Malaga meeting 24-28 March 2014Liceo “Augusto” contribution

• Immigrants form over 10 % of inhabitants in Rome and outlying areas.

• The majority are female and from European countries.

• 22.7 % of immigrants come from Asia, 13 % from Latin America, 12.8 % from Africa. Immigrants from central and eastern Europe are the largest group.

• Of a total 181 nationalities, 22.3 % are Romanian, 9.1 % Filippino, and 6 % are Polish.

• Children form 19.4 % of immigrants living in the Rome area and 6.7 % of schoolchildren.

• More immigrant children are enrolled in senior schools than junior or elementary schools and more attend “Licei” than technical and professional institutes.

• Immigrants make up 10 % of workers and are playing an important role in the economy of the capital.

• Most immigrants are employed as home helps, in the hotel and restaurant trade and in the building sector.

• There were also 12,739 immigrant business owners and 4,384 in 2007. Around half were shopkeepers, and one-quarter were builders.

(adnkronos: A report from Caritas, 2014.)

• The Islamic Cultural Center was created in 1966.

• The Great Mosque of Rome was built by an Italian architect, Paolo Portoghesi.

• The idea was to create a place of worship for all the Muslim immigrants in Italy.

• Rome is a perfect example of peaceful co-existence between different religions.

• It is the center of the Catholic religion, with St. Peter’s Basilica.

• The Jewish religion, with the oldest Jewish community in the world and

• The Muslim have their Mosque.• It’s a model to export all of over

Europe.• We interview Mr. Redouane, the

Secretary General of the Islamic Cultural Center .

• Yu Ruijue was born in Rui'an, in China, • She moved in Italy when she was only 3. • She attended Liceo “Augusto” high

school. • She is now studying electronic

Engineering at University.

• She told us about the weight of the double identity she has carried with her since she was a little girl.

• It turned out to be a great resource, also thanks to her friends.

• They helped her to find a balance between her two worlds.

• Her dream is to go back to China to visit her relatives.

• She wants to spend her life and to make a career in Europe .

• They arrived in Europe in 14th century and were abused and persecuted from the beginning.

• The first community came to Italy in 1422. • There are about 200.000 gypsies.• 70.000 of them are Sinti and live in nomad

camps. • 10.000 Sinti live in Rome or nearby.• Interviewing the psychologist of the

association “Opera Nomadi Nazionale” we got to know some features of their culture.

• They are not able to plan out their future: they live “here and now”.

• They hate repetitive work.• In “Romanes” the word WORK doesn’t exist.

The word THING indicates the result of work and not the work itself.

• The head of a gypsy family is always a man.• In Sinti clans also women have a big

influence in decision making• Their importance is in proportion to the

number of children they give birth to. • In Rom‘s clans, instead, women are

submissive to their husbands.

One of the places which represents the most Rome’s multiethnic nature is the new market on Esquilino hill, near Piazza Vittorio. Originally, it was an open space market which used to occupy almost the entire surface of Piazza

Vittorio. In 2001, it has been moved to a nearby closed area, where it’s kept cleaner than before. It was - and still is - the meeting point for all non European people. On its stands you can find products from all over the world, customers are both non-Europeans looking for the flavours that characterize their home country and even Italians eager to try some new food. Thus, the market is the place which favours multicultural exchange and interaction here in Rome.