Pizza and Kebab

Sicurezza

In a recent poll among just under 200 immigrants, researchers posed the question “What does security (or safety) mean to you?” The top four responses, listed by at least half of those surveyed, were: having a job, having a residence permit, having a house and not be discriminated against. Given how much depends on having an income and not facing deportment, these responses are totally logical, but I wanted to post them here to highlight the sort of basic insecurities that most immigrants face, no matter where they are.

One of the other questions asked was “Where do you feel least safe?” and the majority of people said they felt unsafe in the street (62% of respondents). This I find extremely interesting, given the presentation of immigrants in the media as the cause of crime and a source of fear among the Italian population. The reason listed for this fear was “crime and drug dealing, and a lack of police patrol.” It seems the very thing immigrants are accused of is something that immigrants also want to avoid.

Additionally, the survey also asked “What does integration mean to you?” - the responses were: To have the same rights and obligations (19.6% of respondents), To be accepted and not discriminated against (19.5%), To have more human interactions/relationships (17.3%) and To have more intercultural dialogue (13.5%). All important things, that I hope we will all take into account in our daily interactions no matter where we live, and no matter what our position on immigration is. It’s important to remember that immigration status is largely a product of government policy, as are the motivations for leaving one’s own country, and that one’s opinions and emotions about these policies should not be carried over to the human interactions in which we partake on a daily basis, no matter what you think about said policy.

Amisnet

Islamic Culture Week in Rome

Moldova

The ethnic fabric of immigrants in Italy is as diverse and varied as in any other country, but today I’m going to highlight one particular country of origin - Moldova.

The first wave of immigration from Moldova started around 1998-2000, shortly after Moldova gained independence, and also liberalized its economy, resulting in inflation and a subsequent recession. Indeed, in the early 2000s, money sent home from expat workers made up 38% of Moldova’s GDP, the 2nd highest in the world at the time.

From the wikipedia page on emigration from Moldova:
The Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova has estimated that 600,000 to one million Moldovan citizens (almost 25% of a population of some 4.4 million) are working abroad, most illegally. Only around 80,000 are estimated to be in their destination country legally. Russia (especially Moscow region), Italy, Ukraine, Romania, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Israel are the main destinations (in decreasing order of importance). Due to the clandestine nature of these migration flows, however, no official statistics exist.

Within Italy, Moldovans often take jobs as construction workers or care-takers and nannies. One thing that should be understood about this wave of immigration, is that the first people to leave were those with high levels of education and skills. After this incubation period of nearly 10 years now, the Moldovan community it Italy is starting to self produce some media of its own, notably a newspaper called “Gazeta Basarabiei”

Gazeta Basarabiei is currently distributed throughout Italy, and focuses mainly on issues of interest to the Moldovan diaspora. A recent issue featured an interview with a Moldovan Ambassador, easter traditions, a book review, a concert review…the usual things one would find in any newspaper. What is important here is that the small group of Moldovan journalists are independently producing their own media, connecting the Moldovan diaspora living in Italy, serving as a bridge between homeland, adopted nation and each other.

One other interesting note is the presence of advertising - within the folds are big, color ads from Carpatair, Moldindconbank, and…WIND, an Italian cell phone company. This, I think is especially important, as it signifies a recognition of the Moldovan community as a valuable one - at least from a business point of view. It signals presence of a community as accepted, at least on an economic level, and one which can be seen as a consumer, and not a burden as immigrants are so often portrayed. (We’ll just ignore the whole “seeing people as capitalist pawns” thing for now…)

“My Eyes Are Too Almond Shaped”

www.stranieriinitalia.it/attualita-ho_gli_occhi_troppo_a_mandorla_._sempre_piu_immigrate_dal_chirurgo_plastico_15218.html

Articles like this always make me sad (above link is in Italian, I’ve translated it below into English). Of course this is not just a phenomenon of Italy’s immigrant community, it happens all over the world, and even among populations that have not emigrated but are heavily exposed to western standards of beauty. Grass is always greener on the other side I suppose, but really, no one should ever feel less attractive because of their ethnicity.

Here’s the article in English:

“My Eyes Are Too Almond Shaped: Ever more immigrants opt for plastic surgery”

Nicodemi: “6% of procedures are for foreign clients, mostly Chinese.” Also domestic workers save up for bigger breast implants.

Rome – May 21, 2012 – Perfect breasts or wrinkles that magically disappear, but also less almond shaped eyes, perhaps to seem more Italian. The list of desires is long for immigrants that more and more often resort to plastic surgery.

“6% of procedures are for immigrants,” says Ezio Maria Nicodemi, head plastic surgeon at the Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata di Roma. “The requests for procedures on behalf of foreign citizens that live more or less most of the time in Italy - he adds - are becoming a more common phenomenon, above all in the large Chinese community.”

The Chinese often arrive at the surgeon’s office with a particular request: “They want a more ‘western’ face. For this - explains Nicodemi - the procedure that the majority opt for is that of blepharoplasty, the act of reconstructing the upper eyelid using the elimination of flaps of skin. They often come in couples and the majority of them belong to the middle-upper class of their community.” They are small and medium business owners, that manage commercial activities and cafes.

The need to value oneself more, however, has no limits. “Many requests arrive also from eastern european women, Russian and Polish come to mind, the ask for filler and botox to fill their wrinkles and get back tone and luminosity to their face, but above all they ask for breast implants. In this case, also domestic workers and care-takers often request these procedures, that have managed to put aside a sum of money, perhaps not sending all their earnings home.”

Wifi in the Mosque

Sei Immigrato? Paghi di Più

Diversi. e allora?

This weekend in Florence is a very interesting conference regarding migration, difference and racism, titled “Diversi. e allora? - Politicians and society against racist violence.” Students, artists, public administrators and many others will be gathering together to discuss the hows and whys of xenophobia and what we can do to stop it.

To find out more, check out their website: diversieallora.wordpress.com

And their Facebook: facebook.com/DiversiEAllora

Anche voi foste stranieri

For anyone in Rome today, please head over to this round-table and presentation of Don Antonio Sciortino’s new book, “Anche voi foste stranieri”

Facebook event here, details below:

Presentazione del libro “Anche voi foste stranieri”
di Don Antonio SCIORTINO - Direttore di Famiglia Cristiana

Ne discutono con l’autore:
Nicola ZINGARETTI - Presidente della Provincia di Roma
Laura BOLDRINI, Portavoce dell’Alto Commissariato delle Nazioni Unite per i rifugiati

Modera
Aldo Maria VALLI - Vaticanista TG1

Palazzo Valentini - sala di Liegro
Via IV novembre 119/a

Oh and what do you know? The author just so happens to also host a radio program about immigration: www.radio.rai.it/radio3/fahrenheit