1
00:00:29,293 --> 00:00:31,759
Spring 2017,
in the province of Florence,

2
00:00:31,759 --> 00:00:35,699
life in Poggio alla Croce is turned upside
down by the announcement of the arrival

3
00:00:35,699 --> 00:00:37,319
of a group of migrants.

4
00:00:37,319 --> 00:00:40,939
Between fear, anger and indifference,
inhabitants are looking for a solution.

5
00:00:40,939 --> 00:00:44,939
(Background music and kitchen noises)

6
00:01:56,660 --> 00:02:05,189
I AM BECAUSE WE ARE

7
00:02:19,357 --> 00:02:23,464
Piera, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

8
00:02:31,385 --> 00:02:33,452
In these last few years a lot has changed

9
00:02:33,823 --> 00:02:36,923
Things were different before

10
00:02:36,923 --> 00:02:37,923
people were different

11
00:02:37,923 --> 00:02:41,308
They often came into the centre.

12
00:02:41,308 --> 00:02:44,658
Now they stay at home,

13
00:02:44,934 --> 00:02:47,684
the village is less lived in.

14
00:02:48,398 --> 00:02:52,231
Before we were all in my shop.

15
00:02:53,382 --> 00:02:54,672
Most of the world,

16
00:02:54,672 --> 00:02:57,107
most of life took place around it.

17
00:03:00,105 --> 00:03:02,995
A place to meet, to understand each other,

18
00:03:02,995 --> 00:03:05,405
maybe argue with different opinions

19
00:03:05,405 --> 00:03:08,705
but still have a dialogue. It was easier

20
00:03:10,615 --> 00:03:13,785
it was life... I mean it was life

21
00:03:56,082 --> 00:03:57,880
Andreas, project creator

22
00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:59,550
Poggio alla Croce could be defined

23
00:03:59,550 --> 00:04:01,090
as “a small Switzerland”

24
00:04:02,235 --> 00:04:04,875
Located in a beautiful spot

25
00:04:04,875 --> 00:04:07,085
between Chianti and Valdarno

26
00:04:07,085 --> 00:04:10,449
Residents are active and cooperative

27
00:04:10,449 --> 00:04:15,589
In summer a nice festival is organized

28
00:04:15,589 --> 00:04:18,373
attracting people from both valleys

29
00:04:18,373 --> 00:04:22,373
When problems arise, like ice in winter,

30
00:04:22,373 --> 00:04:25,583
informations flow over the internet.

31
00:04:25,583 --> 00:04:28,979
Looked like and ideal place

32
00:04:28,979 --> 00:04:33,769
Then in April 2017 the “bomb”:

33
00:04:33,769 --> 00:04:37,161
thirty migrants coming in the “palace”,

34
00:04:37,161 --> 00:04:40,881
a former hotel middle of village

35
00:04:40,881 --> 00:04:43,681
It sounded as if a spaceship full

36
00:04:43,681 --> 00:04:46,706
of little black men was about to land

37
00:04:46,706 --> 00:04:49,120
(tense music)

38
00:05:15,806 --> 00:05:18,686
Black men are coming, black men are coming

39
00:05:18,686 --> 00:05:21,846
We are all with our hairs raised,

40
00:05:21,846 --> 00:05:25,392
very worried, me too to be honest because

41
00:05:25,392 --> 00:05:27,712
Even if you hear a lot of good

42
00:05:27,712 --> 00:05:30,822
but also bad about these youngsters

43
00:05:30,822 --> 00:05:33,959
The strongest reaction, intense and wide,

44
00:05:33,959 --> 00:05:36,680
was an immediate refusal,

45
00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,434
a “belly” reaction that caused

46
00:05:41,434 --> 00:05:45,434
an immediate decision

47
00:05:45,434 --> 00:05:47,764
to collect signatures against,

48
00:05:47,764 --> 00:05:50,034
in less than three days

49
00:05:50,034 --> 00:05:51,904
230 signatures were collected

50
00:05:51,904 --> 00:05:54,022
even if we are some 190

51
00:05:54,022 --> 00:05:55,886
Attilia, a teacher in migrants school

52
00:05:55,926 --> 00:05:57,146
A first meeting was held

53
00:05:57,154 --> 00:05:58,674
one and half year ago in summer

54
00:05:58,674 --> 00:06:00,643
before the migrants arrived,

55
00:06:00,643 --> 00:06:03,053
so we did not know them

56
00:06:03,053 --> 00:06:06,018
They had no face for us, they had no name

57
00:06:08,939 --> 00:06:10,649
I don’t live in Poggio alla Croce,

58
00:06:10,649 --> 00:06:12,429
I come from a nearby village

59
00:06:12,429 --> 00:06:14,723
During the meeting there were

60
00:06:14,723 --> 00:06:18,834
some very aggressive people,

61
00:06:18,834 --> 00:06:20,824
I guess they were sincerely scared

62
00:06:20,824 --> 00:06:22,569
Martin, parson of Poggio alla Croce

63
00:06:22,569 --> 00:06:24,963
Their reaction was not due to being bad.

64
00:06:24,963 --> 00:06:28,213
Behind there was also a reality

65
00:06:28,213 --> 00:06:30,513
that must be told. It must be told that

66
00:06:30,513 --> 00:06:34,753
none was pepared because none

67
00:06:34,758 --> 00:06:38,758
had been alerted that these foreigner,

68
00:06:38,758 --> 00:06:41,842
these migrants were coming

69
00:06:41,842 --> 00:06:45,842
Noise of iron hammering

70
00:06:49,393 --> 00:06:51,303
Paolo, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

71
00:06:51,303 --> 00:06:53,473
Someone started collecting signatures,

72
00:06:53,473 --> 00:06:56,002
and I agreed only because I wanted to know

73
00:06:56,002 --> 00:06:59,372
where would these kids be hosted,

74
00:06:59,372 --> 00:07:01,872
what did they come for then it became

75
00:07:01,872 --> 00:07:04,072
clear that this was not the reason

76
00:07:04,072 --> 00:07:06,410
they did not want to welcome them

77
00:07:06,410 --> 00:07:11,233
So I said my signature was extorted

78
00:07:11,233 --> 00:07:13,863
and was not in agreement any more

79
00:07:13,863 --> 00:07:15,713
Luana, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

80
00:07:15,713 --> 00:07:16,443
They told us

81
00:07:16,443 --> 00:07:18,573
in a year time we’ll remind you of this..

82
00:07:18,573 --> 00:07:19,663
we are scared..

83
00:07:19,663 --> 00:07:21,903
I have an 18months old little girl

84
00:07:21,903 --> 00:07:24,903
who won’t be able to walk outside anymore

85
00:07:24,903 --> 00:07:28,903
They asked us to sign against

86
00:07:28,903 --> 00:07:30,503
but I refused

87
00:07:30,503 --> 00:07:32,307
and became the black sheep...

88
00:07:32,791 --> 00:07:36,791
They are simply black

89
00:07:36,791 --> 00:07:41,191
and this is not easy to accept

90
00:07:41,191 --> 00:07:44,381
Integration is not easy, not easy.

91
00:07:44,381 --> 00:07:47,231
Also on their side

92
00:07:47,231 --> 00:07:50,361
There was a bad feeling around,

93
00:07:50,361 --> 00:07:51,896
an awful atmosphere

94
00:07:51,896 --> 00:07:53,846
My legs trembled, really.

95
00:07:55,570 --> 00:07:58,437
I recognized kids that I knew

96
00:07:58,437 --> 00:08:00,578
when they were little children.

97
00:08:00,578 --> 00:08:02,954
And now as grown ups they were scared

98
00:08:02,954 --> 00:08:06,386
and said they did not want the migrants

99
00:08:06,386 --> 00:08:09,589
because their life would change,

100
00:08:09,589 --> 00:08:11,423
it would not be possible

101
00:08:11,423 --> 00:08:13,444
anymore to go quietly around in Poggio.

102
00:08:13,444 --> 00:08:16,920
No more walkabouts but they shouted

103
00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,103
all this in a really aggressive way..

104
00:08:19,103 --> 00:08:22,123
and I started to tremble and was unable

105
00:08:22,123 --> 00:08:24,543
to tell what I meant,

106
00:08:24,543 --> 00:08:28,874
that I felt very sorry to see children

107
00:08:28,874 --> 00:08:31,892
who had grown up together and were

108
00:08:31,892 --> 00:08:34,750
used to share… and I remember

109
00:08:34,750 --> 00:08:37,090
there were also coloured children

110
00:08:37,090 --> 00:08:39,090
in our classes and all played together

111
00:08:39,090 --> 00:08:41,390
and had now become so

112
00:08:41,390 --> 00:08:43,240
And now I was more scared of them

113
00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:45,940
than of the incoming migrants.

114
00:08:45,940 --> 00:08:48,110
I could sense a rage and violence

115
00:08:48,110 --> 00:08:49,747
that really frightened me

116
00:08:49,747 --> 00:08:53,747
(laundry noise)

117
00:09:50,465 --> 00:09:53,577
When the spaceship with the little

118
00:09:53,577 --> 00:09:56,974
black men had actually landed

119
00:09:56,974 --> 00:09:59,544
we managed to organize

120
00:09:59,544 --> 00:10:02,005
a first circle in a room under

121
00:10:02,005 --> 00:10:04,769
the church that our parson Martin

122
00:10:04,769 --> 00:10:06,923
put at our disposal

123
00:10:06,923 --> 00:10:08,836
for the rest of the story

124
00:10:08,836 --> 00:10:10,896
we organized a first circle

125
00:10:10,896 --> 00:10:15,866
where we played,

126
00:10:15,866 --> 00:10:18,200
by arranging ourselves on the chairs

127
00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:20,241
in a completely random way,

128
00:10:20,241 --> 00:10:22,071
so mixed up, a little bit of them and

129
00:10:22,071 --> 00:10:23,234
a little bit of us.

130
00:10:23,234 --> 00:10:25,974
We sticked a piece of paper on the wall

131
00:10:25,974 --> 00:10:28,384
and each and one of us started to write

132
00:10:28,384 --> 00:10:31,664
Andrea Formiconi, italian, speaks italian

133
00:10:31,664 --> 00:10:35,439
Then casually pointed the felt-pen towards

134
00:10:35,445 --> 00:10:38,340
one or the other and they wrote in turn

135
00:10:38,340 --> 00:10:41,920
Each and one of us wrote his name,

136
00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,980
which country he came from,

137
00:10:44,980 --> 00:10:46,780
which language he spoke,,,

138
00:10:46,780 --> 00:10:49,920
This simple game basically opened up

139
00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:51,661
a whole world, a universe

140
00:10:51,661 --> 00:10:54,101
because it turned out that with

141
00:10:54,101 --> 00:10:56,461
fourteen-fifteen of them there were

142
00:10:56,461 --> 00:10:58,731
twelve-thrteen languages spoken

143
00:10:58,731 --> 00:11:02,331
Then we discovered illiterates,

144
00:11:02,342 --> 00:11:04,992
you could tell by the unlikely way they

145
00:11:04,992 --> 00:11:08,761
held the marker...

146
00:11:08,761 --> 00:11:10,878
In fact they did not write the name but

147
00:11:10,878 --> 00:11:14,599
drew it. At the same time

148
00:11:14,599 --> 00:11:16,547
some of them attended school

149
00:11:16,547 --> 00:11:18,735
and to one extreme there was a guy

150
00:11:18,735 --> 00:11:21,585
that had escaped while in his fourth year

151
00:11:21,585 --> 00:11:25,192
of mathematics at university.

152
00:11:25,192 --> 00:11:28,922
This helps understand the enormous

153
00:11:28,922 --> 00:11:36,022
range of stories and different human

154
00:11:36,022 --> 00:11:42,288
situations hiding behind this stereotype

155
00:11:42,288 --> 00:11:45,498
which we call with univocal names:

156
00:11:45,498 --> 00:11:47,396
the migrant..

157
00:11:47,396 --> 00:11:49,366
which prompts the image of the

158
00:11:49,366 --> 00:11:51,486
little black man, always the same, and his

159
00:11:51,486 --> 00:11:53,366
standard story.

160
00:11:53,366 --> 00:11:54,676
Absolutely not!

161
00:11:54,676 --> 00:11:58,676
(gentle music)

162
00:12:47,016 --> 00:12:52,506
(kitchen noises)

163
00:13:17,157 --> 00:13:17,873
Malò

164
00:13:17,873 --> 00:13:20,267
I think that the spark that triggered

165
00:13:20,267 --> 00:13:22,215
all this craving for school

166
00:13:22,215 --> 00:13:25,041
was a Malian boy, Ali,

167
00:13:25,041 --> 00:13:28,931
who had spotted me because

168
00:13:28,931 --> 00:13:30,850
we had spoken a little French

169
00:13:30,850 --> 00:13:34,714
and one day I saw him arrive at my house

170
00:13:34,714 --> 00:13:37,252
I don't live in the village,

171
00:13:37,252 --> 00:13:39,081
there is about a mile of dirt road.

172
00:13:39,081 --> 00:13:44,522
he arrived alone, with paper 
and pencil, telling me:

173
00:13:44,522 --> 00:13:46,701
«Io voglio imparare l'italiano».

174
00:13:46,701 --> 00:13:50,000
We are three guys who embarked on this

175
00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,736
'little school' adventure 
in Poggio alla Croce

176
00:13:52,736 --> 00:13:55,446
without really knowing what to expect.

177
00:13:55,446 --> 00:13:57,246
We felt the urge to do something

178
00:13:57,246 --> 00:13:58,429
to help these guys,

179
00:13:58,429 --> 00:14:00,459
and we thought that teaching them

180
00:14:00,459 --> 00:14:02,676
italian language was the thing to do

181
00:14:02,676 --> 00:14:06,097
also to improve their trust in themselves.

182
00:14:06,097 --> 00:14:07,708
As we are scared of them blacks,

183
00:14:07,708 --> 00:14:09,050
they are scared of us whites

184
00:14:09,050 --> 00:14:11,692
This has to be understood.

185
00:14:11,692 --> 00:14:14,175
They are afraid, they are afraid of us.

186
00:14:14,175 --> 00:14:16,075
The funny thing is that a lot of people

187
00:14:16,075 --> 00:14:17,975
were involved who had nothing .

188
00:14:17,975 --> 00:14:19,325
to do with teaching.

189
00:14:19,325 --> 00:14:21,075
People like Marcie who is canadian

190
00:14:21,075 --> 00:14:24,455
with very little italian but

191
00:14:24,455 --> 00:14:29,097
she taught italian.. and Willy
(a Peruvian resident)

192
00:14:29,097 --> 00:14:33,097
who is still with us who reads

193
00:14:33,097 --> 00:14:35,158
and does dictation

194
00:14:35,158 --> 00:14:37,335
and anything else with them.

195
00:14:37,335 --> 00:14:41,335
I teach in primary schools

196
00:14:41,335 --> 00:14:44,167
on Tuesday when finished

197
00:14:44,167 --> 00:14:48,167
With my class, often very tired like last

198
00:14:48,167 --> 00:14:49,634
year when I taught in first

199
00:14:49,634 --> 00:14:51,894
I sit in the car and say to myself

200
00:14:51,894 --> 00:14:54,704
“why do you do it ? I'm crazy...

201
00:14:54,704 --> 00:15:00,893
you should go home to rest or make dinner”

202
00:15:00,893 --> 00:15:04,893
then I close my eyes and think

203
00:15:04,903 --> 00:15:06,925
“if it is the right thing to do I'll find

204
00:15:06,925 --> 00:15:08,955
the missing energies” and there I go

205
00:15:08,955 --> 00:15:10,945
and afterwards I am happy because you get

206
00:15:10,945 --> 00:15:13,624
there and see those smiles with white

207
00:15:13,624 --> 00:15:16,093
teeth, peculiar of black people

208
00:15:16,093 --> 00:15:20,093
those happy eyes...

209
00:15:20,093 --> 00:15:23,198
I see Ajan, I see Dedo, the Kurds...

210
00:15:23,198 --> 00:15:24,858
waiting for you who thank you for

211
00:15:24,858 --> 00:15:26,928
being there, thanking you for being there,

212
00:15:26,928 --> 00:15:28,258
looking forward for you

213
00:15:28,258 --> 00:15:29,888
to teach them something.

214
00:15:29,888 --> 00:15:31,988
(Car noise...)

215
00:15:31,988 --> 00:15:36,728
Laura, Andreas' student

216
00:15:42,992 --> 00:15:44,993
I arrived here a bit by chance,

217
00:15:44,993 --> 00:15:47,236
I got to know this experience

218
00:15:47,236 --> 00:15:49,961
thanks to Andreas, his stories

219
00:15:49,961 --> 00:15:52,383
in university classrooms and I decided to

220
00:15:52,383 --> 00:15:54,303
to come and have a look.

221
00:15:54,303 --> 00:15:58,015
The question I get asked most often

222
00:15:58,015 --> 00:16:01,525
is why I'm doing this, especially because

223
00:16:01,525 --> 00:16:04,435
what strikes me about me is the fact

224
00:16:04,435 --> 00:16:06,355
that I come from almost 90 kilometres

225
00:16:06,355 --> 00:16:08,421
almost two hours by car anyway

226
00:16:08,421 --> 00:16:10,467
just to get here.

227
00:16:11,536 --> 00:16:14,195
It's not easy to explain,

228
00:16:14,195 --> 00:16:16,752
because the reason

229
00:16:16,752 --> 00:16:19,081
lies in so many little things:

230
00:16:19,081 --> 00:16:23,081
gestures, looks, emotions,

231
00:16:23,081 --> 00:16:26,319
the feelings you have when

232
00:16:26,319 --> 00:16:29,357
you get in touch with these people

233
00:16:29,357 --> 00:16:33,357
which in the end are lives

234
00:16:33,357 --> 00:16:36,597
are experiences, are worlds

235
00:16:36,597 --> 00:16:38,751
with which you come into contact

236
00:16:38,751 --> 00:16:40,908
and of which you often know nothing.

237
00:16:40,908 --> 00:16:44,908
(Traffic noise...)

238
00:16:44,908 --> 00:16:48,908
(Country noises, chirping...)

239
00:16:58,317 --> 00:17:02,317
(Squeaking bicycle...)

240
00:17:04,669 --> 00:17:06,319
(Background music...)

241
00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:08,855
Madou, student of the school

242
00:17:08,855 --> 00:17:10,976
I go to school in Figline Valdarno

243
00:17:10,976 --> 00:17:13,439
every day, On Mondays and Tuesdays

244
00:17:13,439 --> 00:17:15,777
I go by car but the other days

245
00:17:15,777 --> 00:17:20,212
I ride my bike. It's not difficult to go,

246
00:17:20,212 --> 00:17:22,103
but it is difficult to return

247
00:17:22,103 --> 00:17:24,753
because it takes an hour and thirty

248
00:17:24,753 --> 00:17:27,441
minutes, it's difficult, It's tiring.

249
00:17:27,441 --> 00:17:31,441
When I was in Africa I didn't go to

250
00:17:31,441 --> 00:17:36,060
school and fortunately I found myself in

251
00:17:36,060 --> 00:17:39,570
Europe and met the people who

252
00:17:39,570 --> 00:17:43,072
are helping me

253
00:17:43,072 --> 00:17:46,073
and enrolled me in school.

254
00:17:46,073 --> 00:17:51,624
My goal is to learn the Italian language

255
00:17:51,624 --> 00:17:54,350
I would like to stay in Italy,

256
00:17:54,350 --> 00:17:57,234
I would like to work to help

257
00:17:57,234 --> 00:17:59,834
my family in Africa. Therefore

258
00:17:59,834 --> 00:18:02,472
I have to concentrate on studying,

259
00:18:02,472 --> 00:18:06,044
it's my goal.

260
00:18:06,044 --> 00:18:08,191
My name is Madou Koulibaly, I come

261
00:18:08,191 --> 00:18:10,813
from Guinea and I'm 20 years old.

262
00:18:10,813 --> 00:18:14,359
I arrived in Italy a year and

263
00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:18,229
two months ago, it was a very

264
00:18:18,229 --> 00:18:22,054
difficult trip, I can't forget it,

265
00:18:22,054 --> 00:18:24,482
It was very dangerous.

266
00:18:24,482 --> 00:18:26,812
I sacrificed my life

267
00:18:26,812 --> 00:18:32,068
to seek my fortune in Europe

268
00:18:32,068 --> 00:18:35,709
and thank God I entered Italy

269
00:18:35,709 --> 00:18:38,096
on 13 June 2018

270
00:18:38,096 --> 00:18:40,442
and I was transferred

271
00:18:40,442 --> 00:18:43,614
to Poggio alla Croce.

272
00:18:43,614 --> 00:18:47,259
I met some very good people who

273
00:18:47,259 --> 00:18:51,052
treated me like one of their own,

274
00:18:51,052 --> 00:18:54,681
they are like my parents here,

275
00:18:54,681 --> 00:18:57,523
not only me but all the Africans

276
00:18:57,523 --> 00:18:59,617
who live in Poggio alla Croce.

277
00:18:59,617 --> 00:19:01,762
I would like to continue studying,

278
00:19:01,762 --> 00:19:03,413
if there is a possibility,

279
00:19:03,413 --> 00:19:07,413
I'd like to study and learn

280
00:19:07,413 --> 00:19:10,878
a job, for example a welder.

281
00:19:10,878 --> 00:19:14,878
(Noise spring water, chirping...)

282
00:19:44,445 --> 00:19:46,861
Italy saved me in the sea,

283
00:19:46,861 --> 00:19:49,258
in Italy I went to school

284
00:19:49,258 --> 00:19:51,674
and I would like to continue studying,

285
00:19:51,674 --> 00:19:54,594
I don't know what will happen afterwards.

286
00:19:54,594 --> 00:19:57,700
Poggio alla Croce is my village.

287
00:20:01,090 --> 00:20:02,675
The path is chaotic,

288
00:20:02,675 --> 00:20:04,673
one cannot expect to follow

289
00:20:04,673 --> 00:20:06,540
a preordained thread:

290
00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:08,958
it would kill this kind of school.

291
00:20:08,958 --> 00:20:15,289
So you have to follow the wind.

292
00:20:15,289 --> 00:20:17,847
An example would be when

293
00:20:17,847 --> 00:20:20,403
Samba had written the curriculum

294
00:20:20,403 --> 00:20:21,744
on the computer,

295
00:20:21,744 --> 00:20:24,511
then of course you try to help:

296
00:20:24,511 --> 00:20:26,010
"Samba, what does this mean?

297
00:20:26,010 --> 00:20:27,054
What's this...?"

298
00:20:27,054 --> 00:20:28,404
Then we read:

299
00:20:28,404 --> 00:20:32,404
"driving experience", so I ask:

300
00:20:32,404 --> 00:20:34,429
"Samba, what did you drive?"

301
00:20:34,429 --> 00:20:36,839
He light up immediately and says

302
00:20:36,839 --> 00:20:39,663
"Cow!"

303
00:20:39,663 --> 00:20:41,204
and a whole other discussion

304
00:20:41,204 --> 00:20:42,206
started from there

305
00:20:42,206 --> 00:20:43,892
about how things change over time,

306
00:20:43,892 --> 00:20:45,162
how they change in Africa,

307
00:20:45,162 --> 00:20:46,224
how they change here.

308
00:20:46,224 --> 00:20:48,234
This is an example of digression.

309
00:20:48,234 --> 00:20:51,800
It's a people-centred school, essentially

310
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,800
(Soft music, dialogue in the background..)

311
00:21:55,321 --> 00:21:57,571
We all have attics full of old computers

312
00:21:57,571 --> 00:21:59,521
and we don't know what to do with them.

313
00:21:59,521 --> 00:22:01,380
It's a problem because we have to take

314
00:22:01,380 --> 00:22:05,790
them to the eco-center and so we've been

315
00:22:05,792 --> 00:22:08,178
spreading this information:

316
00:22:08,178 --> 00:22:09,589
"Do you have an old computer?

317
00:22:09,589 --> 00:22:12,469
You don't know what to do with it,
is that a problem for you?

318
00:22:12,469 --> 00:22:15,379
Instead of giving it to the
recycling centre, give it to us,

319
00:22:15,379 --> 00:22:20,302
we install a free software operating
system, i.e. Linux

320
00:22:20,302 --> 00:22:24,018
a lightweight version of Ubuntu

321
00:22:24,018 --> 00:22:27,409
that fits into old computers

322
00:22:27,409 --> 00:22:29,487
and easily "resurrects" them.

323
00:22:29,487 --> 00:22:32,254
The Ubuntu operating system

324
00:22:32,254 --> 00:22:35,665
is so called because it is a concept

325
00:22:35,665 --> 00:22:37,983
from southern Africa and

326
00:22:37,983 --> 00:22:40,952
Nelson Mandela in a beautiful

327
00:22:40,952 --> 00:22:43,304
video that we used
for a work with the students,

328
00:22:43,304 --> 00:22:46,539
describes it with a little story:

329
00:22:46,539 --> 00:22:48,809
"Once upon a time, when a traveller

330
00:22:48,809 --> 00:22:51,228
arrived in a village and he was

331
00:22:51,228 --> 00:22:53,383
tired, thirsty and hungry, no one would

332
00:22:53,383 --> 00:22:55,508
ever ask him any question,

333
00:22:55,508 --> 00:22:58,089
they simply brought him something to drink

334
00:22:58,089 --> 00:23:00,036
and food. This is Ubuntu, that is

335
00:23:00,036 --> 00:23:02,787
thinking about the other being aware

336
00:23:02,787 --> 00:23:04,976
that this creates a community

337
00:23:04,976 --> 00:23:07,716
that lives well if we all do that."

338
00:23:07,716 --> 00:23:10,346
Ubuntu is a great African philosophy,

339
00:23:10,346 --> 00:23:14,480
a great African thought...

340
00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:18,480
that before getting to the help

341
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,812
it starts with the fact that we're all

342
00:23:20,812 --> 00:23:23,704
brothers, if I help one person

343
00:23:23,704 --> 00:23:25,830
that person can help

344
00:23:25,830 --> 00:23:27,748
another person close to me,

345
00:23:27,748 --> 00:23:29,746
therefore a general connection

346
00:23:29,746 --> 00:23:32,632
of society in that we all consider

347
00:23:32,632 --> 00:23:34,622
ourselves brothers and sisters.

348
00:23:34,622 --> 00:23:36,683
What happened in Poggio alla Croce

349
00:23:36,683 --> 00:23:38,932
is Ubuntu, it's definitely

350
00:23:38,932 --> 00:23:40,732
authentic Ubuntu.

351
00:23:40,732 --> 00:23:43,952
(Chorus of African children...)

352
00:23:43,952 --> 00:23:48,336
I think that following a principle

353
00:23:48,336 --> 00:23:53,387
where helping someone will help me

354
00:23:53,387 --> 00:23:55,668
in turn is good for both, better than

355
00:23:55,668 --> 00:23:58,043
fighting with each other,

356
00:23:58,043 --> 00:24:00,530
even though in fight wins may be

357
00:24:00,530 --> 00:24:04,120
happier than the loser.

358
00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:06,575
This principle guides my whole life

359
00:24:06,575 --> 00:24:12,005
since I started reasoning I have always

360
00:24:12,005 --> 00:24:19,995
used the time I had available 
in social activities.

361
00:24:19,995 --> 00:24:24,069
But not for “goodism”, not because

362
00:24:24,069 --> 00:24:27,713
I am good and consequently must do good,

363
00:24:27,713 --> 00:24:31,544
help others, help beggars, no.

364
00:24:31,544 --> 00:24:34,758
Maybe I am led by selfishness,

365
00:24:34,758 --> 00:24:38,056
I think I earn something this way

366
00:24:38,056 --> 00:24:42,956
and so live a better life, be serene.

367
00:24:42,956 --> 00:24:47,118
You get a lot of rip-offs, but not like

368
00:24:47,118 --> 00:24:50,318
those you get when fighting and losing.

369
00:24:50,318 --> 00:24:56,172
More like opportunities that leave

370
00:24:56,172 --> 00:25:01,891
a bitter taste in our mouth 
but do not create

371
00:25:01,891 --> 00:25:07,288
big problems. (Opportunities) 
that I know I must seize.

372
00:25:07,288 --> 00:25:13,702
There were problems of an almost racist
nature in Poggio alla Croce, so to speak,

373
00:25:13,702 --> 00:25:17,030
and I stepped in for that too.

374
00:25:17,030 --> 00:25:19,508
It was my way of doing things.

375
00:25:19,508 --> 00:25:22,032
I'm a migrant myself in Poggio alla Croce,

376
00:25:22,032 --> 00:25:23,942
moving from town to the country.

377
00:25:23,942 --> 00:25:26,231
I choosed to and almost from start

378
00:25:26,231 --> 00:25:29,589
And I tried to integrate 
myself into the association.

379
00:25:29,589 --> 00:25:31,669
here in Poggio alla Croce,

380
00:25:31,669 --> 00:25:35,050
because it was natural for me.

381
00:25:35,050 --> 00:25:37,119
It is a way of living,

382
00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:42,939
no heroism, it's normal
I think everybody

383
00:25:42,939 --> 00:25:46,539
can understand this.

384
00:25:46,539 --> 00:25:48,079
Marcie, canadian teacher

385
00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:51,429
When I hear the word Ubuntu
it strikes according with me

386
00:25:51,429 --> 00:25:54,112
because it means “humanity”.

387
00:25:54,112 --> 00:25:57,370
And in hebrew religion we have a word

388
00:25:57,370 --> 00:25:59,400
which I just learned

389
00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,400
“tikkum olam”, which means

390
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,410
healing the world.

391
00:26:05,410 --> 00:26:07,745
So I see how they connect together

392
00:26:07,745 --> 00:26:09,752
and it's really quite beautiful,

393
00:26:09,752 --> 00:26:13,752
because slowly slowly people are
one by one

394
00:26:13,752 --> 00:26:17,780
healing the world and show humanity.

395
00:26:17,780 --> 00:26:20,134
We must concentrate on this positive part

396
00:26:20,134 --> 00:26:22,424
of the world because if we don’t,

397
00:26:22,424 --> 00:26:25,114
if we do nothing, we are doomed.

398
00:26:25,114 --> 00:26:27,800
So for me, coming here is a small small

399
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,174
thing but it has a lot of 
meaning in my life

400
00:26:31,174 --> 00:26:39,619
This idea of Ubuntu, this idea 
of refurbishing computers,

401
00:26:39,619 --> 00:26:42,578
objects tools that were doomed to be

402
00:26:42,578 --> 00:26:46,344
thrown away, is what inspired also

403
00:26:46,344 --> 00:26:49,769
this community to act and slowly to

404
00:26:49,769 --> 00:26:57,738
re-generate itself. This is what actually
means our motto “We need you”.

405
00:26:57,738 --> 00:27:01,778
That motto, in fact, means just that.

406
00:27:01,778 --> 00:27:05,778
Our local community was re-generated

407
00:27:05,778 --> 00:27:09,210
by your arrival, thanks to your spaceship

408
00:27:09,210 --> 00:27:11,611
with you, little black men, 
because it generated

409
00:27:11,611 --> 00:27:16,608
into us a new need to 
co-hoperate, to leave

410
00:27:16,608 --> 00:27:20,608
our homes and our sofas, 
forget about tv,

411
00:27:20,608 --> 00:27:23,597
get out trying to solve together a problem

412
00:27:23,597 --> 00:27:26,607
for the benefit of the whole community.

413
00:27:31,778 --> 00:27:34,148
Samba, student

414
00:27:34,148 --> 00:27:40,198
(words from a malian rap song, 
music in headphones)

415
00:27:51,570 --> 00:27:54,430
I am Samba and I come from Mali,

416
00:27:54,430 --> 00:27:57,996
I am an artist

417
00:27:57,996 --> 00:28:02,709
but before when I sang with my friends

418
00:28:02,709 --> 00:28:08,162
my family was against me making music,

419
00:28:08,166 --> 00:28:11,305
but I love it so much.

420
00:28:11,305 --> 00:28:15,521
In 2016 I went first to Algeria

421
00:28:15,521 --> 00:28:21,173
then also to Libia

422
00:28:21,173 --> 00:28:24,963
Then I arrived here two years ago.

423
00:28:24,963 --> 00:28:27,698
I have a complicated life,

424
00:28:27,698 --> 00:28:36,149
I would like to be an artist

425
00:28:36,149 --> 00:28:44,457
a rapper like many italians 
(Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta..)

426
00:28:44,457 --> 00:28:47,957
I would like to do what they do

427
00:28:47,957 --> 00:28:49,327
Luana, a resident

428
00:28:49,327 --> 00:28:51,027
I don’t really know what happened

429
00:28:51,027 --> 00:28:52,808
but we have all changed

430
00:28:52,808 --> 00:28:56,022
I found out they changed in relation to us

431
00:28:56,022 --> 00:28:58,503
in the begining they would just pass by,

432
00:28:58,503 --> 00:29:00,718
just give us a little smile but when they

433
00:29:00,718 --> 00:29:02,510
realised we really liked them…

434
00:29:02,510 --> 00:29:07,197
I cannot speak for all, 
but for people like me.

435
00:29:07,197 --> 00:29:09,474
When we see a new one we stop him

436
00:29:09,474 --> 00:29:11,840
with a “ehi”, and if he is tall tell him

437
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,564
to bend down or we can’t reach him, and he

438
00:29:14,564 --> 00:29:17,454
calls us and we say 
“grandmas and grandpas”

439
00:29:17,454 --> 00:29:19,614
and he replies “grandpa,grandma”,

440
00:29:19,614 --> 00:29:23,614
We speak italian so we try to make

441
00:29:23,614 --> 00:29:26,840
ourselves understood and when we see

442
00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,119
they reaaly don’t understand we gesture

443
00:29:29,119 --> 00:29:31,676
like this..to make them bend down

444
00:29:31,676 --> 00:29:34,695
And so they learn and when they pass

445
00:29:34,695 --> 00:29:38,396
they ask “nonna, need help ?”..

446
00:29:38,396 --> 00:29:40,319
”no, not today, tomorrow”.

447
00:29:40,319 --> 00:29:46,781
Some know some english and so I tell them

448
00:29:46,781 --> 00:29:49,965
“tomorrow” and they understand.

449
00:29:49,972 --> 00:29:53,984
Yes, but if you knew the story 
about "tomorrow"... Bloody hell!

450
00:29:53,984 --> 00:29:56,492
I always said I have no room at home but

451
00:29:56,492 --> 00:29:59,424
if I did I would happily take one or two,

452
00:29:59,424 --> 00:30:01,333
depends on how many I could take in

453
00:30:01,333 --> 00:30:03,273
If the house were mine,

454
00:30:03,275 --> 00:30:04,955
because in my view

455
00:30:04,955 --> 00:30:07,412
they also need to be understood

456
00:30:07,412 --> 00:30:11,253
they need to feel the good

457
00:30:11,253 --> 00:30:16,907
not just through a smile...

458
00:30:16,907 --> 00:30:21,397
There are other essential things in life
of all, especially in their case,

459
00:30:21,397 --> 00:30:23,998
they leave their families and flee from

460
00:30:23,998 --> 00:30:28,480
very bad systems, suffer hunger...

461
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:33,367
...many things... to come in Italy 
they faced... and so on...

462
00:30:33,367 --> 00:30:35,233
Maybe we are able to give them this

463
00:30:35,233 --> 00:30:37,250
things, we are just two or three that

464
00:30:37,250 --> 00:30:39,250
are really fond of them straight from our

465
00:30:39,250 --> 00:30:40,731
hearts not just from our mouths

466
00:30:40,731 --> 00:30:42,691
And they can feel it, as soon as they see

467
00:30:42,691 --> 00:30:49,054
us they come for a kiss, for some food,

468
00:30:49,054 --> 00:30:52,184
for biscuits, as with a little child that

469
00:30:52,184 --> 00:30:54,594
needs to be taught to speak.

470
00:30:54,594 --> 00:30:58,682
With those we see more often,

471
00:30:58,682 --> 00:31:05,226
we got this contact, so we spend time

472
00:31:05,226 --> 00:31:08,432
but it's not wasted time, it's good time

473
00:31:08,432 --> 00:31:13,825
Therefore... people who saw us doing that

474
00:31:13,825 --> 00:31:15,825
in the beginning were critical

475
00:31:15,825 --> 00:31:17,979
but now they say “it is true they make

476
00:31:17,979 --> 00:31:23,714
themselves loved, but how did you do it ?”

477
00:31:23,714 --> 00:31:25,675
How ? Well we talk to them!

478
00:31:25,687 --> 00:31:29,687
Sooner or later they understand…

479
00:31:31,060 --> 00:31:34,413
Slowly things got more stable,

480
00:31:34,413 --> 00:31:36,493
these guys are very nice

481
00:31:36,493 --> 00:31:38,809
they don't bother anyone, 
they greet everyone,

482
00:31:38,809 --> 00:31:42,995
they pass they call you, we reply,

483
00:31:42,995 --> 00:31:46,260
at least I do, others won’t.

484
00:31:46,260 --> 00:31:48,389
The village is quiet now,

485
00:31:48,389 --> 00:31:50,751
it showed the worst of itself because

486
00:31:50,751 --> 00:31:54,634
misleading informations help produce

487
00:31:54,634 --> 00:31:58,243
bad reactions. I mean...

488
00:31:58,243 --> 00:31:59,983
Then you learn things, you see them,

489
00:31:59,983 --> 00:32:02,947
you live them because in the end

490
00:32:03,163 --> 00:32:05,472
it's about leaving with them, isn't it?

491
00:32:05,472 --> 00:32:07,232
and it's also nice.

492
00:32:07,232 --> 00:32:12,434
The way I see it, these guys where jailed

493
00:32:12,434 --> 00:32:14,898
they are locked in there...

494
00:32:14,898 --> 00:32:17,727
without this group of people that taught

495
00:32:17,727 --> 00:32:19,597
them italian and other things ..

496
00:32:19,597 --> 00:32:23,246
what could they do? I mean...

497
00:32:23,246 --> 00:32:28,134
If you close thirty guys in a shelter....

498
00:32:28,134 --> 00:32:31,085
What for ? What's the use?

499
00:32:31,085 --> 00:32:34,505
it seems to me that it does 
not help anything

500
00:32:34,505 --> 00:32:37,806
If they are not made active, they are all
young, 20 years old guys

501
00:32:37,806 --> 00:32:39,578
what are they supposed to do ?

502
00:32:39,578 --> 00:32:42,268
If they do something, if it is possible

503
00:32:42,268 --> 00:32:45,791
to make them do something, work, play..

504
00:32:45,791 --> 00:32:51,555
then it is different. They can be useful

505
00:32:51,555 --> 00:32:54,218
but you must train them, let them in,

506
00:32:54,218 --> 00:32:56,610
something impossible to do 
in two-three months

507
00:32:56,610 --> 00:32:59,148
Since then you have to overcome distrust,

508
00:32:59,148 --> 00:33:00,981
seeing a black man by your side

509
00:33:00,981 --> 00:33:04,851
has some effects - it has to be said.

510
00:33:05,195 --> 00:33:07,085
But in the end this means nothing

511
00:33:07,085 --> 00:33:08,895
in the end he's like me, I mean...

512
00:33:08,921 --> 00:33:11,621
You learn to know learn him, he's a guy.

513
00:33:11,621 --> 00:33:14,393
But even if I'm with you, 
who don't know you

514
00:33:14,393 --> 00:33:17,809
may be we share the same opinion;

515
00:33:17,809 --> 00:33:19,609
it seems logical to me.

516
00:33:19,609 --> 00:33:21,659
(Car noise)

517
00:33:21,659 --> 00:33:24,609
Sibghat, student

518
00:33:27,049 --> 00:33:31,946
The first village I saw after 
entering Europe

519
00:33:31,946 --> 00:33:34,076
was Poggio alla Croce

520
00:33:34,076 --> 00:33:36,622
I will never forget because they gave

521
00:33:36,622 --> 00:33:41,630
a new life, an unforgettable experience:

522
00:33:41,630 --> 00:33:44,770
the people, the joy, they 
gave me a respect

523
00:33:44,770 --> 00:33:49,160
for society, from day one when they

524
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:53,951
took me around to look for a job, to take

525
00:33:53,951 --> 00:33:59,165
the driving licence, to school..

526
00:33:59,165 --> 00:34:05,277
and I thought “look, these people ask

527
00:34:05,277 --> 00:34:09,593
nothing of you, but give you a lot,

528
00:34:09,593 --> 00:34:12,110
indeed a life, a new life

529
00:34:12,110 --> 00:34:13,110
(music in the bar)

530
00:34:15,785 --> 00:34:16,785
Hi anna...

531
00:34:17,622 --> 00:34:18,622
Ciao Sibi!

532
00:34:23,821 --> 00:34:26,541
I have to give them something back

533
00:34:27,531 --> 00:34:31,244
so I thought, all right, it can be a good

534
00:34:31,244 --> 00:34:34,357
thing that I go along

535
00:34:34,357 --> 00:34:37,957
with them, helping them also phisically”

536
00:34:37,957 --> 00:34:39,958
In my life I will never forget

537
00:34:39,958 --> 00:34:44,276
this village and the people

538
00:34:44,276 --> 00:34:46,157
who know me, as well,

539
00:34:46,157 --> 00:34:48,125
My family,even if not in Italy,

540
00:34:48,125 --> 00:34:51,305
they know Poggio alla Croce!

541
00:34:51,305 --> 00:34:56,231
It is a big joy for them too,
and in my view

542
00:34:56,231 --> 00:35:00,420
if they ever meet an italian or european

543
00:35:00,420 --> 00:35:03,365
person they will respect them because

544
00:35:03,365 --> 00:35:07,365
they have given a good thing, a new life

545
00:35:07,365 --> 00:35:09,932
to their son.

546
00:35:09,932 --> 00:35:15,678
In future I would like to help 
with the school,

547
00:35:15,678 --> 00:35:20,773
I don’t speak Italian well but 
I could help

548
00:35:20,773 --> 00:35:25,160
with the Pakistani who don’t speak english

549
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:28,505
and have not studied. I could be

550
00:35:28,505 --> 00:35:31,212
an interpreter between them and an italian

551
00:35:31,212 --> 00:35:34,753
explaining the rules and other things.

552
00:35:34,753 --> 00:35:38,261
It would help them but also one way

553
00:35:38,261 --> 00:35:45,025
to give something back to society, 
to the village.

554
00:35:45,025 --> 00:35:49,610
You are integrated in this society but now

555
00:35:49,610 --> 00:35:53,358
you are teaching other people 
to integrate in society

556
00:35:53,358 --> 00:35:56,969
so that they can do good new things.

557
00:35:56,969 --> 00:36:02,101
I have a lot to learn still, but people

558
00:36:02,101 --> 00:36:07,798
from Poggio gave me a nice life, something

559
00:36:07,798 --> 00:36:14,946
difficult to explain in words, but I will

560
00:36:14,946 --> 00:36:17,596
always try to give something back to this

561
00:36:17,596 --> 00:36:21,596
unforgettable, beautiful village.

562
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This initiative (the school) helped people

563
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who did not know each other to get in touch,

564
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
collaborate, become friends..Not only the migrants

565
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
have a school for italian and mathematics

566
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but we all from the village have learnt to mix,

567
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
live together and it is much better.

568
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Another memory that I have and I think

569
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I will never forget is the second day

570
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that I came back to the school and it was

571
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the birthday of the great Duccio,

572
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
our mascot. He was one year old

573
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and at a certain point during the mini

574
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
buffet that his mum had prepared for us

575
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the boys opened a bag and pulled out

576
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a little wooden cart, all coloured

577
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and you could see that it was homemade,

578
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the kind that I could find

579
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in my grandmother's attic.

580
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They were pieces of wood assembled with

581
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this rope attached to pull the cart along

582
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with wheels it was really well made.

583
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It was handcrafted by them

584
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the gift was really appreciated by

585
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Duccio because among the many toys here at

586
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
home, fantastic toys that play, sing,

587
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
shout, this simple wooden cart made with

588
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
pieces of wood and buttons... he liked it

589
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
immediately and played with it without

590
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
knocking it on the ground as he does

591
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with other toys after thirty seconds of

592
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of holding it in his hands and

593
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
throwing it away.

594
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Also because, maybe, since when he was

595
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a baby, as soon as he was born, we tried,

596
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
both me and my partner, to integrate

597
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Duccio together with these guys,

598
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
without letting him live this experience

599
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as if it was something outstanding

600
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but as if they were our relatives, our

601
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
friends, our brothers and he really laughs

602
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when he sees them, he goes towards them

603
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
my son is 18 months old...

604
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He has practically become the mascot

605
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the shelter because every time they see

606
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
him they call him: "Duscio, Duscio"

607
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you can see that when there is "Duscio"

608
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they smile and I am really

609
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
happy about that.

610
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's a cliché, but I want my son to become

611
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a citizen of the world, not a citizen of

612
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce.

613
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So... everything's fine... and work?

614
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Dialogues not intelligible...)

615
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Duscio! Hello Duscio...

616
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And bread? Bread? Bru

617
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Madou explains the recipe for bread,

618
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
oil and salt in his own language)

619
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
cocò...? bru, cocò... And oil?

620
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
tulù bru, tulù, cocò...

621
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
tulù bru, tulù, cocò...

622
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So: bru, tulu, cocò!

623
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You are good!

624
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Yeah, good.

625
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Laundry noises...)

626
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
My name is Omar and I come from Senegal,

627
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have been in Italy for two years.

628
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I've arrived in Poggio alla Croce

629
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and I'm happy, I've met many people.

630
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they teach a bit of Italian and I became

631
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
friends with these people I go to school,

632
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I did the grape harvest and

633
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the olive picking.

634
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They helped me to find a good job,

635
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I found a mother and a father,

636
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I only miss my brothers but my mother

637
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and my father are close to me,

638
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they are Paola and Gabriele.

639
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They are very good,

640
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
all of them in Poggio alla Croce

641
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are very good.

642
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Pruning noise...)

643
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When a foreigner comes here and leaves

644
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
his homeland, he still has this nostalgia,

645
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he believes that where he goes

646
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he will perhaps find a welcome, a smile.

647
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When he comes and finds rejection it is

648
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a moment of great difficulty, a sadness.

649
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We are all foreigners to someone else,

650
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I too am a foreigner and I arrived here

651
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in 2000 and now 19 years have passed

652
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and I am here as a priest

653
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in Poggio alla Croce.

654
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They give the idea that they have somehow

655
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
taken the destiny of their lives back

656
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
into their own hands.

657
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The transformation of course,

658
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and this is perhaps one of the

659
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
significant aspects,

660
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is not just about them:

661
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it is always wrong to focus on 'them'.

662
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Things work when the context allows

663
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
itself to be changed and in this sense

664
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this is a positive reaction

665
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the population.

666
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Old ladies who were perhaps terrified

667
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in those famous, awful meetings

668
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at the beginning can now call them,

669
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when the woodcutter unloads a ton of wood

670
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in front of their house and for them

671
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
there is the problem of taking it to the

672
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
garden, bringing it inside...

673
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and so, as they say, they call a couple

674
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of these "big guys" and say

675
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"will you bring it inside?"

676
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and clearly these guys do the job

677
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in ten minutes and they maybe pay them

678
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a cappuccino or give them some money.

679
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In this way a normal life has been

680
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
recovered, it is healthy normality that

681
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
makes up the real civilisation

682
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of a population.

683
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And by the way, and this moves me,

684
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the people who are now with me and

685
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who have involved me in this adventure,

686
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
two in particular, two women who started

687
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this adventure, are the same people

688
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who welcomed me twenty-six years ago

689
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when I arrived here in San Polo.

690
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And this is important for me, because

691
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was a beautiful experience that I had

692
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and that I want to give

693
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to others, to them.

694
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What is the name of this dish? Mafe

695
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How do you make it?

696
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Just meat, vegetables...?

697
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How do you manage this dish?

698
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Meat, some vegetables... tomato...

699
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Peanut... Peanut butter Good...

700
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
.opala...show him, show him...

701
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Ah! Is this opala? Yes, this is opala.

702
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
How do you do it, do you have

703
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to clean, cut?

704
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Yes, clean, cut... Good! Bravo!

705
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I'll let you guys work

706
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
while I watch and help you.

707
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What is this white thing?

708
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In Poular: "Bantara"

709
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and how do you cook it?

710
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Does it take a long time?

711
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In Senegal yes, I don't know in Europe...

712
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because if it is fresh it cooks

713
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
very quickly if it is old

714
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it takes longer...

715
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Music, kitchen noises...)

716
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This sort of migrants' Barbiana

717
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
at Villa Viviana in

718
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce closes.

719
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Today there is a great silence

720
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
since these young people who

721
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
had brought life back to the

722
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
depopulated village two years ago

723
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
were forced to leave.

724
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
(Music...)

725
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They left in a hurry without warning,

726
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
some things are still there.

727
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The Cristoforo cooperative,

728
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which ran the centre, is leaving because

729
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
its budget, reduced from 35 to 21 euros

730
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
per migrant, has already had to close

731
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
5 out of 17 centres and this

732
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is only the beginning:

733
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the situation is no longer

734
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
financially sustainable.

735
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Some thirty migrants arrived in

736
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce, in the municipality

737
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of Figline and Incisa, two years ago

738
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
amidst the mistrust and protests of

739
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the few inhabitants of the village.

740
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The result was a unique experience

741
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of integration until now, when they were

742
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
suddenly and forcibly moved to another

743
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
centre in Sesto Fiorentino.

744
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Today was the last day of study at

745
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce, it was a school

746
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
where foreigners learn a lot of things,

747
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it was the school where we learned

748
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
everything we needed to in Italian, in

749
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
English and above all Italian culture.

750
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
At this time it is very difficult to be

751
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
away from the inhabitants of

752
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Poggio alla Croce or to be away from our

753
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
teachers. We are very sorry but we have

754
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
not chosen, we tell you that we do not

755
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
have many words to say because living

756
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with you has been very beautiful.

757
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You must be proud of yourselves for all

758
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that you have done and are still doing:

759
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
you have created an incredible and

760
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
unforgettable history in your little

761
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
village, a village where humanity

762
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is respected a lot.

763
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
For some people, living with African

764
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
boys is a bore or a sin.

765
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But with you it was not like that,

766
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
always with smiles, nice words

767
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
without swearing or distinction of skin.

768
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We were lucky to live a moment of this

769
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
journey with you, after the study

770
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in Poggio we understood that each of us

771
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
must be the master of our own destiny.

772
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Thank you for teaching us a good attitude

773
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how to behave in Europe, thank you for

774
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
making us understand that we should not be

775
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like people who are delinquents or

776
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
beggars. I will never forget you,

777
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
warm regards....

778
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In my opinion, this story of the Poggio,

779
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of the little school, is really a love

780
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
story because we volunteers love each

781
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
other, because we are together

782
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in a special way, and we with the guys,

783
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and they love us, real friendships have

784
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
been born, it's a love story.

785
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is these small gestures, these tales

786
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
of everyday life that make our experience

787
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
so special. It is what makes you say:

788
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I care about you" It is the most

789
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
precious gift we can take home.