Fertile Ground

 

On my last day in Cagliari, I went for a walk around the Marina area, which is the quarter most exposed to tourists due to its location near the port. 

Having visited Cagliari every year for the past sixteen years, it pains me to witness the slow degradation of this well-known area. Not only is it rundown, but it is also almost entirely devoid of Italian businesses. Even the newspaper stand in the arcade off the Via Roma, where I used to buy the German magazine "Der Spiegel", is no longer there. In its place stands yet another of the countless businesses run by Bangladeshi and other newly arrived immigrants. Where Italian businesses once thrived, the streets are now filled with small shops run by Bangladeshi immigrants and others from Africa. Walking up the Via Ludovico Baylle, I saw perhaps only two or three Italian establishments left.

This stark transformation brought to mind a statement once made by J.D. Vance (to paraphrase, that Europe is dying) and it occurred to me that this rundown and altered area could easily become fertile ground for anti-immigrant sentiment. While I despise Mr Vance and disagree with the assessments made by him and others in the US administration regarding London being crime-ridden, a state of affairs like that in the Marina could well fuel anger against foreigners. 

Of course, I would have liked to see Italian businesses flourishing in the Marina. I enjoy travelling because of my appreciation for different cultures and distinct cities; however, if I wish to experience Bangladeshi or African culture, I would prefer to travel to those countries directly (though, as for Africa, I have unfortunately only managed to visit Malawi, which I loved). Yet, I have a different perspective on this situation. The reality of the Marina demonstrates the remarkable resilience of these Bangladeshi and other immigrants. They surely possess something admirable in their survival kit. The other side of the coin, however, is that younger Italians seem to lack such a kit. If these immigrants can manage it, surely the Italians can too.

In my opinion, this is a matter that needs addressing. I sometimes have the impression that young people are simply too comfortable living with their parents, meaning they feel no immediate need to stock up their own survival kits. However, I fear that the next world wars may be upon us, following the brewing economic malaise we are currently witnessing. When that happens, these comforts will be stripped away, and they will be forced to act. Perhaps it is indeed time for a crisis to arrive and for the existing order, which, in any case, only benefits the wealthy and the baby boomers, to be destroyed, so that a new one may emerge from the ashes. I only wish we could transition to this new order without the necessity of such destruction. 🙏🙏🙏