Meron Benti is 23 years old, she is Ethiopian, she is a person with albinism and she lived in Italy for eleven years. She has lived in Middlebury, Vermont, for six years and she is studying for a degree in Anthropology. «Sometimes people think I’m Norwegian. I know people stare at me. But what I find really annoying is not to be made fun of because of the colour of my hair but because I’m African. At school in Italy my classmates used to refer to me as the “negro girl” but it was meant in a friendly way and it didn’t bother me too much». The director and video maker Fred Kuwornu has included your story in his docu-series “Blaq Italiano Vol. 1“.
Let’s start from the beginning. When did you leave Ethiopia?
«I was six years old. The doctors told us that in Ethiopia I wouldn’t be able to get the medical care I needed. My older brother already lived in Italy, in Monte San Savino near Arezzo, where he worked as a carpenter. And so I left with my sister who was twenty years old at the time».
You were born as a person with albinism in Africa…
A total shock. The members of my extended family didn’t even know what albinism was. They said my mother had had an affair with a white man. Then the doctors explained the situation. My neighbors called me “the foreigner” in Amharic. I tried to leave the house as rarely as I could.
«At school they couldn’t understand who I was. But I don’t have especially bad memories. I was too young. It was my bothers who told me about it. I didn’t think I was any different».
In some African countries albinos’ lives are endangered…one more reason to leave?
«That’s true. Some tribal practices still exist, but luckily not in Ethiopia. Albinos are still killed in Malawi and Tanzania. It happened recently. Some people believe that parts of our bodies should be used to prepare magic potions. But I left Ethiopia for health reasons. Albinism is characterized by some accessory complications that are hard to deal with in my country. I needed glasses and special creams to protect my skin».
So, you arrived in Italy following your brother’s lead. A little girl with an Ethiopian passport and snow-white skin.
«Which always causes a stir. People look at me a little strange. I still have an Ethiopian passport. I didn’t even have time to apply for Italian citizenship. I only had a residence permit for medical reasons».
A white African girl in Monte San Savino…Did they pick on you because you were an albino or a foreigner?
I never felt like I was being bullied at the time. I only realised later. My classmates were a little nasty. They made fun of me especially because I came from Africa. Even at secondary school they called me “negro girl”, but in a friendly way. I didn’t mind too much.
Have you ever been a victim of genuine racist episodes?
«My sister is very dark skinned. One day we were on a bus in Rome, we hadn’t punched the ticket because the bus was heaving and we couldn’t even reach the machine. When the ticket inspector came on board the bus driver explained the situation to him and we were not fined. But a lady started shouting complaining about us not buying a ticket and not even getting fined for it… I’m sure that was aimed at my sister as people think I’m Norwegian, at most I get stared at».
Attraverso l’articolo sopra, possiamo consigliarti gli ultimi abiti.Shop dress in una varietà di lunghezze, colori e stili per ogni occasione dei tuoi marchi preferiti.Why did you choose to live in the United States?
«I only watched American films and shows on TV when I lived in Italy. It was my dream. You only think about what you see on TV when you’re a teenager. So, I decided to follow my older brother who lives in Oakland. He works as a limousine chauffer».
And then you ended up in Vermont.
«Yes, at Middlebury University. In a few days, I’ll graduate in Cultural Anthropology».
You lived in Italy for eleven years and then in the United States for the past six years. How different are they for an African woman?
«The US is a very big country. There are many differences between California and Italy. There’s a very big Ethiopian community in Oakland. My brother lives in a residential estate with 200 apartments, which are mostly occupied by Ethiopians. You can smell Ethiopian food. We spend the festivities together. I feel like I’m in Ethiopia».
Have things changed since Donald Trump was elected?
«You cannot generalise. Every State is different. The East and West coasts are more liberal. There they are open minded towards immigrants».
And in Vermont, at the University?
«There are students from all over the country. There’s a very open mentality there».
Do you have American citizenship yet?
«I’m waiting for it. My brother does. I have a residence permit for medical reasons».
If you ever had a child, they would most certainly have dark skin although they will bear the albinism gene. Does this concern you?
«I would like to adopt my kids, so I don’t know what colour skin they’ll have. But I don’t think they’ll be discriminated. It will depend on where I’ll be living but I think it’ll be somewhere quite liberal and multi cultural».
All in all, do you feel more Ethiopian, Italian or American?
«It’s hard to say. I don’t feel Italian. I never did. I’m not American yet. I haven’t lived here long enough. It’s easier to say I’m Ethiopian. My family comes from there and I was born there».
You had to leave Ethiopia when you were six years old because as an albino you couldn’t get the medical care you needed there and people looked at you in a strange way. And you still say you’re proud of being Ethiopian… How’s that?
When I lived in Italy I wasn’t even very attached to Ethiopia. I have to say that I’ve felt more Ethiopian since moving to America. Since spending more time with fellow Ethiopians, saying I was Ethiopian was the easiest thing.
«I always speak in Amharic with my brother, my sister and my friends. I care for my culture and my traditions. There are plenty of Ethiopians in Oakland. This has contributed to strengthen my cultural identity. Most of my friends are African. In Middlebury I live in a complex we call Africa House. I feel good. I feel at home».
Do you go back to Ethiopia?
«I haven’t been back for ten years. Now, because I’ve applied for an American passport, I can’t leave the country. My mother, my father and my other brothers and sisters live in Ethiopia. I speak to them occasionally, for religious festivities, but I no longer feel like I know them very well».
Where do you see yourself in the future?
«Here in the US but I like to travel. I spent six months in France. I would like to go back to Italy. All in all, I’m a citizen of the world».
And what about Ethiopia?
«I would like to go back to visit but I don’t think I could live there because of the state the country is in. I would always be considered white. And it would be too hard for me to live in a country with so much sun».
