ASMARINA: Voices and images of a postcolonial heritage
The Eritrean/Ethiopian community has been present in Italy for at least half a century and it has been actively integrated into the social and cultural life of the city. Starting from the collective memories of the community, on the ground of photo documents, the film gathers together the legacy of personal stories, exploring the different shades of identity, migration and the aspirations of the people. The result of Alan Maglio and Medhin Paolos' research is a collective tale which brings to light a postcolonial heritage that has been little scrutinized up to now: the everyday life stories of those who have lived in the city for years, those who were born in Italy and the daycare of the refugees who have just arrived. The film makers approach this reality empathically and get involved in it, patiently trying to create a relationship with the protagonists. The research and the filming of “Asmarina” lasted one year and a half and are based on direct witness accounts and the survey of audiovisual material taken from personal and institutional archives.
-- Discussion Participants-- -Medhin Paolos is an Italian-Eritrean photographer, electronic musician, and an activist. Her career path has taken her from an international experience with the electronic folk band Fiamma Fumana to her current work with the Rete G2, a national Italian organization mobilizing for the citizenship rights of the children of immigrants in Italy. “Asmarina" is her debut film as a director.
-Igiaba Scego is an award-winning Somali-Italian writer, journalist, and activist. Her most recent novel, Adua, was translated into English in 2017, and this year she was also invited to deliver the Binder Lecture at UC San Diego. The main themes of Igiaba Scego’s work are the double identity of Italians of African origins, the denunciation of Italy’s colonial past, and its sexist and racist legacy in the present.
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The Eritrean/Ethiopian community has been present in Italy for at least half a century and it has been actively integrated into the social and cultural life of the city. Starting from the collective memories of the community, on the ground of photo documents, the film gathers together the legacy of personal stories, exploring the different shades of identity, migration and the aspirations of the people. The result of Alan Maglio and Medhin Paolos' research is a collective tale which brings to light a postcolonial heritage that has been little scrutinized up to now: the everyday life stories of those who have lived in the city for years, those who were born in Italy and the daycare of the refugees who have just arrived. The film makers approach this reality empathically and get involved in it, patiently trying to create a relationship with the protagonists. The research and the filming of “Asmarina” lasted one year and a half and are based on direct witness accounts and the survey of audiovisual material taken from personal and institutional archives.
-- Discussion Participants-- -Medhin Paolos is an Italian-Eritrean photographer, electronic musician, and an activist. Her career path has taken her from an international experience with the electronic folk band Fiamma Fumana to her current work with the Rete G2, a national Italian organization mobilizing for the citizenship rights of the children of immigrants in Italy. “Asmarina" is her debut film as a director.
-Igiaba Scego is an award-winning Somali-Italian writer, journalist, and activist. Her most recent novel, Adua, was translated into English in 2017, and this year she was also invited to deliver the Binder Lecture at UC San Diego. The main themes of Igiaba Scego’s work are the double identity of Italians of African origins, the denunciation of Italy’s colonial past, and its sexist and racist legacy in the present.
ASMARINA: Voices and images of a postcolonial heritage
The Eritrean/Ethiopian community has been present in Italy for at least half a century and it has been actively integrated into the social and cultural life of the city. Starting from the collective memories of the community, on the ground of photo documents, the film gathers together the legacy of personal stories, exploring the different shades of identity, migration and the aspirations of the people. The result of Alan Maglio and Medhin Paolos' research is a collective tale which brings to light a postcolonial heritage that has been little scrutinized up to now: the everyday life stories of those who have lived in the city for years, those who were born in Italy and the daycare of the refugees who have just arrived. The film makers approach this reality empathically and get involved in it, patiently trying to create a relationship with the protagonists. The research and the filming of “Asmarina” lasted one year and a half and are based on direct witness accounts and the survey of audiovisual material taken from personal and institutional archives.
-- Discussion Participants-- -Medhin Paolos is an Italian-Eritrean photographer, electronic musician, and an activist. Her career path has taken her from an international experience with the electronic folk band Fiamma Fumana to her current work with the Rete G2, a national Italian organization mobilizing for the citizenship rights of the children of immigrants in Italy. “Asmarina" is her debut film as a director.
-Igiaba Scego is an award-winning Somali-Italian writer, journalist, and activist. Her most recent novel, Adua, was translated into English in 2017, and this year she was also invited to deliver the Binder Lecture at UC San Diego. The main themes of Igiaba Scego’s work are the double identity of Italians of African origins, the denunciation of Italy’s colonial past, and its sexist and racist legacy in the present.
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The Eritrean/Ethiopian community has been present in Italy for at least half a century and it has been actively integrated into the social and cultural life of the city. Starting from the collective memories of the community, on the ground of photo documents, the film gathers together the legacy of personal stories, exploring the different shades of identity, migration and the aspirations of the people. The result of Alan Maglio and Medhin Paolos' research is a collective tale which brings to light a postcolonial heritage that has been little scrutinized up to now: the everyday life stories of those who have lived in the city for years, those who were born in Italy and the daycare of the refugees who have just arrived. The film makers approach this reality empathically and get involved in it, patiently trying to create a relationship with the protagonists. The research and the filming of “Asmarina” lasted one year and a half and are based on direct witness accounts and the survey of audiovisual material taken from personal and institutional archives.
-- Discussion Participants-- -Medhin Paolos is an Italian-Eritrean photographer, electronic musician, and an activist. Her career path has taken her from an international experience with the electronic folk band Fiamma Fumana to her current work with the Rete G2, a national Italian organization mobilizing for the citizenship rights of the children of immigrants in Italy. “Asmarina" is her debut film as a director.
-Igiaba Scego is an award-winning Somali-Italian writer, journalist, and activist. Her most recent novel, Adua, was translated into English in 2017, and this year she was also invited to deliver the Binder Lecture at UC San Diego. The main themes of Igiaba Scego’s work are the double identity of Italians of African origins, the denunciation of Italy’s colonial past, and its sexist and racist legacy in the present.
show less
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