In Italy there’s much excitement among African diaspora communities. After the birth of UCAI – Union of Italian African Communities – established by Otto Bitjoka, a new movement was launched in Modena by Cécile Kyenge, member of the European Parliament for the Partito Democratico: the Afroitalian Power Initiative.
What is the Afroitalian Power Initiative M.me Kyenge?
The Afroitalian Power Initiative aims to redeem and empower Afro-Italians: the more a country is aware of its diversity, the stronger its communities will be. And this is also good for Italy. This has already happened in many other countries but not yet in our country. In my opinion, this is an initiative that should be warmly welcomed and supported, but unfortunately this is not the case. My idea is for all to work together to enable Afro-Italians to take on a lead role rather than be mere spectators, to break with set patterns and with the current narrative. A lot of noise has been made about the Afroitalian Power Initiative because many have perceived it as a threat. Sadly, minorities speaking up are frightening, black peopleare seen as threatening: this is the reality we live in. But often people don’t want to talk about it, they turn the other way. I don’t stand back. I stand up and talk about it.
Why the emphasis on power, what do you want to achieve?
The word “power” is perhaps intimidating but it simply refers to the ability to do, to act in order to change our reality. We wish to strengthen the social, cultural, economic and political awareness of the African diaspora in Italy. With a network that will reach down to the grassroots offering Afro-Italians the tools, training and knowledge to empower them to reverse their marginalisation.
Within the context of the “ImpresAfrica” initiative, we also invited Afro-Italian entrepreneurs to Modena to present their businesses ranging from the production of creams to textiles, from digital communication to web design. We tried to give them visibility, to get them to share their experiences, highlighting good practices. We aim to continue supporting and accompanying them as this is only the beginning. The Afroitalian Power Initiative offers a powerful vehicle to help Afro-Italians continue the journey together, united not divided.
Is this also a political project?
As part of the Afroitalian Power Initiative we also launched “Afro-Italians on the move”, which represents the political dimension of our initiative. And we concluded our meeting with the drafting of the first Afroitalian Democratic Charter. It is important to talk about rights at a moment like this in which we are witnessing not only the marginalisation of Afro-Italians, but also increasing discrimination and racism. We have come forward, we have come together and we’re building a network starting with concrete actions at the community level while also including the possibility of putting forward political candidates and gaining better knowledge of political tools. We have offered all of this to our community, which far too often disappears within political parties and on the political scene.
What contribution can Afro-Italians make?
Some of those who participated in our meeting in Modena talked about the increasing challenges they face. Others instead are aware of their importance and want to change the narrative by talking about people, beyond the colour of their skin and their nationality. The Afroitalian Power Initiative is seeking among other things to re-evaluate the African diaspora’s historical, social and religious contribution to Italy. We have talked about the participation of African soldiers who fought in World War II and of black historical figures since the Roman Empire. And also of the many black saints whose statues you can find in churches but whose skin colour is often not highlighted so that people don’t even realise. We want to open these people’s eyes to show them what the future looks like beyond the confines of geography, society and the mind.
What are the next steps?
In the next few months we will see where we’ve got to, placing at the heart of what we do, and widely disseminating, the Afroitalian Democratic Charter. The Charter simply includes all our existing rights starting with the Italian Constitution to all the international treaties and conventions of which Italy is a signatory. But often these rights are forgotten, trampled. We are only asking for equality and respect for all regardless of their colour, placing the emphasis on citizenship.
