In this sad political moment for Italy, with a racist leader and hate feeder like Salvini, I was living in London for work and I had promised myself to never return to Italy if the Lega party will win the elections.
Unfortunately, it happened with a surprisingly broad consensus. The monstrosity made by this Government is to see the “brothers of Italy” united through ethnic discrimination towards other peoples. It is because of Salvini’s propaganda that many Italians have turned against Africans and have started to be obtuse people who point the finger at the immigrants who live in our Country, sometimes without not even a reason.
I was ashamed of Italy every time I saw the BBC News, which emphasize the racism of my country when until a few time ago, Italy was considered the Nation of solidarity and acceptance. Here, as our ancestors of Magna Greece have taught us, “the guest is sacred”. Or at least it always has been…
So I couldn’t manage to sit down and don’t do anything. I decided to use my company of bookings and promotion of artists called Gege Vibes Worldwide Music Group, alongside the established selecta and promoter Timeless Sound, a native of Gambia, to involve young Africans (also coming from the communities, from migrant reception centers or from the streets) in the promotion of events in Italy that will host our international singers or Djs so that we can help the kids learn a trade and build their own upcoming brands. Because music unites, generates integration, helps to understand each other, to socialize …
Jereh Njai, aka Mighty Timeless, is a Gambian resident in Berlin, and founder of the prestigious Timeless Sound. He has embraced the initiative underlining how the cooperation between the two cultures could even be a determining factor for the entire Italian economy, just as it has been for years in Germany where Europeans and Africans live together and where integration is not a utopia but a fact.
Mighty is a prime example of this: he created a great business in the German capital relating to musical promotion in which people of all races work in a team.
I am sure that together we will be able to achieve great results in unity and peace also in our country, Italy: we have shows scheduled for the summer with aspiring Gambian promoters supervised by us in Naples, Catania, Bologna, Milano, and Catanzaro. This is a meaningful example that this project can really unite every latitude here too.
Our goal is also to allow young Africans to become one-day professional promoters or successful artists, offering them the right experience and knowledge of the sector. We also want those who come from a more unfortunate background to choose the path of art rather than crime.
And believe me, it’s a really nice feeling to see what the music could create thanks to the universal language that composes it … What better genre than reggae music that always has professed peace and love to unite populations?
“One love” is precisely the concept to feel that we are all brothers and sisters. We want Italians and Africans to meet together at the same party, to dance, make friends and start collaborations. We no longer want to see people with prejudices and immigrants who feel they are only unwanted foreigners without any space in society. Some days ago I was talking to Curtis, an eighteen-year-old from Gambia who actually lives in the community in Bologna. I met him in a club during a date of my tours. Curtis is so in love with reggae music that he defines Timeless his father and hero. He also called me his mother. He said that he is very proud of my projects, but that he will make me even more proud of him because he wants to reach a high level of education. He confided to me that he wants to enroll in the University to get graduation to become an architect. He is learning to draw on his laptop already. You have no idea how these words filled my heart with joy. These guys are called “Ghetto Youths”. Sometimes they arrive in Italy with nothing, only with their great talent. Many of them know how to sing, others can dance, and others want to organize events or study at the University. “Ghetto Youths”, make sure I and Daddy Timeless will do everything to help as many as guys possible. We need to be a healthy example for them because everyone deserves at least one chance to prove their own worth. Music is not just notes in succession, music is the most powerful channel for changing the state of things, music is a life mission …
Eugenia Conti
