Palermo is a bridge between Africa and Europe and one of the first destinations where migrants and refugees arrive in Europe. Palermo, the capital, is the fifth largest city in Italy. It was another sunset time, either at the busy Via Maqueda with other young people stirring the Aperol spritz or at my balcony getting ready to enjoy the tangles of Pasta con pesto di pistacchi e gamberi. I did not have the ambition to write about Palermo on a summer holiday at first. But the "seeing" self and the "writing" self still meet after clicking the photos while being mesmerized by the corners of the cobblestone streets.
Some are unplanned ones at a dining table. Some are organized meetings driven by the ambition to understand the thick layers of the city where warm and young air is flowing. Bangladeshis started to immigrate to Italy in the s. There are 10,, living in Palermo, owning small businesses.
The two men in the photo are from Bangladesh. The intertwined sociospatial order of migration, mafia, and politics makes it appealing for NGOs and associations related to migration to move in the area, creating a hub of sorts. During my stay in Palermo, I joined two vernissagesโboth featuring the Nigerian community in Palermo.
As suggested by the title "Oriri", which means spirit and nightmares in the Bini language, the exhibition features the victims of trafficking from the perspective of how criminal networks merge with religious cults. I want people to know that they are like us," said the organizer of the exhibition. Since June , same-sex civil unions and unregistered cohabitation have been legally recognized. In June, during Pride month the community group Palermo Pride organized a pride walk.
Participants held the rainbow flag in Quattro Canti, one of the most famous historical sites in Palermo. In Palermo, the mafia is an unavoidable topic. The city was known for the ruthlessness of the mafia in the 90s. After the assassination of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in the 90s, Cosa Nostra, as the mafia was also known, was heavily protested by the Palermo public. Eventually, the group changed tactics and became less severe.
