Brahms’s Lullaby

Tierra Blanca, Mexico: Marely Villatoro, a migrant from Honduras, plays with her four-month-old child as she waits for a lift during their journey towards the U.S.. Photo: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

A Roma girl is pictured inside a camp on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, after the Italian far-right Minister of Interior threatened to count and eventually deport the Roma people living in Italy without legal immigration status. Photo: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Paris, France: Mamoudou “Spider-Man” Gassama is awarded with the city’s Grand Vermeil Medal by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, as the chief of the Paris Fire Brigade, Général Jean-Claude Gallet, attends. Gassama’s extraordinary feat on 26 May, when he scaled four floors to rescue a child, propelled him to global superstardom. The Malian migrant, 22, arrived illegally in France and had been working in the construction industry. Visibly shy and uncomfortable in front of the cameras, Gassama began a new life as a trainee fireman after signing a contract with the Paris service. Photo: Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images.

Birds of the feather flock together

“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”, U.S. President Donald Trump roared, after being presented with a bipartisan proposal to restore protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and all of Africa. Furthermore, he said he wants immigrants “who speak English”, preferably from Norway. In the meantime, Trump has had to cancel his visit to the United Kingdom next month to open the new U.S. Embassy in London, due to fears of mass protests.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s hair shines as he speaks at a cabinet meeting in the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. Photo: AFP/Jim Watson.

The Door to the Missing Link

Police using water cannon and batons have clashed with refugees who had occupied a square in Rome, Italy in defiance of an order to leave a building where they had been occupying since 2013. Photo: Angelo Carconi/AP.

Migrants and refugees demonstrate as police continue its operation of eviction. Photo: Angelo Carconi/AP.

Four cartoonists about the undeclared Third World War

Today, while spending the afternoon at the Teatro Puccini waiting for the dance show to begin, I was happy to find out that the theatre was hosting a free exhibition of original drawings by Altan, Ellekappa, Sergio Staino, and Vauro wholly dedicated to how migrants are welcomed in Italy.

The drawings exhibition is titled “Migrants and Robbers”, and subtitled “Four cartoonists about the undeclared Third World War”. Started on March 25, 2017 it will end on April 28, 2017. The entrance is free during the opening hours of the theatre.

Through satire, the four cartoonists undoubtedly succeed in displaying migrants’ experience of racism and discrimination in Italy. Here we smile, but there is nothing to laugh about.

Nowhere Land

Oinofyta refugee camp, Greece: Afghan refugee Rukhsar Sameem, four, covers her face with a teddy bear while playing at the camp, where more than 62,000 refugees and migrants reside. Photo: Muhammed Muheisen/AP.

Love Locked Out

The 65 tonnes of love locks removed from Paris’s bridges in the last 18 months are to be sold – and could raise €100,000 for refugee groups. [Read more].

• Will Coldwell, Paris to sell off bridges’ love locks and give the proceeds to refugees, The Guardian, December 6, 2016

Love’s labour’s lost ... padlocks on the Pont Neuf in August 2016. Authorities have spent the last 18 months removing them from the city’s bridges. Photo: Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images.

Myths of Europe

Pozzallo, Italy: A boy sits on deck after being rescued from the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

“What’s happening in today’s world that, when a bank goes bankrupt, immediately scandalous sums appear to save it, but when there’s a ‘bankruptcy of humanity’, there isn’t one-one thousandth of the same amount to save these brothers who suffer so much?”, Pope Francis asked on Saturday, November 5, 2016 during a meeting at the Vatican with participants in the Third World Meeting of Popular Movements, a collection of grassroots organizations of the poor, the underemployed, indigenous communities and farmworkers.

Paris, France: Police officers push refugees who are waiting to board buses to temporary shelters in Paris. Photo: Thibault Camus/AP.

Voyages of Christopher Columbus

Mediterranean Sea: A young woman holds her baby aboard a rescue ship during an operation to assist refugees and migrants off the Libyan coast. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images.

Jumping the Line

Ceuta, Spain: African migrants lie on the ground after crossing a border fence between Morocco and Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta. Photo: Reuters.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Izmir, Turkey: Syrian refugee Firas el Jasmin, 25, struggled to find work in Turkey because of his disability, so took to the streets with his son to collect recyclable material which he sells on to support his family. Photo: Andrew McConnell/UNHCR.

Rumble in the Jungle

France started operation to clear Calais refugee camp. People queue for processing at the camp in northern France before the authorities move in to start a week-long demolition. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Daniel Etter, whose images from Kos touched the hearts of millions last year, returned to Greece this September to photograph the islanders who feature in the new documentary short Ode to Lesvos, created by Johnnie Walker® to shine a light on the inspirational acts of compassion shown in response to the refugee crisis. [Read more].

• Daniel Etter, Ode to Lesbos, the villagers who helped refugees – in pictures, The Guardian, October 5, 2016

“We all wanted to help. It’s natural to want to help. Having babies safe in my arms is a blessing”, Maristsa Mavrapidou says of the role she and other islanders played in providing care and comfort to thousands of refugees who arrived in 2015. Mavrapidou, photographed collecting eggs from her chickens in Skala Sykamineas, was one of those who helped care for refugees. Photo: Daniel Etter.

The Wave

• Associated Press in Belgrade, Refugees stuck in Serbia begin marching towards Hungarian border, The Guardian, October 4, 2016

Refugees walk towards Serbian border with Hungary to protest against its closure for most people trying to reach EU. Photo: Darko Vojinović/AP.

Pole vault

Stefan Löffler (@StefanLoeffler)

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

London, United Kingdom: Hodan Omar, 27, from Somalia, photographed near London Bridge as part of photographer Caroline Irby’s series on British refugees who have sought safety in Britain. Photo: Caroline Irby/Rex Shutterstock.

Literary Coffee Break

“In case of assaults, thefts or muggings call 112 and make report, no self justice”. It is one of the many messages published both in Italian and Chinese on flyers and leaflets particularly appealing to citizens of Chinese origin on the urban security issue. It contains a number of practical suggestions about prevention strategies, such as the recommendation to not take along too much cash, to use a bank account for saving and withdraw from it only as much money as needed, as well as practical advice on how to behave and call for law enforcement assistance, if that is necessary, and make report. ”The security issue concerns everyone and it’s crucial that everyone who lives here may have confidence in our social authorities and institutions, and may be able to reach them in case of necessity”, Prato Vice Mayor Simone Faggi pointed out. “It doesn’t exist a security issue concerning one specific community, but rather all communities, and control of territory is done by our law enforcement forces also on the basis of the reports submitted. It is therefore essential that also the citizens of Chinese origin, in case of need, turn to the institutions and make report: patrols and squads, self justice, self-defence are inacceptable and lead nowhere”.

Municipality of Prato’s leaflet to support civic education and to promote civic engagement.

Worldsharing

Athens, Greece: A child takes part in a protest calling for open borders and better living conditions in the accommodation centres for refugees stranded in Greece. Photo: 新华通讯社 (Xīnhuá News Agency)/Shutterstock.