Wednesday 14 December 2011
Monday 5 December 2011
Monday 24 October 2011
Che cosa ha detto il Corano sulla morte e sepoltura ?
LA SALMA RESTA INSEPOLTA, SPORCA DI SANGUE, IMPOLVERATA
In coda per il corpo di Gheddafi
nella cella frigorifera del mercato
Bambini e feriti con le stampelle si accalcano attorno al cadavere. Ora l'Onu vuole aprire un'inchiesta
 |
| Il corpo di Muammar Gheddafi (Ansa) |
Non è strano che ora le Nazioni Unite intendano avviare un'inchiesta. «Ci sono due video - ha detto il portavoce dell'Alto Commissario ai diritti umani -. Uno che lo mostra vivo e uno che lo mostra morto. E ci sono quattro o cinque versioni diverse su cosa è accaduto fra quei due video».
Ma c'è un problema aggiuntivo per i dirigenti della rivoluzione in Libia: non riescono a mettersi d'accordo tra loro sulle modalità della sepoltura. Difficoltà che mettono l'accento sulle potenziali lacerazioni politiche del futuro. Se non sono in grado di trovare l'unanimità in questo momento di gioia per la vittoria e la fine del dittatore, cosa faranno quando dovranno decidere le sorti del Paese?
Il risultato immediato è che il cadavere di Gheddafi resta insepolto, sporco di sangue, impolverato, adagiato su di un materasso da quattro soldi in una cella frigorifera del «Mercato africano», un complesso di palazzine e baracche dove prima si vendeva la carne alla periferia di Misurata. Lo abbiamo visto senza difficoltà ieri nel primo pomeriggio. «Giornalisti? Benvenuti! Venite a vedere i resti del criminale. Dite al mondo che abbiamo vinto», esclamano felici i guerriglieri di guardia ai cancelli. Per una volta, anche i più religiosi dalla barba folta arrivati direttamente dalle brigate della Cirenaica legate al fronte del fondamentalismo non si scompongono se si ricorda loro che per la legge coranica un morto va seppellito entro le prime 24 ore dal decesso.
Ma c'è un problema aggiuntivo per i dirigenti della rivoluzione in Libia: non riescono a mettersi d'accordo tra loro sulle modalità della sepoltura. Difficoltà che mettono l'accento sulle potenziali lacerazioni politiche del futuro. Se non sono in grado di trovare l'unanimità in questo momento di gioia per la vittoria e la fine del dittatore, cosa faranno quando dovranno decidere le sorti del Paese?
Il risultato immediato è che il cadavere di Gheddafi resta insepolto, sporco di sangue, impolverato, adagiato su di un materasso da quattro soldi in una cella frigorifera del «Mercato africano», un complesso di palazzine e baracche dove prima si vendeva la carne alla periferia di Misurata. Lo abbiamo visto senza difficoltà ieri nel primo pomeriggio. «Giornalisti? Benvenuti! Venite a vedere i resti del criminale. Dite al mondo che abbiamo vinto», esclamano felici i guerriglieri di guardia ai cancelli. Per una volta, anche i più religiosi dalla barba folta arrivati direttamente dalle brigate della Cirenaica legate al fronte del fondamentalismo non si scompongono se si ricorda loro che per la legge coranica un morto va seppellito entro le prime 24 ore dal decesso.
 |
| In coda per vedere il cadaver del Raìs (Reuters) |
Davanti ai cancelli stanno in coda centinaia di persone. Per lo più ragazzi giovani e giovanissimi. «Vengo a vedere Muammar», dice un bambino di 8 anni arrivato con i fratelli più grandi. Ci sono numerosi guerriglieri appena arrivati dagli scacchieri di battaglia a Bani Walid e Sirte. Tanti hanno perso amici e parenti negli scontri degli ultimi mesi. I più rabbiosi sono i feriti. Abbiamo visto alcuni con le stampelle, senza gambe, farsi accompagnare a pochi centimetri dal volto di Gheddafi. E restare a rimirarlo a lungo, silenziosi, quasi increduli che l'uomo alla guida della Libia per 42 anni (molti non hanno conosciuto altro che la dittatura di Gheddafi) sia davvero quel fagotto insanguinato. «Sembra improvvisamente rimpicciolito. Quasi un piccolo pupazzo. Mi sembrava molto più alto da vivo», dice un giovane in carrozzella. E' un commento molto diffuso. Il corpo del dittatore ucciso appare ridotto, rinsecchito. A guardalo nei dettagli ha le unghie curate, la barba rasata attorno al pizzo sul mento. Sino alle ultime ore prima della fine Gheddafi ha cercato di tenersi in ordine. Ce lo mostrano a torso nudo: coperto di tagli e ferite, sembra avere un paio di colpi d'arma da fuoco in entrata all'addome. Soprattutto ha diversi segni di tumefazione e gonfiori. Un paio di laceri pantaloni militari pendono dalla vita e si fermano alle caviglie.
Tutto diverso dal cadavere del figlio Mutassim. Lo abbiamo visto in mattinata nel container frigorifero di «campo Abad», una zona industriale posta circa a 5 chilometri di distanza dal «Mercato Africano». Nei due container vicini stanno accatastate carcasse di pecore e montoni. «Abbiamo separato Mutassim dal padre per evitare che ci fosse troppa confusione tra i visitatori», spiega il proprietario del complesso, Najmi Omar. Il corpo di Mutassim sembra comunque meno danneggiato. Alla gola mostra il foro di entrata di un proiettile sparato a bruciapelo. Un'esecuzione vera e propria. E il lobo destro del cervello è stato chiaramente sfondato, la mandibola dislocata, diversi denti rotti. Almeno altri due proiettili lo hanno colpito nella zona dello stomaco. Ma per entrambi, padre e figlio, non ci sono referti medici. «Probabilmente effettueremo le autopsie nelle prossime ore», ha detto ai giornalisti Othman al-Zintani, medico all'obitorio dell'ospedale locale.
Ma che fare di loro? Da Tripoli il premier ad interim Mahmoud Jibril va ripetendo che la «questione non era mai stata affrontata prima» e troveranno «una risposta nelle prossime ore». Il ministro del petrolio, il laicissimo ex docente di economia negli Stati Uniti Ali Tarhouni, dichiara invece alla stampa che «importa poco se Gheddafi se ne resterà ancora in frigorifero per qualche giorno, l'importante è che tutti lo possano vedere». A Misurata i responsabili militari spiegano invece che stanno trattando con alcuni influenti capi della tribù Qadafi a Sirte per consegnare i cadaveri. «La nostra paura è che troppa pubblicità al luogo di sepoltura possa spingere qualche vittima del regime a fare scempio dei corpi per vendetta», dicono. Non manca ovviamente il timore opposto, e cioè che qualche fedelissimo del Colonnello cerchi di trasformare la tomba in mausoleo della contro-rivoluzione. Oggi i massimi dirigenti del nuovo corso si riuniranno a Bengasi per annunciare ufficialmente la «liberazione nazionale» e l'avvio del processo democratico. Non è detto che in questa sede non vengano anche definite le modalità delle sepolture.
Lorenzo Cremonesi
22 ottobre 2011 08:59© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA
22 ottobre 2011 08:59© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA
Tuesday 4 October 2011
Wednesday 28 September 2011
THE DESTRUCTION OF SIRTE.......
HUNTING FOR GHEDDAFI:
THE DESTRUCTION IF SIRTE (Libya) AND ITS INHABITANTS VERY LEGITMATE?
Wednesday 7 September 2011
JUSTIN WNADJA
06/02/2011 - Bisogno di vivere
Un giorno della scorsa primavera, Justin è tornato a casa dicendomi che, da un controllo di routine prima di un banale intervento di vene varicose, i medici hanno visto "un'ombra ai polmoni". Si trattava di linfonodi del mediastino ingrossati. La diagnosi, avuta dopo qualche settimana, è stata di linfoma non-Hodgkin a cellule T periferiche NOS. Una brutta bestia. Al centro ematologico di Tor Vergata (Roma) ci hanno subito detto che sarebbe stato necessario un trapianto di midollo osseo da donatore per avere una speranza di guarigione. E i primi candidati donatori sono i fratelli germani di Justin, tutti residenti in Camerun. Nel frattempo si sarebbe fatta della chemioterapia allo scopo di ridurre il tumore e aumentare le possibilità di successo del trapianto.
Justin ha appena completato il settimo ciclo di chemioterapia, che speriamo riesca infine a portare a una remissione completa o quasi. Intanto i fratelli di Justin stanno facendo i loro passaporti e le pratiche per ottenere il visto di ingresso. A Roma verranno sottoposti a tipizzazione HLA e, se si troverà un donatore compatibile (vi è una probabilità del 25% per ogni fratello), si procederà al trapianto. Questi interventi ospedalieri sono gratuiti, ma sono a nostro carico tutte le spese burocratiche, di viaggio e soggiorno dei cinque fratelli. Abbiamo ricevuto molta solidarietà concreta da familiari e amici, ma occorrono altri fondi per far fronte a tutte le necessità.
Per questo ho deciso di scrivere questo articolo chiedendo un contributo, in cambio di una copia di una raccolta di poesie scritte da Justin e pubblicate nel 2004, in occasione della morte per AIDS di una nostra cognata. All'epoca la pubblicazione ha sostenuto una raccolta fondi in favore di un'associazione del Camerun attiva nella lotta contro l'epidemia di AIDS. Oggi abbiamo ancora diverse copie del libro, intitolato "Bisogno di vivere". Questa è la retrocopertina:
Un grazie in anticipo da Alessandra e Justin.
(1) La venuta di Jean è in dubbio. Ha una patologia che gli impedirebbe di donare il midollo
Saturday 3 September 2011
Blacks in Libya Face Danger From Rebels ....Hunting Black People in Libya
Blacks in Libya Face Danger From Rebels
By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS
Another just asked me: “Will they shoot us? Please tell me Sir. Will they shoot us?”
Herded into a corner, a gunman started slapping them. We asked him to stop.
“They are with Gaddafi. We know this. They had guns.”
“Show me the guns,” I said.
No guns arrived. Some of the men crossed themselves, sweating, praying. One began weeping softly.
Mr. Thomson said the men eventually led the rebels to “their women” who were hiding in the bush nearby. Satisfied that they would not have brought their wives to fight in the war, the rebels let them go.
“To be a black African in the wrong part of town at the wrong time,” Mr. Thomson concluded, “is to be in a very frightening place.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/blacks-in-libya-face-danger-from-rebels/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season: Hunting Black People in Libya
Black Star News, Letter To The Editor
August 30, 2011
A writer says rebels commit Ku Klux Klan type atrocities against Black people in Libya
Media habitually tells us that Libyan rebels are noble freedom fighters, struggling aganist a bloodthirsty tyrant. But after all the buckets of half-truths and blatant lies, that news poured on our heads, treating us
viewers like brainless sheep and feeding us half-baked reports that often got disproved the next day, some of us started to look further and investigate.
What they found out, is extremely disturbing. Say, from the very beginning of war we've been hearing reports about "Gaddafi's black mercenaries". We even saw photos and videos of several people that,
supposedly, were these mercenaries. But the whole truth is much more complicated - and scary.
Yes, there indeed are several divisions of black Africans and citizens of Chad in the army of Libya, that is formed on the principle of territorial militia. But they can hardly be considered mercenaries - not
more than French Foreign Legion or non-American citizens in US Army. In general, the status of black men of Libyan army's various units is civil servants.
In a country with 6 million inhabitants, one third are black (the most oppressed group in the country). Would not it be easier for the rebels to call for their solidarity and ask them join the rebel ranks? But not
only black Libyans do not join the rebellion - they flee in terror.
The first wave of reports and evidence of beatings of black Africans began in February and March. The rebels, under the trademark of fighting with the mercenaries from Chad, were slaughtering all black people with no mercy. They even started to post various Youtube videos with their actions filmed
The victim was the Libyan citizen Hisham Mansour, born 22-02-1983. Back in early March, the Human Rights Watch even warned black migrant workers on the need to flee the revolutionary terrain.
"We left behind our friends from Chad. We left behind their bodies. We had 70 or 80 people from Chad working for our company. They cut them dead with pruning shears and axes, attacking them, saying you're providing troops for Gaddafi. The Sudanese, the Chadians were massacred. We saw it ourselves. I am a worker, not a fighter. They took me from my house and [raped] my wife", - a Turkish oilfield worker, who fled Libya, told BBC in February 25.
One of the editors of the Monthly Review, Yoshie Furuhashi, writes:
"The black African workers now live in fear in the territories held by the rebels in Libya. Some have been attacked by mobs, some have been imprisoned and some of their houses and shops have been torched. Many African workers say they felt safer under the regime of Gaddafi".
In March, a reporter from the Daily Mail was in Benghazi and reported:
"Africans I saw ranged from a 20 year old and a late forties, with a grizzled beard. Most wore casual clothes. When they realized that I spoke English erupted in protests. "We did nothing," one told me, before he was silenced. "We are all construction workers in Ghana. Do not harm anyone. "
Another accused, a man in green overalls, showed the paint on their sleeves and said: "This is my job. I do not know how to shoot a gun "
Abdul Nasser, 47, protested: "They lie about us. They took us out of our house at night when we were asleep. " While still complaining, they were taken.
International Business Times published an article on March 2 that says:
"According to reports, over 150 black Africans at least a dozen different countries escaped from Libya by plane and landed at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya, with horrific stories of violence."
"We were attacked by locals who said they were mercenaries who killed people. I mean blacks who refused to see "Julius told Reuters Kiluu, a construction supervisor for 60 years.
Michel Collon with a fact-finding delegation were in Libya in July and when he learned what had happened, he said:
"I met these people during my research in Tripoli. I could talk to some people. They were not "mercenaries," as the rebels and the media tell. Some were dark-skinned Libyans (much of the population is of African type, in fact), others were black civilians from African countries whostayed in Libya for a long time. All support Gaddafi precisely because he opposes to racism and treats them as Arabs and Africans on an equal footing. On the contrary, the rebels in Benghazi are known for their racism, and blacks were victims of terrible systematic atrocities. The paradox is that NATO wants to bring democracy to a section of Al Qaeda and Libyan Ku Klux Klan-type racists".
Here's another footage, with English explanations given.
After the rebels entered Tripoli, numerous reports of black men being killed appeared again. Twitter explodes with rebels' messages about killing "African mercenaries". In the chaos of embattled Tripoli, black people are being simply seized from the streets and taken somewhere openly.
On the photo above we can see that the lying people's hands are tied with plastic handcuffs and their clothes are relatively clean. This means these people were captured not after a fight, but deliberately.
The Colonel was being building good relations with the south of Africa. NATO plan of destabilizing Libya might as well include having the black Africans turning away from this country forever, using contempt and xenophobia of the rebels as a driving force of the persecution. After all, lynching black people simply for being in Africa sounds ridiculous.
But results are pretty much of the same racist kind, and they are not funny at all.
Editor's Note: When the atrocities are finally documented, the corporate media that ignored ethnic cleansing of Black people will bear the stain of culpability. The Wall Street Journal reported on what amounts to ethnic cleansing of Black Libyans by the "Brigade for Purging Slaves, black skin," on June 21, 2011. The newspaper has not revisited that story, which was ignored by major media such as CNN and The New York Times at the time the Journal reported it, probably because they believed it would "tarnish" the NATO-rebels' reputation --small "sacrifice" to protect the corporate-media-favored side in the conflict. So what if the "liberators" had a little bit of KKK in them? The White House and State Department have yet to comment on the reported ethnic cleansing. The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor and publicity hound, Luis Moreno Ocampo, has yet to say a word; such is the devaluation of the lives of Black people globally.
By ELIZABETH A. HARRIS
This is a dangerous time to be a black African in Libya.
Throughout the conflict that began in February, rebel forces have been rounding up suspected mercenaries whom, they say, have been hired from neighboring countries like Chad and Niger to fight for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
But Libya has a black population of its own, and many black migrant workers were trapped in the country when the conflict began. And it seems that plenty of the black Africans captured as mercenaries were never actually involved in the fight.
On Monday, the chairman of the African Union, Jean Ping, said that Libya’s Transitional National Council “seems to confuse black people with mercenaries,” as my colleagues Kareem Fahim and Neil MacFarquhar reported. (There are documented cases of mercenaries from elsewhere, including an ethnic Croatian named Mario who was interviewed in Time magazine last week.)
Amnesty International issued a statement on Tuesday saying that people suspected of fighting for Colonel Qaddafi, “in particular black Libyans and sub-Saharan Africans, are at high risk of abuse” by rebel forces. The statement said that Amnesty representatives were told on recent visits to detention centers in al-Zawiya and Tripoli that one-third to half of the detainees there were from sub-Saharan Africa.
Alex Thomson, a reporter for Channel 4 News in Britain, recounted a frightening scene he witnessed in Tripoli, where men captured by the rebels insisted they were not mercenaries. Those men, he said, appeared to be in serious danger — and they also appeared to be telling the truth.
“Please,” they begged us, “please don’t go. Don’t leave us. They will kill us.”Another just asked me: “Will they shoot us? Please tell me Sir. Will they shoot us?”
Herded into a corner, a gunman started slapping them. We asked him to stop.
“They are with Gaddafi. We know this. They had guns.”
“Show me the guns,” I said.
No guns arrived. Some of the men crossed themselves, sweating, praying. One began weeping softly.
Mr. Thomson said the men eventually led the rebels to “their women” who were hiding in the bush nearby. Satisfied that they would not have brought their wives to fight in the war, the rebels let them go.
“To be a black African in the wrong part of town at the wrong time,” Mr. Thomson concluded, “is to be in a very frightening place.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/blacks-in-libya-face-danger-from-rebels/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season: Hunting Black People in Libya
Black Star News, Letter To The Editor
August 30, 2011
A writer says rebels commit Ku Klux Klan type atrocities against Black people in Libya
Media habitually tells us that Libyan rebels are noble freedom fighters, struggling aganist a bloodthirsty tyrant. But after all the buckets of half-truths and blatant lies, that news poured on our heads, treating us
viewers like brainless sheep and feeding us half-baked reports that often got disproved the next day, some of us started to look further and investigate.
What they found out, is extremely disturbing. Say, from the very beginning of war we've been hearing reports about "Gaddafi's black mercenaries". We even saw photos and videos of several people that,
supposedly, were these mercenaries. But the whole truth is much more complicated - and scary.
Yes, there indeed are several divisions of black Africans and citizens of Chad in the army of Libya, that is formed on the principle of territorial militia. But they can hardly be considered mercenaries - not
more than French Foreign Legion or non-American citizens in US Army. In general, the status of black men of Libyan army's various units is civil servants.
In a country with 6 million inhabitants, one third are black (the most oppressed group in the country). Would not it be easier for the rebels to call for their solidarity and ask them join the rebel ranks? But not
only black Libyans do not join the rebellion - they flee in terror.
The first wave of reports and evidence of beatings of black Africans began in February and March. The rebels, under the trademark of fighting with the mercenaries from Chad, were slaughtering all black people with no mercy. They even started to post various Youtube videos with their actions filmed
The victim was the Libyan citizen Hisham Mansour, born 22-02-1983. Back in early March, the Human Rights Watch even warned black migrant workers on the need to flee the revolutionary terrain.
"We left behind our friends from Chad. We left behind their bodies. We had 70 or 80 people from Chad working for our company. They cut them dead with pruning shears and axes, attacking them, saying you're providing troops for Gaddafi. The Sudanese, the Chadians were massacred. We saw it ourselves. I am a worker, not a fighter. They took me from my house and [raped] my wife", - a Turkish oilfield worker, who fled Libya, told BBC in February 25.
One of the editors of the Monthly Review, Yoshie Furuhashi, writes:
"The black African workers now live in fear in the territories held by the rebels in Libya. Some have been attacked by mobs, some have been imprisoned and some of their houses and shops have been torched. Many African workers say they felt safer under the regime of Gaddafi".
In March, a reporter from the Daily Mail was in Benghazi and reported:
"Africans I saw ranged from a 20 year old and a late forties, with a grizzled beard. Most wore casual clothes. When they realized that I spoke English erupted in protests. "We did nothing," one told me, before he was silenced. "We are all construction workers in Ghana. Do not harm anyone. "
Another accused, a man in green overalls, showed the paint on their sleeves and said: "This is my job. I do not know how to shoot a gun "
Abdul Nasser, 47, protested: "They lie about us. They took us out of our house at night when we were asleep. " While still complaining, they were taken.
International Business Times published an article on March 2 that says:
"According to reports, over 150 black Africans at least a dozen different countries escaped from Libya by plane and landed at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya, with horrific stories of violence."
"We were attacked by locals who said they were mercenaries who killed people. I mean blacks who refused to see "Julius told Reuters Kiluu, a construction supervisor for 60 years.
Michel Collon with a fact-finding delegation were in Libya in July and when he learned what had happened, he said:
"I met these people during my research in Tripoli. I could talk to some people. They were not "mercenaries," as the rebels and the media tell. Some were dark-skinned Libyans (much of the population is of African type, in fact), others were black civilians from African countries whostayed in Libya for a long time. All support Gaddafi precisely because he opposes to racism and treats them as Arabs and Africans on an equal footing. On the contrary, the rebels in Benghazi are known for their racism, and blacks were victims of terrible systematic atrocities. The paradox is that NATO wants to bring democracy to a section of Al Qaeda and Libyan Ku Klux Klan-type racists".
Here's another footage, with English explanations given.
After the rebels entered Tripoli, numerous reports of black men being killed appeared again. Twitter explodes with rebels' messages about killing "African mercenaries". In the chaos of embattled Tripoli, black people are being simply seized from the streets and taken somewhere openly.
On the photo above we can see that the lying people's hands are tied with plastic handcuffs and their clothes are relatively clean. This means these people were captured not after a fight, but deliberately.
The Colonel was being building good relations with the south of Africa. NATO plan of destabilizing Libya might as well include having the black Africans turning away from this country forever, using contempt and xenophobia of the rebels as a driving force of the persecution. After all, lynching black people simply for being in Africa sounds ridiculous.
But results are pretty much of the same racist kind, and they are not funny at all.
Editor's Note: When the atrocities are finally documented, the corporate media that ignored ethnic cleansing of Black people will bear the stain of culpability. The Wall Street Journal reported on what amounts to ethnic cleansing of Black Libyans by the "Brigade for Purging Slaves, black skin," on June 21, 2011. The newspaper has not revisited that story, which was ignored by major media such as CNN and The New York Times at the time the Journal reported it, probably because they believed it would "tarnish" the NATO-rebels' reputation --small "sacrifice" to protect the corporate-media-favored side in the conflict. So what if the "liberators" had a little bit of KKK in them? The White House and State Department have yet to comment on the reported ethnic cleansing. The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor and publicity hound, Luis Moreno Ocampo, has yet to say a word; such is the devaluation of the lives of Black people globally."Speaking Truth To Empower."
Saturday 6 August 2011
Wednesday 3 August 2011
25 illegal immigrants found dead
25 illegal immigrants found dead in hold of 'slave ship' after desperate attempt to flee Libya
Twenty-five illegal immigrants have been found dead after being packed into the hold of a fishing boat as it fled from war-torn Libya, Italian coastguards revealed today.
The men are believed to have been overcome by engine fumes as they were squashed together 'like sardines' on a boat carrying 271 other people which had left Libya three days ago.
Officials made the grim discovery early today after it was spotted on radar screens approaching the island of Lampedusa, a tiny rocky outcrop just 90 miles from the north African coast.
Since the Arab uprisings earlier this year, more than 25,000 illegal immigrants have flooded onto the Italian island, overwhelming resources and creating a humanitarian emergency.
Officials said that the 271 men, women and children on the boat were transferred onto two coastguard vessels and then taken to a holding centre on Lampedusa.
A coastguard spokesman in Lampedusa said: 'When we went out to the boat nobody mentioned the fact that there were dead bodies in the hold. They had been packed in like sardines and had been overcome by the engine fumes.
A man on a tourist boat passing through the harbour points to the grim scene
'Those that died were packed into the engine room and had a little hole of about 50cm for fresh air. It was a horrific scene - it was like a slave ship.'
TV footage showed the bodies lined up along the quayside in Lampedusa in blue body bags, awaiting for an ambulance to take them to the island's mortuary.
In the first three months of this year, 33,000 people entered Europe illegally, with 22,600 coming through Italy, according to the EU's Warsaw-based agency Frontex.
Most of those were economic migrants from Tunisia and sub-Sahran Africa who had fled countries that had been hit by popular uprisings in what was dubbed the Arab Spring.
Many of them came through the rocky Italian outcrop of Lampedusa on rickety fishing boats, pushing the island's limited resources to the limit with numbers at one point being double that of the 5,000 local inhabitants.
On the quayside behind the retrieved boat lie the bodies of the 25 men whou were found crammed in its engine room
Hundreds of illegal immigrants have drowned in their attempts to cross from north Africa with dozens of boats sinking and others still missing. Officials say that calmer seas will increase traffic throughout the summer months.
Italy has complained that other European states are not doing enough to help with the situation and there was a tense stand-off with France which simply sent them back when they crossed over.
Before the civil war, Libyan patrol boats stopped any vessel attempting to set sail, in a deal agreed with Italy.
Before the bombing campaign started, Colonel Gaddafi threatened to turn Europe 'black through illegal immigration' in an attempt to ward off military intervention.
Target: The Italian island of Lampedusa were thousands of migrants flee from turmoil in Africa
By Nick Pisa In Rome Last updated at 12:11 AM on 2nd August 2011
The men are believed to have been overcome by engine fumes as they were squashed together 'like sardines' on a boat carrying 271 other people which had left Libya three days ago.
Officials made the grim discovery early today after it was spotted on radar screens approaching the island of Lampedusa, a tiny rocky outcrop just 90 miles from the north African coast.
Volunteers lay bodies out on the quayside on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa after coast guards found a boat with the corpses of 25 men, presumed to be from sub-Saharan Africa
Since the Arab uprisings earlier this year, more than 25,000 illegal immigrants have flooded onto the Italian island, overwhelming resources and creating a humanitarian emergency.
Officials said that the 271 men, women and children on the boat were transferred onto two coastguard vessels and then taken to a holding centre on Lampedusa.
A coastguard spokesman in Lampedusa said: 'When we went out to the boat nobody mentioned the fact that there were dead bodies in the hold. They had been packed in like sardines and had been overcome by the engine fumes.
A man on a tourist boat passing through the harbour points to the grim sceneTV footage showed the bodies lined up along the quayside in Lampedusa in blue body bags, awaiting for an ambulance to take them to the island's mortuary.
Local prosecutor Renato Di Natale has opened an investigation into the tragedy and is also investigating reports that one man was thrown overboard during an argument.
In June officials from the European Union's border protection agency said that 2,500 illegal immigrants a week were flooding into Europe through Italy.In the first three months of this year, 33,000 people entered Europe illegally, with 22,600 coming through Italy, according to the EU's Warsaw-based agency Frontex.
Most of those were economic migrants from Tunisia and sub-Sahran Africa who had fled countries that had been hit by popular uprisings in what was dubbed the Arab Spring.
Many of them came through the rocky Italian outcrop of Lampedusa on rickety fishing boats, pushing the island's limited resources to the limit with numbers at one point being double that of the 5,000 local inhabitants.
On the quayside behind the retrieved boat lie the bodies of the 25 men whou were found crammed in its engine room
Hundreds of illegal immigrants have drowned in their attempts to cross from north Africa with dozens of boats sinking and others still missing. Officials say that calmer seas will increase traffic throughout the summer months.
Italy has complained that other European states are not doing enough to help with the situation and there was a tense stand-off with France which simply sent them back when they crossed over.
Before the civil war, Libyan patrol boats stopped any vessel attempting to set sail, in a deal agreed with Italy.
Before the bombing campaign started, Colonel Gaddafi threatened to turn Europe 'black through illegal immigration' in an attempt to ward off military intervention.
Target: The Italian island of Lampedusa were thousands of migrants flee from turmoil in AfricaRead more:
Sunday 22 May 2011
AFRICAN DIASPORA IN ITALY: INVITATION - DIASPORA AFRICANA IN ITALIA: INVITO
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Aircraft carrier left us to die, say migrants
Aircraft carrier left us to die, say migrants
Exclusive: Boat trying to reach Lampedusa was left to drift in Mediterranean for 16 days, despite alarm being raised
* Jack Shenker in Lampedusa * guardian.co.uk, Sunday 8 May 2011 21.30 BST
Refugees from Libya reach Lampedusa
Refugees from Libya reach Lampedusa. A warship failed to rescue a boat in trouble – leaving 61 people on board to die. Photograph: Francesco Malavolta/EPA
Dozens of African migrants were left to die in the Mediterranean after a number of European military units apparently ignored their cries for help, the Guardian has learned. Two of the nine survivors claim this included a Nato ship.
A boat carrying 72 passengers, including several women, young children and political refugees, ran into trouble in late March after leaving Tripoli for the Italian island of Lampedusa. Despite alarms being raised with the Italian coastguard and the boat making contact with a military helicopter and a warship, no rescue effort was attempted.
All but 11 of those on board died from thirst and hunger after their vessel was left to drift in open waters for 16 days. "Every morning we would wake up and find more bodies, which we would leave for 24 hours and then throw overboard," said Abu Kurke, one of only nine survivors. "By the final days, we didn't know ourselves … everyone was either praying, or dying."
International maritime law compels all vessels, including military units, to answer distress calls from nearby boats and to offer help where possible. Refugee rights campaigners have demanded an investigation into the deaths, while the UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, has called for stricter co-operation among commercial and military vessels in the Mediterranean in an effort to save human lives.
"The Mediterranean cannot become the wild west," said spokeswoman Laura Boldrini. "Those who do not rescue people at sea cannot remain unpunished."
Her words were echoed by Father Moses Zerai, an Eritrean priest in Rome who runs the refugee rights organisation Habeshia, and who was one of the last people to be in communication with the migrant boat before the battery in its satellite phone ran out.
"There was an abdication of responsibility which led to the deaths of over 60 people, including children," he claimed. "That constitutes a crime, and that crime cannot go unpunished just because the victims were African migrants and not tourists on a cruise liner."
This year's political turmoil and military conflict in north Africa have fuelled a sharp rise in the number of people attempting to reach Europe by sea, with up to 30,000 migrants believed to have made the journey across the Mediterranean over the past four months. Large numbers have died en route; last month more than 800 migrants of different nationalities who left on boats from Libya never made it to European shores and are presumed dead.
Underlining the dangers, on Sunday more than 400 migrants were involved in a dramatic rescue when their boat hit rocks on Lampedusa.
The pope, meanwhile, in an address to more than 300,000 worshippers, called on Italians to welcome immigrants fleeing to their shores.
The Guardian's investigation into the case of the boat of 72 migrants which set sail from Tripoli on 25 March established that it carried 47 Ethiopians, seven Nigerians, seven Eritreans, six Ghanaians and five Sudanese migrants. Twenty were women and two were small children, one of whom was just one year old. The boat's Ghanaian captain was aiming for the Italian island of Lampedusa, 180 miles north-west of the Libyan capital, but after 18 hours at sea the small vessel began running into trouble and losing fuel.
Using witness testimony from survivors and other individuals who were in contact with the passengers during its doomed voyage, the Guardian has pieced together what happened next. The account paints a harrowing picture of a group of desperate migrants condemned to death by a combination of bad luck, bureaucracy and the apparent indifference of European military forces who had the opportunity to attempt a rescue.
The migrants used the boat's satellite phone to call Zerai in Rome, who in turn contacted the Italian coastguard. The boat's location was narrowed down to about 60 miles off Tripoli, and coastguard officials assured Zerai that the alarm had been raised and all relevant authorities had been alerted to the situation.
Soon a military helicopter marked with the word "army" appeared above the boat. The pilots, who were wearing military uniforms, lowered bottles of water and packets of biscuits and gestured to passengers that they should hold their position until a rescue boat came to help. The helicopter flew off, but no rescue boat arrived.
No country has yet admitted sending the helicopter that made contact with the migrants. A spokesman for the Italian coastguard said: "We advised Malta that the vessel was heading towards their search and rescue zone, and we issued an alert telling vessels to look out for the boat, obliging them to attempt a rescue." The Maltese authorities denied they had had any involvement with the boat.
After several hours of waiting, it became apparent to those on board that help was not on the way. The vessel had only 20 litres of fuel left, but the captain told passengers that Lampedusa was close enough for him to make it there unaided. It was a fatal mistake. By 27 March, the boat had lost its way, run out of fuel and was drifting with the currents.
"We'd finished the oil, we'd finished the food and water, we'd finished everything," said Kurke, a 24-year-old migrant who was fleeing ethnic conflict in his homeland, the Oromia region of Ethiopia. "We were drifting in the sea, and the weather was very dangerous." At some point on 29 or 30 March the boat was carried near to an aircraft carrier – so close that it would have been impossible to be missed. According to survivors, two jets took off from the ship and flew low over the boat while the migrants stood on deck holding the two starving babies aloft. But from that point on, no help was forthcoming. Unable to manoeuvre any closer to the aircraft carrier, the migrants' boat drifted away. Shorn of supplies, fuel or means of contacting the outside world, they began succumbing one by one to thirst and starvation.
The Guardian has made extensive inquiries to ascertain the identity of the aircraft carrier, and has concluded that it is likely to have been the French ship Charles de Gaulle, which was operating in the Mediterranean on those dates.
French naval authorities initially denied the carrier was in the region at that time. After being shown news reports which indicated this was untrue, a spokesperson declined to comment.
A spokesman for Nato, which is co-ordinating military action in Libya, said it had not logged any distress signals from the boat and had no records of the incident. "Nato units are fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to the international maritime law regarding safety of life at sea," said an official. "Nato ships will answer all distress calls at sea and always provide help when necessary. Saving lives is a priority for any Nato ships."
For most of the migrants, the failure of the ship to mount any rescue attempt proved fatal. Over the next 10 days, almost everyone on board died. "We saved one bottle of water from the helicopter for the two babies, and kept feeding them even after their parents had passed," said Kurke, who survived by drinking his own urine and eating two tubes of toothpaste. "But after two days, the babies passed too, because they were so small."
On 10 April, the boat washed up on a beach near the Libyan town of Zlitan near Misrata. Of the 72 migrants who had embarked at Tripoli, only 11 were still alive, and one of those died almost immediately on reaching land. Another survivor died shortly afterwards in prison, after Gaddafi's forces arrested the migrants and detained them for four days.
Lampedusa The route of the boat
Despite the trauma of their last attempt, the migrants – who are hiding out in the house of an Ethiopian in the Libyan capital – are willing to tackle the Mediterranean again if it means reaching Europe and gaining asylum.
"These are people living an unimaginable existence, fleeing political, religious and ethnic persecution," said Zerai. "We must have justice for them, for those that died alongside them, and for the families who have lost their loved ones."
Additional reporting by John Hooper and Tom Kington in Rome, and Kim Willsher in Paris
• This article was amended on 9 May 2011. The original version referred throughout to a Nato ship. This has been changed to European units pending further clarification. The picture caption also used the wrong figure for the death toll. This has been corrected.
Exclusive: Boat trying to reach Lampedusa was left to drift in Mediterranean for 16 days, despite alarm being raised
* Jack Shenker in Lampedusa * guardian.co.uk, Sunday 8 May 2011 21.30 BST
Refugees from Libya reach Lampedusa
Refugees from Libya reach Lampedusa. A warship failed to rescue a boat in trouble – leaving 61 people on board to die. Photograph: Francesco Malavolta/EPA
Dozens of African migrants were left to die in the Mediterranean after a number of European military units apparently ignored their cries for help, the Guardian has learned. Two of the nine survivors claim this included a Nato ship.
A boat carrying 72 passengers, including several women, young children and political refugees, ran into trouble in late March after leaving Tripoli for the Italian island of Lampedusa. Despite alarms being raised with the Italian coastguard and the boat making contact with a military helicopter and a warship, no rescue effort was attempted.
All but 11 of those on board died from thirst and hunger after their vessel was left to drift in open waters for 16 days. "Every morning we would wake up and find more bodies, which we would leave for 24 hours and then throw overboard," said Abu Kurke, one of only nine survivors. "By the final days, we didn't know ourselves … everyone was either praying, or dying."
International maritime law compels all vessels, including military units, to answer distress calls from nearby boats and to offer help where possible. Refugee rights campaigners have demanded an investigation into the deaths, while the UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, has called for stricter co-operation among commercial and military vessels in the Mediterranean in an effort to save human lives.
"The Mediterranean cannot become the wild west," said spokeswoman Laura Boldrini. "Those who do not rescue people at sea cannot remain unpunished."
Her words were echoed by Father Moses Zerai, an Eritrean priest in Rome who runs the refugee rights organisation Habeshia, and who was one of the last people to be in communication with the migrant boat before the battery in its satellite phone ran out.
"There was an abdication of responsibility which led to the deaths of over 60 people, including children," he claimed. "That constitutes a crime, and that crime cannot go unpunished just because the victims were African migrants and not tourists on a cruise liner."
This year's political turmoil and military conflict in north Africa have fuelled a sharp rise in the number of people attempting to reach Europe by sea, with up to 30,000 migrants believed to have made the journey across the Mediterranean over the past four months. Large numbers have died en route; last month more than 800 migrants of different nationalities who left on boats from Libya never made it to European shores and are presumed dead.
Underlining the dangers, on Sunday more than 400 migrants were involved in a dramatic rescue when their boat hit rocks on Lampedusa.
The pope, meanwhile, in an address to more than 300,000 worshippers, called on Italians to welcome immigrants fleeing to their shores.
The Guardian's investigation into the case of the boat of 72 migrants which set sail from Tripoli on 25 March established that it carried 47 Ethiopians, seven Nigerians, seven Eritreans, six Ghanaians and five Sudanese migrants. Twenty were women and two were small children, one of whom was just one year old. The boat's Ghanaian captain was aiming for the Italian island of Lampedusa, 180 miles north-west of the Libyan capital, but after 18 hours at sea the small vessel began running into trouble and losing fuel.
Using witness testimony from survivors and other individuals who were in contact with the passengers during its doomed voyage, the Guardian has pieced together what happened next. The account paints a harrowing picture of a group of desperate migrants condemned to death by a combination of bad luck, bureaucracy and the apparent indifference of European military forces who had the opportunity to attempt a rescue.
The migrants used the boat's satellite phone to call Zerai in Rome, who in turn contacted the Italian coastguard. The boat's location was narrowed down to about 60 miles off Tripoli, and coastguard officials assured Zerai that the alarm had been raised and all relevant authorities had been alerted to the situation.
Soon a military helicopter marked with the word "army" appeared above the boat. The pilots, who were wearing military uniforms, lowered bottles of water and packets of biscuits and gestured to passengers that they should hold their position until a rescue boat came to help. The helicopter flew off, but no rescue boat arrived.
No country has yet admitted sending the helicopter that made contact with the migrants. A spokesman for the Italian coastguard said: "We advised Malta that the vessel was heading towards their search and rescue zone, and we issued an alert telling vessels to look out for the boat, obliging them to attempt a rescue." The Maltese authorities denied they had had any involvement with the boat.
After several hours of waiting, it became apparent to those on board that help was not on the way. The vessel had only 20 litres of fuel left, but the captain told passengers that Lampedusa was close enough for him to make it there unaided. It was a fatal mistake. By 27 March, the boat had lost its way, run out of fuel and was drifting with the currents.
"We'd finished the oil, we'd finished the food and water, we'd finished everything," said Kurke, a 24-year-old migrant who was fleeing ethnic conflict in his homeland, the Oromia region of Ethiopia. "We were drifting in the sea, and the weather was very dangerous." At some point on 29 or 30 March the boat was carried near to an aircraft carrier – so close that it would have been impossible to be missed. According to survivors, two jets took off from the ship and flew low over the boat while the migrants stood on deck holding the two starving babies aloft. But from that point on, no help was forthcoming. Unable to manoeuvre any closer to the aircraft carrier, the migrants' boat drifted away. Shorn of supplies, fuel or means of contacting the outside world, they began succumbing one by one to thirst and starvation.
The Guardian has made extensive inquiries to ascertain the identity of the aircraft carrier, and has concluded that it is likely to have been the French ship Charles de Gaulle, which was operating in the Mediterranean on those dates.
French naval authorities initially denied the carrier was in the region at that time. After being shown news reports which indicated this was untrue, a spokesperson declined to comment.
A spokesman for Nato, which is co-ordinating military action in Libya, said it had not logged any distress signals from the boat and had no records of the incident. "Nato units are fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to the international maritime law regarding safety of life at sea," said an official. "Nato ships will answer all distress calls at sea and always provide help when necessary. Saving lives is a priority for any Nato ships."
For most of the migrants, the failure of the ship to mount any rescue attempt proved fatal. Over the next 10 days, almost everyone on board died. "We saved one bottle of water from the helicopter for the two babies, and kept feeding them even after their parents had passed," said Kurke, who survived by drinking his own urine and eating two tubes of toothpaste. "But after two days, the babies passed too, because they were so small."
On 10 April, the boat washed up on a beach near the Libyan town of Zlitan near Misrata. Of the 72 migrants who had embarked at Tripoli, only 11 were still alive, and one of those died almost immediately on reaching land. Another survivor died shortly afterwards in prison, after Gaddafi's forces arrested the migrants and detained them for four days.
Lampedusa The route of the boat
Despite the trauma of their last attempt, the migrants – who are hiding out in the house of an Ethiopian in the Libyan capital – are willing to tackle the Mediterranean again if it means reaching Europe and gaining asylum.
"These are people living an unimaginable existence, fleeing political, religious and ethnic persecution," said Zerai. "We must have justice for them, for those that died alongside them, and for the families who have lost their loved ones."
Additional reporting by John Hooper and Tom Kington in Rome, and Kim Willsher in Paris
• This article was amended on 9 May 2011. The original version referred throughout to a Nato ship. This has been changed to European units pending further clarification. The picture caption also used the wrong figure for the death toll. This has been corrected.
Tuesday 3 May 2011
GIORNATA CULTURALE AFRICANA
Giornata culturale africana, il Comune c'è
Con gli studenti africani il presidente del consiglio comunale Fratta Pasini
Il presidente del Consiglio comunale Pieralfonso Fratta Pasini e i consiglieri Antonio Lella, Stefano Ederle e Ciro Maschio (AN) hanno partecipato ieri all’Università di Verona alla quarta Giornata culturale africana.
La manifestazione, organizzata dall’Associazione studenti africani di Verona con il patrocinio del Consiglio comunale, è iniziata con la proiezione di un film sulla storia di Thomas Sankara, primo presidente del Burkina Faso, alla quale è seguito un dibattito sul tema dell’indipendenza in Africa. La giornata si è conclusa con una festa alla mensa universitaria e una cena a base di piatti tipici della gastronomia africana.
I ragazzi dell’Asav hanno consegnato ai rappresentanti del Consiglio comunale un premio speciale come ringraziamento per la collaborazione prestata. “E’ motivo di orgoglio, per noi, essere qui stasera - ha detto il presidente Fratta Pasini - ed è anche l’occasione per consolidare un’importante amicizia, nata durante l’incontro sull’integrazione che si è svolto lo scorso dicembre in sala Gozzi. Sono onorato di aver partecipato al dibattito con un relatore prestigioso come il prof. Mukuna Samulomba, membro del Comitato mondiale del Panafricanismo, in cui si è parlato in modo concreto del futuro dell’Africa e delle aspettative dei suoi giovani cittadini, potendo confrontare le nostre opinioni. Questa collaborazione rafforza il legame tra la città di Verona e gli studenti africani, così ben integrati nella nostra comunità”.
http://www.veronasera.it/News/CRONACA/07-05-2010_11.13/Giornata_culturale_africana_il_Comune_c%C3%A8_02676.htm
La manifestazione, organizzata dall’Associazione studenti africani di Verona con il patrocinio del Consiglio comunale, è iniziata con la proiezione di un film sulla storia di Thomas Sankara, primo presidente del Burkina Faso, alla quale è seguito un dibattito sul tema dell’indipendenza in Africa. La giornata si è conclusa con una festa alla mensa universitaria e una cena a base di piatti tipici della gastronomia africana.
I ragazzi dell’Asav hanno consegnato ai rappresentanti del Consiglio comunale un premio speciale come ringraziamento per la collaborazione prestata. “E’ motivo di orgoglio, per noi, essere qui stasera - ha detto il presidente Fratta Pasini - ed è anche l’occasione per consolidare un’importante amicizia, nata durante l’incontro sull’integrazione che si è svolto lo scorso dicembre in sala Gozzi. Sono onorato di aver partecipato al dibattito con un relatore prestigioso come il prof. Mukuna Samulomba, membro del Comitato mondiale del Panafricanismo, in cui si è parlato in modo concreto del futuro dell’Africa e delle aspettative dei suoi giovani cittadini, potendo confrontare le nostre opinioni. Questa collaborazione rafforza il legame tra la città di Verona e gli studenti africani, così ben integrati nella nostra comunità”.
AFRICAN WOMEN
Da poche settimane un'altra donna guida un paese o un governo in Africa. Si tratta di Cissè Mariam Kaidama Sidibè, che dal 3 aprile scorso è diventata Primo Ministro del Mali.
La seconda appunto perchè fino al 3 aprile solo una donna guidava uno stato ed era il Presidente della Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, eletta nel 2006.
La Sidibè (Cissè è il nome del marito) è nata a Timbuctu il 4 gennaio del 1948, ha studiato pubblica amministrazione a Bamako, e dal 1974 al 1989 ha lavorato presso il Ministero per la Tutela delle Società e delle Imprese Statali e studiato in varie parti del mondo, tra cui in Italia. Nel 1987 è diventata assistente del Ministro.
Dal 1991 al 1992 è stata Ministro della Programmazione Internazionale e della Cooperazione, nel 1992 Ministro dell'Agricoltura. Dal 1993 al 2000 ha diretto l'Agenzia Internazionale contro la deforestazione con sede in Burkina Faso. Nel 2001 è stata chiamata come assistente dall'amico Amadou Tourè, che nel 2002 è diventato presidente del Mali nominandola Ministro dello Sviluppo Rurale. A partire dal 2003 è stata presidente del SONTAM, la società ministeriale dell'industria del tabacco.Ha quattro figli.
Per il Mali è la prima volta che una donna assume la carica di Primo Ministro ( o di Capo di Stato).
Il Mali è il 15° paese africano ad aver avuto nel corso della propria storia, anche per un solo giorno, una donna nelle più alte cariche dello stato (Capo di Stato o Capo del Governo). Gli altri 14 paesi sono: Etiopia, Lesotho e Swaziland (Regina), Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia e Sudafrica (Capo di Stato) e Burundi, Madagascar, Mozambico, Centrafrica, Ruanda, Sao Tomè e Principe, Senegal (Primo Ministro).
Quello che è avvenuto in Mali, con la nomina della Sidibè, aggiunge un piccolo tassello alla lotta per aumentare la rappresentanza femminile nelle istituzioni, in Africa come nel Mondo. Ricordiamoci, ad esempio, che l'Italia è tra i tanti paesi che non hanno mai avuto una donna a Capo dello Stato o del governo.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Anonimo proprio no!
Settimo di 11 figli, Malcolm nasce il 19 maggio 1925 a Omaha, nel Nebraska. Suo padre, Earl Little, era un pastore battista mentre la madre, Louise Norton, era un'immigrata di Grenada, a quel tempo isola antillana che apparteneva all'impero britannico. Entrambi avevano aderito alla Universal Negro Improvement Association, il movimento pan-africanista di liberazione dei neri, fondato nel 1914 dal politico giamaicano Marcus Garvey.
A quel tempo tra i gruppi razzistici più attivi vi era il Ku Klux Klan, fondato nel 1867 nel Tennessee da ex-appartenenti all'esercito sudista, messo fuorilegge nel 1869 e rinato in Georgia nel 1915. Proprio a questa organizzazione si attribuì, nel 1931, la morte del padre di Malcolm, colpevole di aver predicato in quartieri segregati dei neri.
Nel 1937 la cronica mancanza di reddito e la grave malattia che aveva colpito la madre cominciarono a disgregare la famiglia di Malcolm, che venne affidato ad alcuni amici. L'anno seguente fu espulso dalla scuola per "cattiva condotta e comportamento anti-sociale" e venne spedito nella casa di correzione di Lansing. Nel gennaio 1939 gli assistenti sociali e il giudice decisero, dopo l'aggravamento della malattia, di rinchiudere la madre Louise in manicomio. Intanto Malcolm, nel correzionale dello Stato del Michigan, si segnalava come brillante studente, anche se sente molto forte la discriminazione che pesa sulla sua carriera dell'avvocato.
Poco dopo, insieme alla famiglia, si stabilisce nel ghetto nero di Boston dove lavora come lustrascarpe e come inserviente in ristoranti e treni. Entrato a far parte di alcuni gruppi anarchici, lascia il lavoro per trasformarsi in un organizzatore di scommesse clandestine. Arriva anche a spacciare droga. Ricercato dalla polizia, nel 1945, ritorna a Boston e si mette a capo di una banda di rapinatori, ma l'esperienza ha vita breve.
Nel febbraio 1946, viene arrestato per una banale rapina e condannato a dieci anni di carcere.
Dal febbraio 1946 al luglio 1952 Malcolm soggiornò in tre carceri del Massachussetts. Nella colonia penale di Norfolk, in cui trascorse il periodo 1948-1951, avviene la sua trasformazione. Attraverso il fratello Reginald, Malcolm entra in contatto con la Nazione dell'Islam e col suo capo Elijah Poole, che intanto aveva assunto il nome di Elijah Muhammad. La Nazione dell'Islam predicava il separatismo autosufficiente dei neri dai bianchi (necessario prima del ritorno in Africa), denunciava il razzismo della religione cristiana e lottava contro la droga, il tabacco, l'alcol, i cibi impuri e ogni forma di vizio.
Malcolm inizia a studiare e a leggere facendo nello stesso tempo proselitismo tra le mura del carcere. Diventa pericoloso al punto che per evitare problemi le autorità carcerarie decidono di liberarlo.
Trovato lavoro come commesso, si stabilisce a Inkster, ghetto nero di Detroit, e prende la decisione di cambiare il cognome in "X", a perenne ricordo della privazione del suo vero nome africano a cui i bianchi avevano assoggettato i suoi antenati in schiavitù nel Nuovo Mondo.
Decide di lavorare anche alla catena di montaggio di un'industria automobilistica per poi passare ad essere "rettificatore" alla Gar Wood, una fabbrica di camion, e fare ritorno, in seguito, sulla costa orientale, diventando il più infaticabile predicatore della Nazione dell'Islam. Apre e organizza nuove moschee e trasforma la Nazione dell'Islam in un dinamico gruppo politico-religioso di "musulmani di colore, separatisti e rigidamente organizzati". Nel 1958 si sposa con una compagna del suo movimento, Betty Shabazz e si stabilisce a New York
Negli anni 1963-64 egli matura la decisione di fondare con un gruppo di seguaci, "l'Organizzazione dell'Unità Afroamericana". I viaggi in Europa, Medio Oriente e Africa, gli offrono il destro per diffondere le sue idee, che comprendono due punti fondamentali:
una più stretta intesa con gruppi antisegregazionisti operanti nel Sud e nel resto del paese e il tentativo di internazionalizzare il problema dei neri, cercando intese con paesi arabi, soprattutto africani, ed ex-colonie, per creare un fronte e un'azione comuni.
Intanto Malcolm continua a prendere posizioni forti contro il governo degli Stati Uniti, in politica interna ed estera, trovando il tempo per finire di scrivere, con l'aiuto del giornalista Alex Haley, la sua "Autobiografia".
Non condividendo il pacifismo di Martin Luther King, rompe con lui dopo la marcia su Washington, consentita dal potere centrale. La tempesta però si avvicina. Durante la visita al Cairo è vittima di un tentativo di avvelenamento. Al suo rientro, a New York, il 14 febbraio 1965, un attentato dinamitardo gli incendia la casa da cui a stento si salva con moglie e figlie. Il 21 febbraio doveva tenere una conferenza a New York. Aveva chiesto di tener lontani tutti i giornalisti e di non perquisire nessuno. Non fece neppure in tempo a iniziare il discorso che tre uomini seduti in prima fila iniziarono a sparargli contro con fucili e pistole. Fu colpito da 16 proiettili di cui tre mortali.
Chi è stato ad uccidere Malcom X? A tutt'oggi sono al vaglio diverse ipotesi. C'è chi sospetta della sua cerchia di collaboratori, chi dell'FBI e chi ancora della malavita organizzata e del traffico di droga che, grazie a Malcom X, avevano subito un netto calo degli affari.
Di recente, una delle figlie di Malcolm, Qubilah Shabazz, ha accusato l'attuale capo della Nazione dell'Islam, Louis Farrakhan, di essere stato il mandante dell'assassinio. La vedova di Malcolm, Betty, è stata uccisa nel 1997 da un nipote dodicenne, anche lui di nome Malcolm.
A quel tempo tra i gruppi razzistici più attivi vi era il Ku Klux Klan, fondato nel 1867 nel Tennessee da ex-appartenenti all'esercito sudista, messo fuorilegge nel 1869 e rinato in Georgia nel 1915. Proprio a questa organizzazione si attribuì, nel 1931, la morte del padre di Malcolm, colpevole di aver predicato in quartieri segregati dei neri.
Nel 1937 la cronica mancanza di reddito e la grave malattia che aveva colpito la madre cominciarono a disgregare la famiglia di Malcolm, che venne affidato ad alcuni amici. L'anno seguente fu espulso dalla scuola per "cattiva condotta e comportamento anti-sociale" e venne spedito nella casa di correzione di Lansing. Nel gennaio 1939 gli assistenti sociali e il giudice decisero, dopo l'aggravamento della malattia, di rinchiudere la madre Louise in manicomio. Intanto Malcolm, nel correzionale dello Stato del Michigan, si segnalava come brillante studente, anche se sente molto forte la discriminazione che pesa sulla sua carriera dell'avvocato.
Poco dopo, insieme alla famiglia, si stabilisce nel ghetto nero di Boston dove lavora come lustrascarpe e come inserviente in ristoranti e treni. Entrato a far parte di alcuni gruppi anarchici, lascia il lavoro per trasformarsi in un organizzatore di scommesse clandestine. Arriva anche a spacciare droga. Ricercato dalla polizia, nel 1945, ritorna a Boston e si mette a capo di una banda di rapinatori, ma l'esperienza ha vita breve.
Nel febbraio 1946, viene arrestato per una banale rapina e condannato a dieci anni di carcere.
Dal febbraio 1946 al luglio 1952 Malcolm soggiornò in tre carceri del Massachussetts. Nella colonia penale di Norfolk, in cui trascorse il periodo 1948-1951, avviene la sua trasformazione. Attraverso il fratello Reginald, Malcolm entra in contatto con la Nazione dell'Islam e col suo capo Elijah Poole, che intanto aveva assunto il nome di Elijah Muhammad. La Nazione dell'Islam predicava il separatismo autosufficiente dei neri dai bianchi (necessario prima del ritorno in Africa), denunciava il razzismo della religione cristiana e lottava contro la droga, il tabacco, l'alcol, i cibi impuri e ogni forma di vizio.
Malcolm inizia a studiare e a leggere facendo nello stesso tempo proselitismo tra le mura del carcere. Diventa pericoloso al punto che per evitare problemi le autorità carcerarie decidono di liberarlo.
Trovato lavoro come commesso, si stabilisce a Inkster, ghetto nero di Detroit, e prende la decisione di cambiare il cognome in "X", a perenne ricordo della privazione del suo vero nome africano a cui i bianchi avevano assoggettato i suoi antenati in schiavitù nel Nuovo Mondo.
Decide di lavorare anche alla catena di montaggio di un'industria automobilistica per poi passare ad essere "rettificatore" alla Gar Wood, una fabbrica di camion, e fare ritorno, in seguito, sulla costa orientale, diventando il più infaticabile predicatore della Nazione dell'Islam. Apre e organizza nuove moschee e trasforma la Nazione dell'Islam in un dinamico gruppo politico-religioso di "musulmani di colore, separatisti e rigidamente organizzati". Nel 1958 si sposa con una compagna del suo movimento, Betty Shabazz e si stabilisce a New York
Negli anni 1963-64 egli matura la decisione di fondare con un gruppo di seguaci, "l'Organizzazione dell'Unità Afroamericana". I viaggi in Europa, Medio Oriente e Africa, gli offrono il destro per diffondere le sue idee, che comprendono due punti fondamentali:
una più stretta intesa con gruppi antisegregazionisti operanti nel Sud e nel resto del paese e il tentativo di internazionalizzare il problema dei neri, cercando intese con paesi arabi, soprattutto africani, ed ex-colonie, per creare un fronte e un'azione comuni.
Intanto Malcolm continua a prendere posizioni forti contro il governo degli Stati Uniti, in politica interna ed estera, trovando il tempo per finire di scrivere, con l'aiuto del giornalista Alex Haley, la sua "Autobiografia".
Non condividendo il pacifismo di Martin Luther King, rompe con lui dopo la marcia su Washington, consentita dal potere centrale. La tempesta però si avvicina. Durante la visita al Cairo è vittima di un tentativo di avvelenamento. Al suo rientro, a New York, il 14 febbraio 1965, un attentato dinamitardo gli incendia la casa da cui a stento si salva con moglie e figlie. Il 21 febbraio doveva tenere una conferenza a New York. Aveva chiesto di tener lontani tutti i giornalisti e di non perquisire nessuno. Non fece neppure in tempo a iniziare il discorso che tre uomini seduti in prima fila iniziarono a sparargli contro con fucili e pistole. Fu colpito da 16 proiettili di cui tre mortali.
Chi è stato ad uccidere Malcom X? A tutt'oggi sono al vaglio diverse ipotesi. C'è chi sospetta della sua cerchia di collaboratori, chi dell'FBI e chi ancora della malavita organizzata e del traffico di droga che, grazie a Malcom X, avevano subito un netto calo degli affari.
Di recente, una delle figlie di Malcolm, Qubilah Shabazz, ha accusato l'attuale capo della Nazione dell'Islam, Louis Farrakhan, di essere stato il mandante dell'assassinio. La vedova di Malcolm, Betty, è stata uccisa nel 1997 da un nipote dodicenne, anche lui di nome Malcolm.
http://biografieonline.it/biografia.htm?BioID=156&biografia=Malcolm+X
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