Civil Words opens "Civil Testimonies" with an interview with Ariella Tellini, born in Rijeka and forced to flee with her family. Ariella generously shares her experience, providing firsthand accounts of the events, the reception in Italy, and the living conditions in the refugee camp in Lucca. She then explores commonalities with today's migrants, reiterating the need for a more humane, yet attentive, reception.
A huge thank you to Ariella Tellini for this gift of Memory, for her openness and her immense heart, a truly special person who looks at life with faith, generosity, and hope despite the suffering and scars this traumatic historical event has caused.
“We escaped at night on a truck and went to Udine, leaving our home [in Rijeka]. Then from Udine they sent us to Lucca, on a train full of families and children […]”
The welcome given to the displaced by Italians was based on chants of "the fascists are coming" and speeches of discrimination and hatred, without considering that the people then crowded into refugee camps had arrived there losing everything, without considering the numerous traits that Italian citizens have in common with the displaced, first and foremost the language.
It's possible to note a similarity with the reasoning and treatment often reserved by public opinion towards migrants today; a similarity that both past and present share, but at the same time underscores how little has changed in our concept of borders, in our relationships with others, and in our capacity for empathy with people in difficulty.