Mustapha F. came to Sicily from Gambia. He had to spend several months in different reception camps until he came to Palermo. Since then he has been going to school, learning Italian and, like many others, working part-time (often several jobs and usually without an employment contract).
Fatima D. goes to school and receives training as a musician at the conservatory. Her future dream is to become a singer and musician. Her wish came about through a spontaneous encounter with a drum teacher who saw her playing the djembé.
Emmanuel comes from Ghana and has lived in Palermo since 1992. In the 27 years he has worked in various professions. Emmanuel could no longer pursue his profession as an industrial mechanic in Palermo and took a job as a night watchman in a flower shop.
Conversation with Giovanni from Ethiopia.
Hamdi shares a recipe from her home country Somalia and retells her story of flight and arrival.
Yurdanus shares two recipes from her home country and tells her story of flight.
This is one of the crucial excerpts from Hannah Arendt’s essay “We Refugees” that she published in 1943 shortly after arriving in New York.
Kadija J. has lived in Palermo for over two years. In the interview, she talks about her reasons to come to Europe, her visions…
H. comes from Somalia and lives in Italy today. Together with other Somali refugees he took part in a round table discussion of the…
Diawara B. tells of the futility of his integration efforts in the hostile Italian immigration system – especially in view of the “security decree”.
Diawara B. talks about the so-called “Security Decree” passed by the Italian government.
Mustapha F. tells of the difficult situation in which refugees in Italy find themselves.
Diawara B. and the Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, talk about the possibilites of Palermo as a city of reception.
Igiaba Sciego, actually Alì Omar Scego, from Somalia tells about the loss of his name in Italy.
Diawara B. talks about the shocking experiences he made after his arrival in a reception camp in Sicily and the support he received on…
Kadija J. about the thankfulness for the support she received in Palermo.
Ilija Trojanow, who fled with his parents from Bulgaria to Germany in 1971 and whose life is marked by experiences of migration, deals in…
Why A. escaped Somalia
Marrie S. talks about what education means to him and how Palermo has become his home through the people who supported him.
Aliou B. left Guinea alone at the age of thirteen. On his way via Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya, he experienced hunger, mistreatment…
International human mobility. From the migration as suffering to mobility as an inalienable human right
The reporter Ismail Einashe describes the situation of new arrivals in Palermo, especially the unaccompanied minors, and tells of his own family experiences of…
A Poem about the sea as a space of flight by Jehan Bseiso.
Fatima D. is from Gambia and came to Palermo in May 2017. She is one of many refugee minors who came unaccompanied by adults.…
Kadija J. on her reasons for coming to Europe.
Mustapha F. talks about his first time in a reception camp and his experiences of the reception in Palermo. He reports about his lack…
Marrie S. talks about what love in the form of solidarity, support, and rescue means to him.
UNITED for Intercultural Action has been “collecting reliable data on refugee deaths related to Fortress Europe since 1993 in the ‘List of Deaths’”.
Giulia di Carlo worked in a reception centre in Palermo and describes from her perspective the situation for refugees in the city.
Kadija J. talks about the difficulties she faces within the Italian education system.
Fatima D. tells of her escape through the desert.
Maaza Mengiste’s short story describes traumatic experiences of flight with many mythological allusions.
Ilija Trojanow, who fled with his parents from Bulgaria to Germany in 1971 and whose life is marked by experiences of migration, deals in…