Migrantes, the pandemic does not stop Italians who still choose abroad
In the special dedicated to Covid and the city, the contribution of Marisa Fois, researcher at the University of Geneva
Per restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
The migratory phenomenon of Italians abroad is becoming increasingly complex. Not just a "brain drain", but the protagonists are citizens of all ages and levels of education. On the one hand, highly skilled workers pursuing career prospects, on the other hand those looking for employment in the catering, construction and manufacturing sectors. These are some of the innovations that emerge from the Migrantes Foundation's Italian World Report, an editorial and cultural project of the Church presented today in Rome, which also highlights the difficulties linked to the pandemic. This year, in the special, the themes chosen were Covid and the city and a Sardinian researcher from the University of Geneva, Marisa Fois, also takes care of it.
ITALIANS ABROAD - As of 1 January 2021, the structural community of compatriots residing abroad is made up of 5,652,080 units, 9.5% of the more than 59.2 million Italians residing in Italy.
From Istat data, in the year of Covid our country lost almost 384 thousand residents in its territory while it gained 166 thousand abroad (Aire data): an increase in attendance abroad of 3% in the last year.
BREXIT - The departures of Italians have been limited by the health emergency, but the United Kingdom has registered a real boom, largely linked to the fact that the Brexit rules have brought out the situations of those who resided in the territory without a official registration in the registry. This is the only nation with a positive balance: 8,358 more registrations than in 2020, + 25.1% variation from 2020 which marks an increase, in one year, of 33.5%. Of the over 33,000 registrations in the United Kingdom, 45.8% concern Italians between 18 and 34, 24.5% involve minors and 22% are young adults between 35 and 44 years of age.
IMMIGRANTS IN ITALY - Recent surveys also show that the number of immigrants living in Italy is more or less equal to the Italians living abroad. "Mobility - commented Monsignor Gian Carlo Perego and Don Giovanni De Robertis, respectively president and director of the Migrantes Foundation - has changed Italy and changed Italians and can, with good reason, be considered the most important element of social change , economic, cultural, even religious of Italy in recent decades. Unfortunately, however, mobility has not been sufficiently governed: not only the mobility of Italians in the world, but also that of 'new Italians', migrants arriving for work, for study, for family reunification or for international protection. Migrants are often considered 'those' who 'steal' or 'exploit' something of our wealth ".
WOMEN AND FAMILIES - Sixteen years ago, the Italian women enrolled in Aire were 46.2% (1,435,150 in absolute value), which became 47.8% ten years ago (1,967,563 in absolute value) and, currently, 2,718,678 registrations were recorded, 48.1% of the Aire total.
"A process that is, at the same time, feminization and familiarization", explains Migrantes. According to data from the Central Statistics Office of the Ministry of the Interior updated at the beginning of 2020, out of almost 5.5 million residents abroad, there are 3,223,486 families.
MATTARELLA - The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella sent a message to Migrantes: "The community of Italian descendants in the world is estimated at about one hundred and eighty million people, in addition to the more than six million Italian citizens residing abroad. human, cultural and professional presence of this presence is of inestimable value in the context of that soft-power that allows us to place our country among those whose model of life enjoys the greatest attraction and consideration ".
***
THE INTERVIEW - Among the various contributions, there is also that of Marisa Fois , originally from Busachi, who works at the University of Geneva with a doctorate on North Africa; since 2017 he has collaborated on the “Italians in the world” report.
This year, the special is dedicated to Covid and cities and how Italian communities have experienced migration. Among the 34 realities is Algiers. In this context, four elements were highlighted: “The fact that the coronavirus has increased the sense of community and mutual help - explains the researcher to UnioneSarda.it - also rediscovering the value of volunteering; then new forms of association were born thanks to the use of digital tools and not only at the academic level: the meetings were held online, the exhibitions could be visited without leaving home. In short, life has moved from the real to the virtual ". The other two points were “the reinventing of many professions, such as restaurateurs who have structured the practice of home deliveries and reorganized the spaces. Finally, the strange ubiquity experienced in Algeria ”.
In what sense?
“Italian mobility in this country is long-range and made up of commuters who work in the management, industry or oil sectors. With the pandemic their movements were blocked, Algeria had closed its borders and many were unable to leave. Hence, from North Africa they communicated with Italy, as well as with France. Closed at home they began to experience places differently and to become attached to a country they did not know, so much so that cases of those who then decided to stay are not rare ”.
A different value born of distance?
“More than anything else, the distance experienced as a form of safety. And in this period of health emergency, for example, relationships with family members that they did not hear often before have been re-established ".
How did you make your essay?
“I got in touch with the Italian embassy in Algiers and interviewed 11 Italians. Through their stories I explained how the pandemic has characterized everyday life and outlined the Italian and Algerian point of view ".
How were the Italians perceived by the Algerians?
“Positively and with strong solidarity. The first case of ascertained positivity concerned an Italian who also came from the 'red zone', the province of Lodi, and worked at an oil site in the southern part of Algeria. But the Italians have never been seen as smearers and, indeed, the fact that the positive was immediately isolated did not affect the perception of fellow countrymen. Given that the first serious 'bubble' occurred in Blida and was linked to travel and exchanges with France, this gave rise to the outbreak of anti-French sentiment, so much so that 'memes' were circulating online about the fact that there was a 'luxury' version of Covid, that is 'made in Italy', ironically ".
Were there also any Sardinians among the interviewees?
“Sardinian yes but second generation: Agostino Mulas, who was born in Madrid of Sardinian parents and works in Algeria as an official of UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He explained to me that the main concern has been to ensure that all refugees in the camp for which he is responsible are in good health. Then limit the meetings, also increasing the telephone lines to prevent people from showing up in the offices. Finally, technology has helped them privately, for example, he told me that they celebrated his mother's 90th birthday on the Internet ".
Were there any Italian victims of Covid?
“In 2021 one person. This is a known case because the embassy followed the procedure for the return of the remains to Italy, but it cannot be excluded that there were others who, perhaps, had dual citizenship ".
