Events
23 Feb 2017
Presentation/Reading
An evening on migration to Europe and those who do not make it here
Jamaluddin Sajjadi, Morteza Khaleghi and Elvis Dona
7 pm, PresentationJamaluddin Sajjadi, Morteza Khaleghi: #everydaygolshahr
#everydaygolshahr is a visual documentation of the everyday life of refugees, by the refugees themselves. Golshar, a working-class neighbourhood of the city of Mashhad, is the largest Afghan refugee settlement in Iran and has a good 35,000 inhabitants. Before #everydaygolshahr began to post photos on Instagram in Spring 2015, there was already a pioneer initiative on Viber, a popular app in the Middle East. According to the UN, up to two million Afghan refugees live in Iran: some are second or third generation, stateless and have no residency rights. These refugees were only recently granted twelve month residence visas. This means they can work but not acquire property and not even purchase a SIM card in their own name. Weddings must be certified by an Afghan Consulate.
8.30 pm, Reading
Elvis Dona: Io Elvis, immigrato albanese
With an introduction by Francesco Petri, Professor of Art History
Elvis Dona (born 1985 in Rrëshen, Albania) is currently studying Sculpture at the l’Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. He previously completed his secondary school education at the Liceo Artistico Leon Battista Alberti.
Elvis Dona came to Italy from Valona in southern Albania and ended up in the forensic psychiatry clinic. In his recently published book (PortoSeguroEditore, 2016), he tells of his Albanian homeland, the adventurous journey to Italy and the difficulties of so-called integration. His testimony also takes a look at the deficits and positive sides of the culture of welcome in Italy.
