In the first 24 hours of its release on January 1, the musical comedy Tolo Tolo was the biggest grossing Italian film of all time. Its subject matter: migration, Italian society and the right to dream, which has set Italy talking.
In 2019, the online information site "Black Post" was set up in Italy. Staffed by immigrants, its aim is to tackle the subject of migration in a clear and humanizing fashion. The site focuses on bringing migrants' personal stories to their audience.
Gorgui Lamine Sow, an undocumented migrant from Senegal has become a hero in Spain after he saved a man in a wheelchair from a fire in the man’s apartment. Now, the Spanish authorities are considering whether to award Sow a residency permit. More than 55,000 people have signed an online petition asking that they do so.
The French-Senegalese filmmaker and actor Mati Diop’s first feature film 'Atlantique' tells the story of two types of youth in Senegal -- those who try to make their way to Europe and those who decide to stay behind -- and how the two groups haunt each other and the societies in which they live. The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes and is Senegal’s submission to the Academy Awards in the International Film category.
The "Heroes" project works to break down prejudices, stereotypes and patriarchal structures which are often the cause of oppression and violence 'in the name of honor'. Its members, trained "Heroes" who have migrant backgrounds themselves, hold workshops at schools with migrant peers who grew up with strong notions of traditional gender roles and protecting their family's honor. InfoMigrants met some "Heroes" in Berlin during one of their role-play based training sessions.
For a national holiday in Italy on August 15, volunteers participated in initiatives organized by Caritas and the Community of Sant'Egidio to provide assistance, meals, and social activities for migrants and refugees. The organizations said the initiatives had high participation.
American actor Richard Gere visited the Spanish NGO ship Open Arms on Friday to express solidarity with the rescued migrants who have been stranded on the boat for days.
At FoodCycle, groups of volunteers cook donated food, which would otherwise have been thrown away, for communities in need around the UK. One of their projects in London is run at the Happy Baby Community for migrant and refugee women and their children. One of the volunteer project leaders is Pepe Clavijo, a Venezuelan migrant who wants to give something back to the community.
The charity Migrateful was set up two years ago to help refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants in the UK teach cooking classes in a bid to help them on their journey to integration. It currently operates in London and Kent and is about to launch in Bristol.
A new forum in Naples connects local authorities that promote integration programs for refugees.
There has been a public outcry in Trieste, in Italy's northeastern Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, after migrants were photographed bathing and washing their clothes at a pier in the center of the city. The city mayor called it ''endless degradation''.
Asylum seekers in Lower Austria are to be issued with "Ten Commandments of Immigration" by regional authorities. Included in the edicts is a requirement for migrants to show gratitude to Austria.