Rosarno: A New Frontier for Mediterranean Hope

Leggi in italiano

Rome (NEV), 14 October 2019 –Southern Italy, agriculture and immigration: these are the three topics at the forefront of a project promoted by Mediterranean Hope, a programme for refugees and migrants of the FCEI. Following the Observatory in Lampedusa, the House of Cultures in Scicli and the humanitarian corridors that have been opened from Lebanon, the project have launched a fourth action front in Calabria.

«What we are trying to do is to provide the migrant workers that are exploited in the plain surrounding Rosarno with social and legal support. Moreover, we aim at improving a network of producers who commit themselves to “slavery free” goods, that is without the exploitation that we have unfortunately witnessed and that has created situations of extreme hardship, deaths and inhuman condition of work and life. Our intervention doesn’t come directly from the top but rather, as it has already happened in other places in which we are operating, we will start from the needs and specificities of the territory. Furthermore, we will cooperate with the realities that are already committed to the protection of human rights and at the same time for the creation of a chain of solidarity of “clean” products, which ensure the dignity of the people working in the camps.» explains Francesco Piobicchi, operator at MH.

Concerning these issues on October 22 and 23, the FCEI will promote a two-day event in Calabria entitled “Ma che arance mangi?” (But what oranges do you eat?). In the morning of Tuesday 22, at the Ecolandia Park in Reggio Calabria, the speeches of the pastor Luca Maria Negro, president of the FCEI, the sociologist of labour Giovanni Mottura, about “Vecchi e nuovi sguardi sul lavoro agricolo nel Mezzogiorno” (Old and new looks at agricultural work in the South), Professor Paolo Naso, coordinator of MH, for “Da Jerry Maslo a Rosarno” (From Jerry Maslo to Rosarno) and finally Tonino Perna, president of Ecolandia, about “Aree interne e immigrazione” (Indoor areas and immigration) will be given. The discussion will continue in the afternoon with a panel entitled “L’alternativa possibile” (The possible alternative), which will be attended by Tonino Perna, Stefano Magnoni of Calabria solidarity and Fabio Mostaccio of the University of Messina.

The following day will be dedicated to visit the camps of Rosarno and San Ferdinando, with Francesco Piobbichi, Paolo Morerio of the Vismara Foundation, the journalist Angelo Mastrandrea, Giuseppe Pugliese of SOS Rosarno and Beppe Marra of USB. A round table on good practices will follow, together with Tonino Perna, Maria De Martino of the intercultural association International House, Rosa Vaglio of Sfruttazero, Celeste Logiacco of the FLAI CGIL and Francesco Ventrice of Caritas-Drosi.