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Refugees Bring New Life to a Village

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  • Who helped turn Riace’s future around?
    Domenico Lucano, a teacher from Riace, helped turn the village around with his ideas for welcoming refugees.
  • What is Riace?
    Riace is a small village in Calabria, Italy, which was once poor and facing a decline in population.
  • What caused the population decline in Riace during the 1990s?
    A shortage of jobs led many inhabitants, especially young people, to leave the village in search of work.
  • Who made a documentary about Riace and what was it called?
    German film director Wim Wenders made a short documentary about Riace called Volo (The Flight).
  • What was Domenico Lucano’s idea when he saw refugees on the beach in 1998?
    He decided to welcome the refugees into Riace, offering them food, accommodation, and work, while they would also learn Italian.
  • How did Lucano house the refugees?
    Lucano used empty buildings that had been abandoned for years to provide homes for the refugees.
  • From which countries did the refugees come to Riace?
    Refugees came from Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and other places.
  • What was the state of the village in the 1990s?
    Many houses were empty, there were no restaurants, very few shops, and Riace was becoming a ghost town.
  • What happened to the school in Riace in the 1990s?
    The only school in the village closed due to the lack of children and the village’s declining population.
  • What kind of work did the refugees do in Riace?
    The refugees worked in workshops and renovated empty houses, some of which were rented out to tourists.
  • What recognition did Domenico Lucano receive in 2010?
    Lucano was voted third in the “World Mayor” competition and was praised for his courage and compassion.
  • What position did Domenico Lucano hold in Riace in 2004?
    Domenico Lucano became the mayor of Riace in 2004.
  • Who visited Riace to learn from Lucano’s ideas?
    Many politicians visited Riace, hoping to apply Lucano’s ideas to their own towns and cities.
  • What did Lucano achieve as mayor of Riace?
    Lucano created jobs, prevented villagers from moving away, and helped refugees, improving the community’s economic and social situation.
  • How many refugees currently live in Riace?
    Between two and three hundred immigrants now live in Riace.
  • What did Lucano call the organization he created?
    Lucano created an organization called Città Futura (City of the Future).
  • What was the main goal of Lucano’s organization?
    The goal was to bring more inhabitants to Riace, using refugees who were looking for a home to help revitalize the village.
  • What was the impact of the refugees on the local economy?
    The refugees contributed to the local economy by creating handicrafts to sell in local shops and renovating houses for tourists.
  • What happened to the school in Riace after the refugees arrived?
    The school reopened because more children arrived with the refugees.
  • How did the arrival of refugees affect the local job market?
    The organization Città Futura became the biggest employer in the village, creating jobs for both locals and refugees.
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