On the 16th of November 2022 a seminar on the Italians of Tunisia was held at the Department of Political Sciences (Sapienza, University of Rome).
The seminar - co-organised by Consorzio Sapienza Innovazione - was attended by the students of the History and Institutions of Africa class, held by Professor Leila El Houssi, as well as by other students of the Department of Political Sciences, who met and exchanged views with representatives of the Tunisian society (Faouzi Mrabet director of the Tunisian cultural center in Rome) and government ( Marouan Kablouti charge d’affaires of the Tunisian embassy in Rome), as well as with the journalist of Rainews 24 Salah Methnani. In the reportage broadcasted during the seminar “Italiani di Tunisia”, the Tunisian journalist and author Salah Methnani focuses on the history of the Italians who chosed Tunisia as their new home, but had to experience various discriminations throughout the years. The topic is still underexplored, given the difficulty of consultation in the archives, nevertheless the reportage gave voice to many witnesses, who told about the history of their family. The Italians at hand were mainly Sicilians, who, motivated by poverty, emigrated from Italy to Tunisia during the second half of the nineteenth century, encouraged by the French programme of public works. The Italians were able to integrate themselves and to participate within the local society. These fishermen, workers and peasants established themselves in communities named “Little Sicilies”, as for example the Little Sicily of La Goulette, a harbor area of Tunis. Although it is not easy to estimate the exact numbers of Italians resident in Tunisia the reportage showed that according to the first official recording in 1871 they were 6.000, a number that rapidly grew up to more than 100.000 in the first half of the twentieth century. The discrimination and personal struggles for Italians in Tunisia were mainly caused by the tensions with the French (1881 establishment of the French protectorate) and their politics of naturalization. With the conclusion of the Second World War also the story of the Italian community in Tunisia came to an end, victim of the abrogation of the 1896 conventions and closure of various community’s institutions such as schools and the Dante Alighieri center. The country’s achievement of independence in 1956 set another negative impact on the Italian presence, many Italians decided to leave the country, returning to Italy or going to France. Many families were splitted in the migration process. Methnani told the students that there is still much to research, hoping that by talking about these issues there will be further opportunities to study in deep a long hidden page of history.
