Does our colour determine who we are?

I remember my first (close) meeting with a black man. Me and my friend were travelling in Malta when a black man spoke to us on the bus to Valletta. He was very kind, communicative and witty. The drive to the Maltese capital passed quickly, as we were chatting about his life in Malta and our journey. I still remember his palms today (I find it very interesting that the hands of a black man - just like ours - are light, pinkish colour), extremely white teeth and large sclera.

When me and my friend spent the spring in Naples, we found Margellina hostel. Upon check-in, they warned us that the hostel was also the first accommodation for migrants who came to Italy. "So, what?" we wondered. We have no problems with black people, and no prejudices to people of other races, so we did not know what the warning is for. When we met some migrants, we realized that the stories the migrants have are different, but one thing is true - migrants face discrimination daily.

Patricia, a multicultural mediator who has been working in this hostel with migrants for two years, told us that the first accommodation for them is here, and all are waiting for the results of the commission. They tell the commission their stories and the reasons why they left their country, and the commission then assesses whether they are entitled to international protection, which can last from two to five years. Margellina hostel offers accommodation to men between the ages of 18 and 34, who according to the law can stay here for up to six months, but because in Italy everything does not work according to the law, some are here for two or three years. This is not good for them, they feel like prisoners, living in small rooms for several years, which causes them a lot of stress.

A team of people (besides Patricia we met other young people working with migrants), teaches Italian to the men because very few people speak English in Italy, especially in the south of the country. If they do not speak Italian, it is very difficult to get a job. Not everyone is motivated to learn Italian, since Italy is only a transit country for many and they want to move to another European country as soon as possible. Guys come from different countries, for example, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, and some from Asian countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In addition to the Italian course, they also organize other workshops, for example, sports activities, book readings, getting to know the history of the city, computer science, learning about legal regulations...

We talked to some migrants. Many are grateful to Italy and staff at the hostel for everything they do. Many are waiting for the results of the commission and are getting tired of living in such conditions. Many of them were "rich people" in their own country - they had everything they needed for a happy life (partner, family, home, work), now they are begging for every cent, and often get rude looks, racist and stereotypical statements on the street.

"It was very difficult to leave Afghanistan, because the war is still going on there. I want to get documents in Italy as soon as possible, this means that I would be able to bring my family from Afghanistan here. I do not know anything about them now, because I cannot contact them, I do not even know if they are still alive. I love Italy, I want to stay here.” Refugee from Afghanistan

"I am not here because of hunger in my country, but because of the political problems and the functioning of the government. In Nigeria I worked as a humanitarian activist. I have a house, a wife, a son, a car there. I left the country because they tried to kill me. I do not like living in Italy. As a black man I find it very difficult to get a job, many people have prejudices against us. See what kind of life I have now because I tried to fight for the rights of people in Nigeria. It hurts me when we beg for money on the street, so we can buy clothes. I was never a beggar at home.” Migrant from Nigeria

"I also come from Nigeria. We came here to be safe, live a peaceful life and be happy, because in our countries we would go crazy because of the problems. We came after something else, a better start, we all have a goal, but it's not that simple. I've been here for two years. I went to the commission, but they rejected me. In Nigeria I went through true hell. When I came here, I was lucky, I thought that everything is fine, but that is not the case. I'm sometimes angry because of discrimination. I do not know why people are like zombies here, excuse the expression. Zombies don't care about you. Many of our people are losing their nerves. At home we lived a good life, but for various reasons we had to leave our country, but here we do not get any documents to be able to live normally again. From one hell, we came to another." Migrant from Nigeria

The stories cut into your heart. Their words hurt. No one was rude to us, many told us their stories with tears in their eyes. New migrants who wanted to share their destiny with us just kept coming. As if they wanted to open their soul and at least for a while heal their pain. All they wanted from us was to spread their message to tell their stories, perhaps break a stereotype.