and when they pass

430
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they ask “nonna, need help ?”..

431
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
”no, not today, tomorrow”.

432
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Some know some english and so I tell them

433
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
“tomorrow” and they understand.

434
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I always said I have No room at home but if

435
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I did I would happily take one in One, two,

436
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
depends on how many I could take in

437
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
If the house were mine, because in my view

438
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they also need to be understood, to feel

439
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the good not just through a smile. There are

440
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
essential things in the life of all, but they

441
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
leave their families flee from

442
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
very bad systems, suffer hunger.

443
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Maybe we are unable to give them

444
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
these things We are just two or three that

445
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are really fond of them straight from our

446
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
hearts not from our mouths

447
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And they can feel it, as soon as they see

448
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
us they come for a kiss, for some food,

449
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for biscuits, as with a little child that

450
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
needs to be taught to speak.

451
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Some we see more often and there is a contact

452
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We spend time but is not wasted time,

453
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it is good time. People who saw us doing

454
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that in the beginning were critical

455
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But now they say “it is true they make

456
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
themselves loved, but how did you do it ?”

457
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How ?, well we talk to them!

458
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And soon or later they understand…

459
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Slowly things got more stable.

460
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
These kids are very nice

461
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They hurt nobody, they salute everybody,

462
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they pass they call you, we reply,

463
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at least I do, others won’t.

464
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The village is quiet now,

465
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it showed the worst of itself because

466
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
misleading informations help produce

467
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
bad reactions. Then you learn, you see, you

468
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
live and living with them is also nice.

469
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The way I see it, these kids were like jailed

470
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
without this group of people that taught

471
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
them italian and other things ..

472
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what would they do ? Lock up thirty kids

473
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in a CAS, what for ? For nothing I think,

474
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
If they are not made active

475
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what can they do ?

476
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They are all young kids in their twenties….

477
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
what can they do ?

478
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
If they do something, if it is possible

479
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to make them do something, work, play..

480
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
then it is different. They can be useful

481
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but you must train them, let them in,

482
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
something impossible to do in two-three months

483
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Then you have to overcome distrust.

484
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Seeing a black man by your side

485
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
has some effects. But in the end it means

486
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
nothing. If you learn to know him he is

487
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like me after all Even if I don’t know you

488
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
we share the same opinion

489
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is logical I think

490
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The first village I saw after entering Europe

491
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
was Poggio alla Croce

492
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I will never forget because they gave

493
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a new life, an unforgettable experience:

494
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the people, the joy, they gave me a respect

495
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
for society, from day one when they

496
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
took me around to look for a job, to take

497
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the driving licence, to school..

498
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and I thought “look, these people ask

499
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
nothing of you, but give you a lot,

500
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a new life..I must give something back”

501
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and thought it would be good to go on

502
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with them, helping them also phisically”

503
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In my life I will never forget

504
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this village and the people

505
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who know me, as well,

506
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
My family,even if not in Italy,

507
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they know Poggio alla Croce!

508
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is a big joy for them too,and in my view

509
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
if they ever meet an italian or european

510
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
person they will respect them because

511
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they have given a good thing, a new life

512
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to their son.

513
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In future I would like to help with the school,

514
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I don’t speak italian well but I could help

515
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with the Pakistani who don’t speak english

516
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and have not studied. I could be

517
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
an interpreter between them and an italian

518
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
explaining the rules and other things.

519
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It would help them but also one way

520
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to give someting back to society, to the village.

521
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You are integrated in this society but now

522
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you are teaching other peopleto integrate in society

523
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
so that they can do good new things.

524
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have a lot to learn still, but people

525
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
from Poggio gave me a nice life, something

526
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
difficult to explain in words, but I will

527
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
always try to give something back to this

528
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
unforgettable, beautiful village.

529
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This initiative (the school) helped people

530
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who did not know each other to get in touch,

531
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
collaborate, become friends..Not only the migrants

532
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
have a school for italian and mathematics

533
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but we all from the village have learnt to mix,

534
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
live together and it is much better.

535
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Another memory that I have and I think

536
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I will never forget is the second day

537
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that I came back to the school and it was

538
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the birthday of the great Duccio,

539
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our mascot. He was one year old

540
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and at a certain point during the mini

541
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
buffet that his mum had prepared for us

542
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the boys opened a bag and pulled out

543
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a little wooden cart, all coloured

544
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and you could see that it was homemade,

545
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the kind that I could find

546
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in my grandmother's attic.

547
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They were pieces of wood assembled with

548
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this rope attached to pull the cart along

549
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with wheels it was really well made.

550
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It was handcrafted by them

551
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the gift was really appreciated by

552
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Duccio because among the many toys here at

553
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
home, fantastic toys that play, sing,

554
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
shout, this simple wooden cart made with

555
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
pieces of wood and buttons... he liked it

556
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
immediately and played with it without

557
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
knocking it on the ground as he does

558
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with other toys after thirty seconds of

559
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of holding it in his hands and

560
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
throwing it away.

561
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Also because, maybe, since when he was

562
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a baby, as soon as he was born, we tried,

563
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
both me and my partner, to integrate

564
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Duccio together with these guys,

565
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
without letting him live this experience

566
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as if it was something outstanding

567
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but as if they were our relatives, our

568
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
friends, our brothers and he really laughs

569
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when he sees them, he goes towards them

570
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
my son is 18 months old...

571
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He has practically become the mascot

572
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the shelter because every time they see

573
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
him they call him: "Duscio, Duscio"

574
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you can see that when there is "Duscio"

575
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they smile and I am really

576
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
happy about that.

577
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's a cliché, but I want my son to become

578
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a citizen of the world, not a citizen of

579
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce.

580
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So... everything's fine... and work?

581
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Dialogues not intelligible...)

582
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Duscio! Hello Duscio...

583
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And bread? Bread? Bru

584
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Madou explains the recipe for bread,

585
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
oil and salt in his own language)

586
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
cocò...? bru, cocò... And oil?

587
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
tulù bru, tulù, cocò...

588
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
tulù bru, tulù, cocò...

589
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So: bru, tulu, cocò!

590
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You are good!

591
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Yeah, good.

592
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Laundry noises...)

593
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
My name is Omar and I come from Senegal,

594
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have been in Italy for two years.

595
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I've arrived in Poggio alla Croce

596
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and I'm happy, I've met many people.

597
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they teach a bit of Italian and I became

598
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
friends with these people I go to school,

599
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I did the grape harvest and

600
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the olive picking.

601
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They helped me to find a good job,

602
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I found a mother and a father,

603
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I only miss my brothers but my mother

604
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and my father are close to me,

605
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they are Paola and Gabriele.

606
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They are very good,

607
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
all of them in Poggio alla Croce

608
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are very good.

609
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Pruning noise...)

610
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When a foreigner comes here and leaves

611
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
his homeland, he still has this nostalgia,

612
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he believes that where he goes

613
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he will perhaps find a welcome, a smile.

614
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When he comes and finds rejection it is

615
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a moment of great difficulty, a sadness.

616
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We are all foreigners to someone else,

617
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I too am a foreigner and I arrived here

618
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in 2000 and now 19 years have passed

619
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and I am here as a priest

620
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in Poggio alla Croce.

621
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They give the idea that they have somehow

622
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
taken the destiny of their lives back

623
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
into their own hands.

624
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The transformation of course,

625
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and this is perhaps one of the

626
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
significant aspects,

627
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is not just about them:

628
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it is always wrong to focus on 'them'.

629
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Things work when the context allows

630
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
itself to be changed and in this sense

631
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this is a positive reaction

632
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the population.

633
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Old ladies who were perhaps terrified

634
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in those famous, awful meetings

635
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at the beginning can now call them,

636
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when the woodcutter unloads a ton of wood

637
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in front of their house and for them

638
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
there is the problem of taking it to the

639
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
garden, bringing it inside...

640
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and so, as they say, they call a couple

641
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of these "big guys" and say

642
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"will you bring it inside?"

643
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and clearly these guys do the job

644
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in ten minutes and they maybe pay them

645
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a cappuccino or give them some money.

646
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In this way a normal life has been

647
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
recovered, it is healthy normality that

648
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
makes up the real civilisation

649
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of a population.

650
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And by the way, and this moves me,

651
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the people who are now with me and

652
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who have involved me in this adventure,

653
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
two in particular, two women who started

654
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this adventure, are the same people

655
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who welcomed me twenty-six years ago

656
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when I arrived here in San Polo.

657
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And this is important for me, because

658
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was a beautiful experience that I had

659
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and that I want to give

660
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to others, to them.

661
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What is the name of this dish? Mafe

662
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How do you make it?

663
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Just meat, vegetables...?

664
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How do you manage this dish?

665
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Meat, some vegetables... tomato...

666
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Peanut... Peanut butter Good...

667
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
.opala...show him, show him...

668
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Ah! Is this opala? Yes, this is opala.

669
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How do you do it, do you have

670
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to clean, cut?

671
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Yes, clean, cut... Good! Bravo!

672
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I'll let you guys work

673
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
while I watch and help you.

674
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What is this white thing?

675
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In Poular: "Bantara"

676
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and how do you cook it?

677
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Does it take a long time?

678
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In Senegal yes, I don't know in Europe...

679
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because if it is fresh it cooks

680
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
very quickly if it is old

681
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it takes longer...

682
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Music, kitchen noises...)

683
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This sort of migrants' Barbiana

684
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at Villa Viviana in

685
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce closes.

686
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Today there is a great silence

687
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
since these young people who

688
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
had brought life back to the

689
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
depopulated village two years ago

690
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
were forced to leave.

691
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Music...)

692
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They left in a hurry without warning,

693
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
some things are still there.

694
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The Cristoforo cooperative,

695
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which ran the centre, is leaving because

696
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
its budget, reduced from 35 to 21 euros

697
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
per migrant, has already had to close

698
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
5 out of 17 centres and this

699
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is only the beginning:

700
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the situation is no longer

701
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
financially sustainable.

702
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Some thirty migrants arrived in

703
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce, in the municipality

704
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of Figline and Incisa, two years ago

705
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
amidst the mistrust and protests of

706
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the few inhabitants of the village.

707
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The result was a unique experience

708
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of integration until now, when they were

709
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
suddenly and forcibly moved to another

710
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
centre in Sesto Fiorentino.

711
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Today was the last day of study at

712
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce, it was a school

713
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
where foreigners learn a lot of things,

714
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was the school where we learned

715
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
everything we needed to in Italian, in

716
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
English and above all Italian culture.

717
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
At this time it is very difficult to be

718
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
away from the inhabitants of

719
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce or to be away from our

720
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
teachers. We are very sorry but we have

721
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
not chosen, we tell you that we do not

722
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
have many words to say because living

723
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with you has been very beautiful.

724
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You must be proud of yourselves for all

725
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that you have done and are still doing:

726
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you have created an incredible and

727
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
unforgettable history in your little

728
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
village, a village where humanity

729
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is respected a lot.

730
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
For some people, living with African

731
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
boys is a bore or a sin.

732
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But with you it was not like that,

733
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
always with smiles, nice words

734
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
without swearing or distinction of skin.

735
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We were lucky to live a moment of this

736
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
journey with you, after the study

737
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in Poggio we understood that each of us

738
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
must be the master of our own destiny.

739
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Thank you for teaching us a good attitude

740
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how to behave in Europe, thank you for

741
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
making us understand that we should not be

742
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like people who are delinquents or

743
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
beggars. I will never forget you,

744
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
warm regards....

745
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In my opinion, this story of the Poggio,

746
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the little school, is really a love

747
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
story because we volunteers love each

748
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
other, because we are together

749
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in a special way, and we with the guys,

750
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and they love us, real friendships have

751
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
been born, it's a love story.

752
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is these small gestures, these tales

753
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of everyday life that make our experience

754
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
so special. It is what makes you say:

755
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I care about you" It is the most

756
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
precious gift we can take home.