Cagliari, 2010
Along highway 554, there is a Roma camp.

Built in the late ’80s, after the death of a child in the fire of the shack where she lived, the camp is almost invisible, and many in Cagliari are unaware of its existence. About 150 people live there in conditions of extreme hardship. 
Since its construction, the City has never done any maintenance of the facilities, even though 275.000 euro have been allocated for routine daily cleaning, small repairs, cultural mediation and the transportation of children to primary schools. Another 400.000 euro are available to the department of Public Works for maintenance.
Not one euro of these resources has been spent: roads, water mains and sewers are broken. The area is flooded with stagnant water, often filthy, and infested with rats and cockroaches. About a year ago, the ASL (he alt authority) launched a health alert, ordering the City to intervene.
We like to hope that among the intentions of the administrators there isn’t that of making the situation so unlovable as to be left with no other option than a “humanitarian evacuation”
Last winter, after a power failure, which for a days the electricity supply company failed to repair, a family, in attempt to keep warm, was poisoned by the fumes of a makeshift heater and was hospitalized.
This is when we met them.
A life spent grappling with bureaucratic bottlenecks, police harassment and problems concerning the daily management of malfunctioning or nonexistent basic services. A life that has amazed us for it’s continued vitality, in spite of everything. 

Texts _ © Redazione Fuoritema  2010 n.0
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