Amidst calls of corruption and back door deals, one of the few positive notes ringing from the newly installed Italian government is the nomination of a new cabinet minister who represents her African community in Italy, Ms. Cecile Kyenge.
No sooner was she appointed however, that ugly calls for her dismissal and racist rants appeared almost instantly, and not just from the public, but from within the Parliament. In fact the representative of one of the parties that only a short while ago was part of the coalition, said that because of Ms. Kyenge's presence, the new government was a 'bonga bonga government", a racist rant usually heard in the streets.
It was not too long ago, when a very famous African soccer player was booed off the soccer field by racist taunts. Anyone who might think it was an isolated incident, he would be wrong.
In fact, the rising factions of right wing parties and sympathizers have begun a very powerful campaign that focuses on immigrants and people not of the 'white race'.
Calls immediately went out to hold the people responsible to account. An investigation into neo-fascist websites where the words 'Congolese monkey' appeared were the first targeted for investigation.
Kyenge, in fact is an eye surgeon originally from the Congo, and has lived in Italy for three decades. She became active in center-left politics before winning a seat in the lower Chamber of Deputies in February.
Letta's appointment of Kyenge was in fact a move towards inclusion. For a long while now, Italy has been too exclusionary when it comes to politics. Although there is a very large foreign community, none of the immigrant communities were represented. This shined a negative light on the Italian political scene in general. So the move to appoint the first African born politician was hailed as a welcome realization of Italy's need to have their minorities represented.
But whatever goodwill the choice may have created, it was immediately wiped out by the response of the Northern League, a righ wing, secessionist movement that has ruled the north of Italy's politics for almost three decades. In fact, it was Mario Borghezio, a European parliamentarian representing the League who made the 'bonga bonga' slur, together with other scurrilous statementes, such as the fact that Kyenge would "impose tribal traditions" from her native Congo once seated.
Italy in fact, in still in the midst of growing pains. It is the laggard country when it comes to immigration. Most other European countries have had minorities for much longer, and have already learned to adapt for the most part. But Italy's immigration surge is little more than a decade old, and people are still in the throes of 'settlement xenophobia'. And since their economy is in the tank, more and more people are falling prey to xenophobia and blaming immigrants for their country's woes.
Maybe the problem is best portrayed by citing the case of Mario Ballotelli. Mario, who is a world class soccer player, was adopted by Italian parents from his native Ghana. He is to all effects an Italian, by law and by tradition, having being raised from infancy by an Italian family. He has been often taunted on the pitch. Rival fans during a soccer match even displayed a banner saying "Black Italians don't exist".
Balottelli is happy that Kyenge has been nominated. He considers it a great step toward inclusion and understanding.
In the meantime, websites such as "www.ilduce.net" which is a group that worships Mussolini's time, continues to post racial slurs.
Although Italians have long maintained that they were inure to the slighest impulse towards racism, in truth an underlying vein of xenophobia has always been present, according to sociologist Michele Sorice of Rome's Luiss University. So far however, it had been mostly evident in the manifestations and utterances of the Northern League.
This appointment however, has done much to reveal the extent of the problem.
Source: La Repubblica 5.2.13
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