For the 11th edition of Festival Francescano (Bologna 27-29 September 2019), the festival audience was able to attend the fast conference “Dialogue: the result of working together”.
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Mark Okale, a 23-year-old Nigerian political refugee, told his story and talked about his new life as a farmer at Selva Maggiore farm in Pianoro (Bologna), which is owned by Romagnoli F.lli S.p.A.
Six years ago, at just 17, Mark tackled the long journey which led him first to Libya through the desert and then, by boat, to Italy. It was an incredibly arduous journey to an unknown far-off destination, with many attempts to find a "place" in a foreign country, before his arrival in Bologna.
Mark’s words are testimony to a life experience that found its real haven in the welcome he received: in fact, it was in Bologna in 2016 that Mark met the Romagnoli siblings, Grazia and Giulio, who also attended the fast conference and own Selva Maggiore farm, where he started to work after he had finished his training period.
Alongside Mark, John and Saturday, another two young Nigerian farmers at Selva Maggiore, also shared their experience with the festival audience. Thanks to this job, they have been able to imagine the future of their dreams, with new plans for themselves and their families.
Grazia Romagnoli focused on the value of reciprocity and relations as the cornerstone for a relationship which gives new meaning to work, explaining how the meeting with Mark was one between two needs: the need to start a new life and the need to find someone who could look after the land and its fruits.
Giulio Romagnoli underlined how creating a working environment that can welcome your neighbour without any prejudice is a commitment to social responsibility for the company which, we hope, will be increasingly common in the business world.