Jomahe

Sono nata e cresciuta a Guayaquil in Ecuador. Appena arrivata in Italia ho subito pensato a tutto quello che abbandonavo del mio paese e che di sicuro non pensavo di trovare in Italia. Con il passare del tempo, e anche grazie alle esperienze fatte con le passeggiate di Migrantour Napoli, ho capito che il riavvicinarmi alle mie terre era possibile anche stando qui. Che un pezzo di quel che avevo lasciato, vive anche a Napoli e in Italia. Ho trovato molti punti in comune con il mio paese. Dal punto di vista religioso, ad esempio, una delle tappe di Migrantour Napoli è la Piazza del Carmine, sfondo di una delle basiliche più belle e maestose di Napoli: la Basilica santuario di Santa Maria del Carmine. Il popolo napoletano è solito usare l’esclamazione “Mamma d’o Carmene” proprio per indicare lo stretto legame con la Madonna della Chiesa, un’esclamazione che, nonostante gli anni, non riesco ancora a pronunciare bene. E proprio alla visione di questa Chiesa e al suono del suo nome che, ogni volta, mi tornano in mente le danze in costume che accompagnano la  Virgin del Carmen o Mamacha Carmen, la nostra adorata vergine, durante la processione per le piazze principali e le strade della città.

Semhar

Mi chiamo Semhar; sono nata e cresciuta ad Asmara, in Eritrea. Sono arrivata in Italia per motivi di studio e vivo a Bologna da 15 anni. Faccio la mediatrice interculturale, un lavoro che ho scelto di fare perché molto interessata ai temi della migrazione ma soprattutto all’interculturalità. Mi sento figlia adottiva di Bologna, una città che amo quasi quanto la mia città natale e Migrantour mi permette di conoscere meglio e far conoscere la mia città secondo diversi punti di vista, creando punti d’incontro tra varie culture e religioni.

Karima

My name is Karimaand, I was born in Turin. My family is a mix of different cultures. My mum was born in Cerignola, in the province of Foggia (Puglia region, south of Italy) and her parents used to sell fruits and vegetables. In 1961, my large maternal family, including seven daughters, arrived in Turin, in the Falchera neighborhood, having many of the difficulties experienced back then by those who migrated from southern Italy. After many sacrifices, being shopkeepers and being in touch with the people from the neighborhood, they have managed to create very strong relationships with the community. Today, almost everybody knows my family in Falchera.

My dad is Tunisian. As a child he lived in  district of Sicilian fishermen and has always been in touch with different cultures (Italian, French, Arabian). He  came to Italy 31 years ago and fell in love with my mum and Turin. My parents’ encounter and their mutual respect in knowing and discovering the other’s culture have allowed me being open with other people, different cultures and religions.

I am currently collaborating in the “Almeno una stella” (“At least a star”) project in Turin Intercultural Center, where I support foreign kids and youngsters, including those who have just arrived in Italy, in their studies and spare time.

Lenin – Migrantour Valencia – Orriols

My name is Lenin and I am from Bolivia. I arrived in 2013 with a scholarship of social and agriculture for an undergraduate degree. My occupation is studying and visiting rural enterprises and their products (truffles, honey, wine…).

Being an intercultural migrant guide is an opportunity to understand the cultural diversity of the neighborhood and the city that hosts it. This project helps me understand the different thoughts, cultures and visions to disseminate them and value them.

I think this project, Migrantour, helps to reflect and appreciate the different cultures that make up the city.

Haswell

 I am Haswell Beni from Malawi. Malawi means sparks of campfire. I am a missionary teacher. I’m married to one-wife and I have two children.

Italy is where my wife comes from therefore I love Italy. I love Florence because it is my home away from home. I am proud to be a guide in Mygrantour project of Florence because it is giving me and other immigrants a vision and power to be protagonists in our intercultural society. Mygrantour has an intelligent way of integrating immigrants who love where they live. I am happy to show and share with others the present intercultural beauty of Florence.

Adriana

My name is Adriana and I am Italo-Colombian, born in Bogotà, Colombia, and brought up there until I was 10, the age when I moved to Turin. My paternal grandfather was from a small village near to Lecco and emigrated to Colombia during the second world war. I study law at the University of Turin. I believe interculture is a wonderful opportunity because it enables you to get closer to cultures and ways of life that are completely different from one another but just as fascinating and exciting to discover. I am passionate about languages, music and dance. Turin? I think it is a beautiful city because it is not just about industry or business but also about nature, parks, people, environments… Porta Palazzo and San Salvario are two neighbourhoods I go to: Porta Palazzo is home to the largest (and in my opinion, most affordable) market in Europe; and San Salvario is the “hub” for the bulk of Latin American restaurants, delis, food shops, and associations… where I’m headed to rather often.

Feng Mei

My name is Feng Mei, I was born in China in 1980 and in the 90s I emigrated to Italy with my family. I have always lived in Turin: it is a city that I know quite well, from its history, to the streets that characterise it, to the places I go in my free time – the parks, the libraries, the communal spaces, the piazzas and markets. Porta Palazzo is Turin’s market and the place where I find a bit of my faraway home, with shops that can provide me with familiar items and foods. At the same time, this piazza is a market of the world that offers opportunities for meeting and exchange, for discovering new scents, flavours and sounds. Porta Palazzo is a place for getting to know a culture that is thoroughly Italian, for encountering a smile, hurried perhaps, but all the sweeter for being found in the course of an ordinary activity like shopping!

Martha

My name is Martha, I am Peruvian, and I come from the heart of the Inca civilization: CUSCO. My parents and my whole family are Peruvian (I am still working on my husband’s transformation!). I completed a Master’s in Management and Tourism at the Cusco University of San Antonio and I worked in hotels and travel agencies until I started working as a tourist guide. I consider Turin not just an arrival point but a good starting point for my life; I owe a lot to the city that has always reached out and welcomed me. I lived initially in the neighbourhood of San Salvario but I considered the Turin Cathedral and the market of Porta Palazzo my favourite refuge: I don’t think there is a single migrant that has not seen or passed through this area at one time or other. I could find people from my own country and from others and they would keep me company in those days. It was not loneliness but an immense nostalgia for eating Peruvian food. It was difficult to prepare my traditional dishes but fortunately today there are many shops – so all that’s left to say is, “what are we having today?”. For this reason, I believe Turin is the finest city, because the world is here at your fingertips!

Daniela

My Italian story started almost 8 years ago when I chose to leave my beautiful country (Romania) and start out on my own into an unknown world, in discovery of tomorrow. I started off working on cruise ships so as to be able to explore the world and then in 2006, I decided that that voyage had to finish in order to begin building something more significant. I settled in Turin where I started a new life working as a waitress. The beauty and richness of the city encouraged me to find out more about its history and culture, its food and much besides, until I came to feel I was part of it all. After having completed a qualification course to be a Turin and Provincial Tourist Guide and passed the final exam, I changed profession. Today I am able to share my passion with all those who come to visit and discover multi-ethnic Turin. I am a new Torinese like many other people from different backgrounds and cultures who have arrived from all across the world and are united by the streets of the same city.

Rosina

I am Italian-Peruvian: with a Calabrian Dad and a Peruvian Mum. Since I’ve been able to remember, thanks to my parents’ work, I have been surrounded by different cultures and languages. Africa and Latin America were key places of influence, even though my emotionally formative memories are of South Italy and Peru. Peru is especially important as, for study reasons, my trips to that part of the world are ever more frequent. For several years now, I have been involved in archaeological research projects in various areas of Peru. I love living in Turin, the city where I was born, even if I would happily split my time between Italy and Peru: 6 months here; 6 months there. I’ve seen Turin change over time and become a meeting place for many cultures. There was a time when I would go to the fresh produce stalls to find Peruvian products, then the Asian markets stalls of Porta Palazzo opened up and were genuine treasure troves of goods from across the world. Now in San Salvario and across various parts of Turin I can find a corner of Peru: if I feel like chicha morada, cebiche or picarones, I can easily find them.

Marta

My name is Malgorzata, or Marta. I was born in Poland back in 1964 and I’ve been living in Italy for a good 28 years. I graduated at the Institute of Modern Languages and Literatures in Milan in 1995. I live with my family in a small town outside Rome. I have two children that are still in education. In the last ten years, I have worked as a cultural mediator for different public and private bodies in the Lazio Region. I am curious about many things such as natural medicine and the use of spices in cooking, but also modern and contemporary art.

Mariela

My name is Mariela. I was born in the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. I study Economics of Tourism at Bicocca University. One of my passions is discovering the beauty of new places, something the “Belpaese” has in abundance.
My favourite hobbies are singing, going for bike rides, or long walks while listening to music.
My big adventure in Milan started four years ago when I decided to come to Italy with my mother to work. From the first day in Milan, I fell in love with its splendid architecture and delicious food.