editorial
noonFebruary 22, 2022 – 09:41 am
Of Francesco Dandolo
VI would like to focus on the beautiful story of Yankuba Darboe from Gambia published in recent days on the website of Corriere del Mezzogiorno. Arriving in Italy in 2014, at the age of 17, after crossing the Mediterranean, he immediately started working black in the tobacco fields. The impact with a job bordering on slavery did not stop the great desire to study. And today, with a degree in Biological Sciences, he assists migrants living in precariousness, as well as being fully integrated in Benevento, the city where he lives. He needs to be proud of Yankuba, the new Campania, even if Italian citizenship – due to a bad law that is slow to be reformed – has not yet been granted to him. It is an uplifting story that leads us to make some considerations. First, a heartfelt thanks to Corriere del Mezzogiorno for having given space (not the first time) to a story that finally offers a balanced and real perspective of who the immigrant children are. True journalism does not chase the dominant ideology but rather contributes to understanding the transformations of our society in a calm and constructive way. Secondly, and I speak with knowledge of the facts, I immediately think of the many guys like Yankuba who live among us pursuing the dream of studying and integrating. an experience that I continually have when I talk to them, listen to them, we dialogue.
Nand I am always convinced that their presence is a great enrichment for our society. Indeed, more often than not, a sense of debt emerges for having been welcomed in our country: gratitude that pushes them to make themselves available to help the weakest. So I wonder why these aspects often remain hidden: it certainly is because the single thought leads us to believe that whoever comes from outside is a danger. But above all because the opportunities for direct acquaintance between Italians and immigrants are still too few. The feeling that you live side by side without entering into a relationship. I believe instead that it is necessary to multiply the opportunities for meeting and friendship, especially in places dedicated to inclusion: I am thinking of schools, universities, sports, workplaces, but also the forms of associations of which the social fabric rich and articulated culture of Campania. At the same time, it is not always necessary for an institution to take charge of building bridges: everyone can do it by starting on their own, by taking the first step. It can be done in these days with the Ukrainian women who demonstrated in Piazza Garibaldi against the war or last Wednesday near the Church of San Pietro Martire together with the Youth for Peace and Peace People of the Sant’Egidio Community. And again last Sunday the Cathedral of Naples welcomed the unanimous plea for peace of many of them concerned for their families in Ukraine. In doing so, they reminded us that war is a game for the powerful, but a drama for the common people. Solidarity with the Ukrainian community, which represents the largest foreign community in Campania, is the best way to give a soul to the pacifism that imbues the humanity of Campania, also because in these parts the devastating wounds caused by conflicts are still evident. In short, the events of Yankuba and Ukrainian women lead us to believe that a more humane society can only be built from a perspective of proximity and identification. An essential dimension in the light of the pandemic that we hope will go to downsize. But the lesson that is drawn from it must not be forgotten: that is, only with a strong sense of community and adhesion to the other can we rebuild our living together.
February 22, 2022 | 09:41
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