Agape and ANOLF Alessandria, two small CSOs from Italy, had never worked with journalists before. They saw the Frame, Voice, Report programme as an opportunity to tell constructive stories about migration, their main field of work.

They cooperated with a journalist that specialized on migration issues. Together they implemented the project Many reasons to leave, a purpose to return. It aimed to explain the causes of migration to Piedmont citizens. The CSOs worked with Ali Sonha, a Gambian young man, who arrived in Italy and became a theatre actor. He wrote a theatre show about his experiences with migration.

Double purpose
The show played both in Gambia and in Piedmont and it had a double purpose. The first objective was to raise awareness among young Gambians about the hardships and downfalls of irregular migration and the importance of planning their future. The other objective was to make Italians understand the causes that push people to leave their home countries, despite the risks and the uncertainties.

Nationwide audience
Through the collaboration between CSOs and the journalist, the project reached a nationwide audience. Articles about the project were published in an Italian daily newspaper, Avvenire. Reports about the project and the theatre show were shown on Italian public broadcasting channel, Rai3. The journalists’ network created an opportunity for Ali Sonha’s tour to reach theatres and art schools in Turin as well – widening the audience base and the dissemination of the project themes.

The project video’s can be watched here.