The Sicily of Sicilian migrants exists only in their memories like the faded dreams of a past youth, vivid in the mind’s eye, too idealised to be true. Memories distort the events of everyday life as they are created by the senses and are carved into the human mind by emotions. We remember many things like people’s faces, places, aromas, personalities, situations, the people we love and hate, nightmares and desires. Memories are subjective and exist in the fluid part of the brain which can be easily distorted yet paradoxically remain extremely vivid.
Sicily is where all contradictions come together to concoct a place dominated by superstitions, fears, harsh and sweet memories, characters, traditions, endless stories of fantasy and passion, mythology, religion, violence, eccentricity and timelessness. Sicily is where the random and implausible come together. It would take many lifetimes to understand its origins, personality and soul. Sicily is where remnants of memories connected to past lifetimes are discovered.
This island is a real enigma shaped by an interminable amount of history which hasn’t always treated the place well, ever since there has been human life Sicily has been inhabited, sometimes peacefully but mostly violently with many centuries of unrest and conflict which has ravaged this place, many towns are filled with the spirit of often self-inflicted bloodshed and defeat.
Sicilian’s have developed an amazing resilience, past generations have lost so much and have been so disadvantaged, yet they have always been able to live in the moment and appreciate the smaller things in life because what you are is so much greater than your situation. So if you want to socialize, drink good wine, eat the best meal of your life and learn to live every moment to the full then defiantly visit Sicily.
Throughout all of history, Sicilians have been immigrants, whether it be moving within their island as agricultural workers have always done, following the seasonal harvests around the island, from wheat in the summer, to olives and citrus in the winter. From the post world war periods which took them to the America’s and Australia. Or other generations who moved closer to home in Northern Italy to work in the factories in the 1960’s and further North still into the heavily industrialised European countries such as Germany in the 1980‘s. And now the new generation of graduates living and working all around the world today.
It always irritates me to hear people say how their grandparents, great grandparents or other relatives moved from Sicily to America, Australia, Canada or any other destination, so they could build a better life. These migrants didn’t know if they were going to have a better life, many returned home poorer than they left, others persisted and managed to fashion out a good life in Sicily. They simply went where the work was. Others were lucky, working hard all of their lives, educating themselves and their families and now future generations are wealthy and prospering. The legacy of migrants, is the ability to persist, work and to pull themselves and future generations up through life.
I don’t think the children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren should ever look down on Sicily. It is an ancient place filled with history, with a unique energy, vivaciousness and life. A life lived in Sicily isn’t about being poor or underprivileged it’s about having the strength to overcome. It is about a community which is like an extended family that protects one another, it is about dropping everything and helping out if there is an emergency or simply taking the moment to stop and say hello.
It is the Sicilian blood in migrant veins which has made them thrive, it has given them the drive, the persistence to overcome, the shrewdness to navigate life and the energy to hustle through difficult times. Remember you are where you are thanks to the sacrifice of generations before you, so be humble and thankful for being of Sicilian heritage. No only Sicilians but migrants from any time or origin are exceptional as they are made to survive and prosper.
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