Before October 2 of this year, very few Italians knew the history of Riace, a village in the Calabrian Locride. However, since that date Riace and its mayor, Domenico Lucano, have become well known to everyone, hence we speak now about “Riace Model”.
On that date, the first citizen was arrested on charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration, undue enrichment to the detriment of the Treasury and other charges – all rejected, except for that of contributing and abetting immigration, by the judge for preliminary investigations, who then decided to apply the measure of house arrest.
On October 17, the Court of Re-examination, brought before the Public Prosecutor’s Office in an attempt to overturn judge for preliminary investigations’ conclusions, revokes the precautionary measure for Mr. Lucano. Nevertheless, the latter had to leave Riace but the night of the decision, he slept in his car just outside Riace to symbolize his willingness to stay and fight until the end for defending a project in which he has always believed.
At the moment, while we are still waiting for the Court of Re-examination to rule on the merits, several demonstrations supporting Mr. Lucano are taking place, including leading figures from every sector: from the world of music to the world of literature, from the world of cinema to the world of theatre. Among them, Vittorio Sgarbi who, as mayor of Sutri, on the eve of the first month after Lucano’s arrest, decided to give him honorary citizenship of the city.
Creation and development of “Riace model”
In the summer of 1998 Domenico Lucano worked as a laboratory technician in a school for 23 years already. However, that summer, something new and completely unexpected was about to happen. On the coast near Riace a ship of refugees, especially Kurds, docked with 800 men, women and children.
At that time the SPRAR (Italian acronym for “Protection system for asylum seekers and refugees) did not yet exist. Riace was a small village with only 400 elderly people because the rest of the population has emigrated in search of job opportunities. Indeed, nothing there was left to witness the rich history of craftsmanship and the flourishing and smiling life that once animated the village.
For these reasons Mr. Lucano, taking inspiration from the social model outlined by Peppino Impastato for Cinisi (which he has never completed because he was killed by the mafia) started with what today is recognized as “Riace Model”.
This definition is not well accepted by the same first citizen, who claims that in this way it seems that we are talking about a precise and studied scheme, like a strategy. However, all the results achieved with this approach are moved by the most total spontaneity. Therefore, we will continue to call it Riace Model just for narrative practical reasons.
What exactly does this “Riace Model” consist of?
First of all, the first emergency that had to be dealt with was related to housing – because, as mentioned above, the SPRAR system did not yet exist, this protection system will be established in 2002.
Domenico Lucano, although not yet mayor, had noticed that in Riace there were many abandoned houses that could be reused with appropriate restorations. Therefore, he proposed to relocate the migrants in these structures and to entrust them with the works. The citizens did not oppose and so Riace has gradually been repopulated, reducing the tendency to abandon the village by its original inhabitants. For the first four years the ambitious integration project, carried out by the one who immediately after became the mayor of the village, has not been supported by any state contributions. For this reason, Riace inhabitants had to carry out it as they could.
The need to be self-sufficient meant that the old cellars of the village, abandoned long ago, were reopened and assigned to migrants who transformed them into multi-ethnic craft workshops. From the craft sector, the catering and the tertiary sector have begun to flourish, too. The involvement of the migrants in these activities, together with the strong support of Riace’s inhabitants, the integration took place in a very short time. The same citizens were finally very satisfied and enthusiastic about the presence of migrants in their territory which, without them, Riace would have soon disappeared.
The first arrival in 1998 was followed by many others, and although many of the migrants who arrived in the Calabrian village continued their journey around Italy, many of them chose to stay and settle in Riace. There, several initiatives have been created with the aim to avoid dangerous social divergences among the different cultures, such as multiethnic nurseries and medical laboratories with ad hoc trained staff.
As a result, in 2015, out of 1,600 inhabitants Riace hosted over 700 asylum seekers perfectly blended into the social fabric. Since 2015, the number has decreased due to increasing pressure on both social and political levels, but it still remains a village where at least 20 different ethnic groups coexist, creating a picturesque global community that is celebrated both nationally and internationally. For instance, support has been expressed by the UN through its special envoy for the Mediterranean, Vincent Cochetel; by the former Minister for Integration, Cécilie Kyenge; by journalists such as Gad Lerner and Ida Dominijani; and by leading newspapers such as Internazionale and the BBC; from mayors of various cities, such as Ferrara, Naples and Lecce; from showmen, such as Giuseppe Fiorello, Cecilia Strada and Alessandro Gassman. The latter expressed their solidarity with the first citizen of the Calabrian village on social issues, adhering to the campaign #iostoconmimmo. Members of the European Parliament have also been actively engaged in it.
The success of the experiment carried out in this small Calabrian village has gone around the world and has given birth to a new type of tourism, never seen before in Italy. The so-called solidarity tourism consists in visiting the village and its multi-ethnic craft workshops, having the possibility to stay in one of the renovated houses in the city center, sharing the time with those who live there.
Mr. Lucano – for which Fortune magazine has included him in the list of 50 people who can actually contribute to changing the world – was interviewed by Fabio Fazio and he said that, with his suspension from office and the blocking of public funding, Riace system risks definitely collapsing. In a short time, all the structures built in the name of that model of integration, outlined by international humanitarian law and respectful of the needs of local communities, are destined to disappear. As consequence, the solidarity tourism, as one of the sources of income for the village, will also have an end.
The first citizen, while respecting procedural delays, asks that at least statal funds, used by Riace for services already rendered and which have been suspended following his arrest, be returned. According to Mr. Lucano, once having obtained the money he is entitled to, Riace could also go back to the origins of the project, producing what is necessary for the survival of its citizens, but relying on the international support. This is why, in Lucano’s own words, “it is not possible that this society of barbarity, of dehumanization, should prevail. Our effort is to build a new civilization, in which fraternity and normality prevails (…..) But isn’t it normal to have an impulse of human sensitivity when there is someone who asks you for help?”
In this article, it has been voluntarily chosen not to enter into the merits of the judicial case because it is still in progress and we believe that any comment is completely out of place, since the exact content of the procedural documents cannot be known. For any questions and requests for further information on the subject, you can contact us at our e-mail address and we will welcome your requests and doubts.
Ultimately, “Riace model” has its lights and shadows, as it normally happens in all cases where something radically and intrinsically new begins and it has proved to be the most effective so far, so much so that it is celebrated both by humanitarian organizations of the caliber of the UN and by various local institutions, experts in the field and even a magazine dedicated to global business as Fortune (a sign that Mr. Lucano’s projectis a winning model also from an economic point of view). Concluding with the words of its mayor: “if it was possible in Riace, which is one of the most depressed countries in Italy, it can be possible everywhere”.
Finally, if you want to know more about our reception system you can read our articles about the first phase and the second phase!
