The Sicilian island of Lampedusa from
Monday through Thursday (September 30-October 3) will remember
the 368 victims of a migrant shipwreck in 2013 with a series of
events organized as part of the 11th day in memory of the
victims of immigration.
The protagonists of initiatives will include European students,
as well as survivors, the families of victims and NGOs.
The commemoration is organized by the October 3 Committee set up
after the tragedy, which pushed to have October 3 recognised in
Italy as the national day of remembrance and reception.
The committee each year organises awareness raising events on
Lampedusa culminating in the official commemorations on the
anniversary itself,.
In particular, the events this year will see the participation
of music group Spillover, singers and song-writers Sandro Joyeux
and Lello Analfino, Chris Obehi, MEPs Marco Tarquinio and Matteo
Ricci, Rome councillors Claudia Pratelli and Miguel Gotor, Mons.
Giuseppe Cumbo, vicar general of the archidiocese of Agrigento
and the imam of Catania Kheit Abdelhafid, among others.
In the morning of October 3, a march organized to protest
against migrant deaths at sea will be followed by an
inter-religious commemoration and a ceremony at sea in front of
the Isola dei Conigli where the shipwreck took place 11 years
ago, killing 368 people, mostly Eritrean refugees.
The events will be attended by nearly 600 students from 12
Italian regions and six European countries.
"The objective is to promote occasions for new European
generations so they can learn to promote a welcoming culture of
solidarity to fight intolerance, racism and discrimination and
favour inclusion processes" for migrant people, said the October
3 Committee.
"The initiatives are aimed at strengthening the awareness and
knowledge of young students on the themes of migration, global
interdependence and human rights, cultural integration and the
inclusion of migrant people, refugees and asylum seekers", it
added.
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