A people who sought to rediscover their history, a history that had faded into oblivion and of which little remains, the history of those deported from Ethiopia during the 1937-1939 war years, who were also exiled to Asinara. After a visit to the island, some 85 years later, 60 descendants and family members, present in Porto Torres this morning for the cultural project "From Oblivion to Memory. History of the Ethiopian Deportees to Asinara (1937–1939)," promoted by the Sealand Asinara Cooperative with the support of the Fondazione di Sardegna, the Municipality of Porto Torres, the Asinara National Park Authority, the Association of Exclusive Guides of Asinara (Agua), and the Educando Asinara Network, were welcomed to the Palazzo del Marchese to receive an official greeting from Mayor Massimo Mulas on behalf of the municipal administration and the entire Asinara community.
"In a time marked, even in Europe, by terrible conflicts, initiatives like this are a powerful call for peace, brotherhood, and historical memory. Today," the mayor declared, "I don't just want to recall a sad page in the history of your families, for which I apologize on behalf of the entire community, but above all I want to share the feeling I felt when I met you. Observing your faces, your gazes, and your smiles, I was convinced that there are two ways to react to suffering. There are those who choose to close themselves off, allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by feelings of mistrust towards others, and those, like you, who decide to open their hearts and express positivity to others. In a historical period in which it is increasingly difficult to say with certainty " it will never happen again ," your eyes convey the ability to transform the story of pain into joy and curiosity for life, giving me hope for the future of my community, yours, and all communities that believe in the importance of memory. I thank you, therefore, for coming to our city, allowing us to ideally embrace each of you, demonstrating how twinning between peoples can be written and formal or, like ours, human and warm."
During the day, the delegation also visited the Turris Libisonis archaeological site, exploring the city's millennia-old history and the cultural heritage that Porto Torres preserves. "This was an opportunity for mutual exchange and enrichment," emphasized Councilor for Culture Maria Bastiana Cocco, "which helped strengthen the bonds between our communities. It was a particularly meaningful moment, made possible by the expertise of the director of the Turritano Antiquarium, Stefano Giuliani, who accompanied the delegation on a journey of historical knowledge, and by the commitment of the Sealand Asinara Cooperative, the promoter of the entire initiative, which has profound human and cultural value."
