SU_T_32

[i] Hello [name]

[r] Hello

[i] How are you?

[r] Good!

[i] Do you want to introduce yourself and tell us who you are?

[r] My name is [name]

[i] Nice to meet you.

[r] My pleasure.

[i] How old are you [name] ?

[r] I’m 32 years old.

[i] Where did you come from?

[r] Soudan

[i] What country? What city?

[r] I came from a small town called HIDJIRIDIE, but now it’s gone.

[i] Why?

[r] Because it was destroyed by the war in Darfur, now I have another country called Four Bouranga a little closer a little town, my was a village now it’s a small town.

[i] How long have you been in Italy?

[r] For 6 years

[i] Why did you choose Italy?

[r] It was a road and I wanted to go on, then I found some work for that I’m still here.

[i] Does that mean you’re doing well?

[r] Well not but not bad yet so enough

[i] Enough

[r] Yes

[i] How was the first day here in Italy, exactly in Turin?

[r] The first day here in Italy or the first day here in Turin . because they are two different. The first day in Italy, I told myself I arrived in a different world, a world of peace, a world that everyone lives well, instead after a few days I saw things change like the ones I had passed there, but they were the first days in Italy just in the south of Italy in Lampedusa.

[i] So you came to Lampedusa from Sudan?

[r] yes

[i] So you had the first impact on Lampedusa?

[r] Yes

[i] And then what?

[r] And then from Lampedusa to Savona in the north, I was almost 6 months in Savona, I worked for the municipality, I went around schools. or I fixed the water pipes as a plumber I worked almost 6 months. There they were a bit racist, not like here. One day we were fighting with some, one is good and two are racist, and the good one was the boss and the racists were workers, they were talking because I did not understand Italian well when I was there, they started to quarrel with each other, you can not understand everything but a bad word you can hear then I asked why they were arguing, immediately jumped on me, they were certainly saying “you come as soon as you have work and we have some brothers and friends at home we do not work and you are working”.

[i] So they were accusing you of coming in and stealing other people’s jobs?

[r] Yes, this one. And then from that day I told them if I work, because I don’t want to steal work from anyone, I immediately asked her to fire me she is Ligurian, but she works and lives there, she told me come here we work together in a restaurant, she gave me the phone number everything then I went to a German city , between Germany and Denmark, I lost the number but then the phone went off, I had no battery charger

[i] Unfortunately you’ve been unlucky!

[r] Then no. I did it. From there they took me, I didn’t even have the documents, they asked me how you did it to come here? I said I came by train, I got here, what did I do to get here without documents ? I said I got the ticket I got here, they asked where you want to go? I said Denmark, did they ask without papers? I said yes. They said that I’m sorry you arrived here but we can’t let you go as far as Denmark. They asked me if you would like to stay here in Germany? Apply for asylum or even go back to Italy.

[i] But how did you get here in Italy?

[r] In Italy I arrived by boat

[i] Like refugees?

[r] Like refugees .

[i] Was there war in Sudan at that time?

[r] If there was war in Sodan then it never ends, until now there is war. Since I was born grown up until now there is war in Sudan there is not a day without war or a year a month I have never heard of

[i] And your family is in Soudan?

[i] Yes my family is not in Sudan but in a camp you profess in Chad, I have a younger brother. he now lives in that town that I said before my parents are still in the camp.

Did you see him after you arrived in Italy? Did you manage to return to your country? I went back to Chad last year 2018, I went there but I saw him still the way is not pleasant there are still weapons everywhere, for someone who is not inhabited can not live, always hear the shots, at home there are weapons

[i] Do you always live with fear in terror?

[r] With fear, as soon as you hear something you go out with the rifle so for someone who is not used to it is difficult

[i] Am I always under attack?

[r] Yes, you can’t live. I was for 20 days , 3 weeks, those 3 weeks I did not like I came back immediately

[i] You never came to Sudan, you never came back?

[r] I haven’t returned to Sudan since.

[i] Can’t I?

[r] So far we can’t and here in Turin what do you do?

[r] Here in Turin I work as a worker in a company that deals with roadworks, I work there

[i] Is this good work?

[r] Yes, a tiring one.

[i] I can imagine. And here in Turin how do you live your life, how is Turin for you?

[r] A good question like Turin is for me. I don’t know how to answer Turin for me, but I certainly don’t know because I work then I go home, from home I go to work I feel like a prisoner I don’t feel so good in Turin, but I’m obliged to be because I’m working so if I find something better I’ll definitely leave Turin too.

[i] So is there a possibility that I will change the city? if you can find something better?

[r] Sure. But you know that Turin is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, maybe if I change the country I don’t change the city.

[i] So the country Turin is really a beautiful city on that there is no doubt?

[r] Changing cities and staying in Italy does not, I prefer to stay in Turin, but if I change country maybe I change Italy.

[i] Is this where Sudanese culture as you live it in your daily life? How do you live it at home?

[r] How I lived it in Sudan there is certainly no here, there with the war etc., but for the feeling of the heart live tranquility, here as a culture is the culture from there is different.

[i] At home, the food, the music you listen to inside your home, are you more Sudanese or do you live in Italian?

[r] I live here in Italian style, because I don’t hear Sudanese music, so if I hear music I prefer to hear Italian music. I always eat Italian food, it’s not always like that but that day I may eat Sudanese food, but I eat more Italian food

Do you have a relationship with the Sudanese community in Turin? Is there a place where you meet?

[r] Of course, we meet a few days, we rent a room, we all meet to say goodbye, have a chat, we eat Sudanese food, but not every day sometimes even in the gardens when the weather is nice let’s have a barbecue in the Sudanese style

[i] During these meetings do you talk about what is happening in Sudan, about the desire to see Sudan in peace, to come back one day?

[r] It’s not that much, because we don’t talk about Sudan, we leave everything there when we meet here, because we are always us, because we are enemies of it and we are friends and brothers here because what we live here and what we live there, because some tribes are against others…

[i] Still Sudanese?

[r] Always Sudanese, and always us who are here, because there is a city against another city but here we are all brothers, so let’s forget all that is in Sudan

[i] So in Sudan there are two major rival cities, two tribes, there is war between them but the same people from the same city here in Italy you are friends.

[r] Of course we are brothers here, not just friends

[i] So here you are only Sudanese

[r] Only Sudanese we don’t think of anyone else

[i] It’s a beautiful thing, that here you’ve managed to find the peace you lack in your country of origin.

[r] Right

[i] It’s a good thing. Tell me a little about how you learned the Italian language?

[r] I studied, but I still didn’t learn it well, but I studied a little, when I arrived I did 4 hours a day so from morning until afternoon, I did it for 6 months to learn, after I left school then I didn’t lose the words I learned at school. In the end I found work that I always say thanks to Erica the lady, and she who found me the first job

[i] So Erica, this friend of yours had found you a job.

[r] In a reception centre

[i] Through a shelter?

[r] Yes, through the reception centre. The person who found me my first job was you. I went I talked to the employer. And then from there the project was finished Then another good woman like Erica arrived, we have an extension, then the contract with the reception centre ended again, then another one arrived and then from there it ended….

[i] So you move from one job to another according to the project, when the project ends you move from another job?

[r] The contract was not linked to the time of the project, when the contract expires another one arrives but I don’t know how the project worked.

[i] Of course

[r] The first time was Erica. then slowly came other jobs other people, first was Erica then she went away then other people then after is finot the contract

[i] So one manager goes another comes along but you always have the job.

[r] No, before I had not worked yet, with Erica the project I was not working but we went first we went to look, after a month and arrived another then took me back to the same place to ask always in this company, after a month also this had gone away, then came another and so on

[i] And so on. Turin now how do you see it when you arrived 6 years ago? or even Italy in general but Turin in particular because you live here? what changed

[r] What changed about the city or my life

[i] Not just your life but, the city and its relationship with extracommunitarians especially with Africans as refugees as you see this relationship?

[r] I can’t say anything about this, since I’m not a person who goes out so much, I don’t go around so much, I don’t know so much about Turin, of course I’ve done 6 years but I go around so much and then I don’t know what’s going on…

[i] So you live on your own but you don’t have so many relationships with people because you work so hard?

[r] Yes I do work home work, and Saturday Sunday I’m always at home I go around if we have that meeting with the Sudanese, then we have the group when there is a meeting I make communications about the group

[i] What do you think is missing, what would you like to have here in Turin or even in Italy? like an extra-communitarian like a refugee

[r] Here what I like may certainly not exist here, I do not know I like that everyone is good, I like solidity, not those racists there are many Italians who have a very bad relationship with others, you have to open your heart to all and live together, these are the things I like but I see that we are still Turin I do not know for all Italy but Turin are a bit closed

[i] And what message do you want to give to the people of Turin?

[r] The message I can give, first I say thank you for opening the door for us. But they have closed it on one side, I ask them if they can open them all, we can live together, we all keep Turin as our city, and we make it go forward all together we will all be united, we all keep it as our country, for good and evil, we won’t leave it alone

[i] It’s a good thing, we live here in Turin, so we must love it, for better or for worse. And what do you want to say to these young African boys who come here?

[r] I tell them not to think only of what they say on television or what I hear talking, because there are people when a new one arrives they give them the wrong ideas so I tell those who have just arrived not to think about what they say first, to think about themselves and protect this country, think about the good for what they live here and respect everyone.

[i] Thank you [name] and thank you so much for answering our questions

[r] Thanks to you.