For those arriving from the infamous Balkan Route, Trieste is the gateway to Italy, but also to Europe where many dream of taking back their lives after having lost everything. They come from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Iraq, Syria. And they cross the borders of various countries on long and very difficult journeys: Iran, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia. They are often rejected, even several times, in a backward path from which to start again: the gameit is called that game of chance conducted by facing the blackmail of traffickers and the brutality of rejections.
The Silos of Trieste – Barbara Zanon
If there is rightly a lot of talk about the lethal sea route, there is much less attention on the land route. As if these people, often entire families with children, matter less than those who flee Ukraine or arrive via the Mediterranean. We don’t talk about them or maybe we don’t want to see them. «Invisible»: for the institutions, for many Italians, for many media. Volunteering and the third sector in Trieste are multiplying their efforts to welcome people, the bishop of Trieste Enrico Trevisi himself has indicated the Silos as a priority in the solidarity action of the Diocese. But many remain outside. Literally.
The “blackboard” of the Italian courses organized by the volunteers – Barbara Zanon
They are those in transit to other countries, but also those who, despite having applied for asylum and therefore would be entitled to reception, have no alternative to taking refuge in the Silos. A large and derelict building, in the center of Trieste, which does not protect against cold, rain, bora, mud, mice. No water, no bathrooms, no nothing. Many people live there, at times up to 400 people, camped in the dilapidated structure and in the so-called World Square.
The Silos of Trieste – Barbara Zanon
A situation of very serious degradation, a denial of basic rights and of the very dignity of these human beings that Barbara Zanon – professional photojournalist and portraitist who has published in the major national and international newspapers – has documented with respect and passion. Underlining in her photos a hidden presence, an apparent absence of someone who prefers to remain “invisible” because she has already suffered too much in her journey. A precious look at the pain and brutalization of these people which has become a photographic exhibition, inaugurated today, and from tomorrow it can be visited for free at the Emergency headquarters in Venice, on the Giudecca. Furthermore, that of migrants from the Balkans is a reality that the NGO knows well, also thanks to the work of the outpatient clinic in Marghera where many refugees from that route also pass through.
The Silos of Trieste – Barbara Zanon
«Now the Municipal Administration – they explain to Emergency – has announced the eviction of the Silos. Is it because we realized that people so tried by a long journey, fraught with difficulties and dangers, by wounds, pain, hunger, cold, thirst, deserve attention, respect, care? Let’s hope so. We hope that it is not simply to open the gates and push them out, to make them even more invisible, or to transfer them to one of what they call reception centers but they are real prisons.”
The Silos of Trieste – Barbara Zanon
Through Barbara Zanon’s photographic reportage – and Pif’s documentaries made available by the Teche RAI Management – the exhibition aims to shed light on the suffering of those who, not by choice, flee from wars, natural disasters and poverty. In the same way, we want to enhance the work of volunteers who, day and night, without proclamations, implement the principles of equality, justice and responsibility.
The setup of the exhibition – Emergency
The exhibition can be visited from Wednesday to Saturday, from 11am to 6pm, from 10 May until 13 July 2024. The Enmergency headquarters in Venice is in Calle Fondamenta San Giacomo, 212, Giudecca. Free entry while places last. For information: [email protected] or 041-877931
