Source: Time

The Sicilian village of Sutera, like many in rural Italy was dying. Its population fell from 5,000 in 1970 to 1,500 and there was little hope of revival. Its schools and businesses were closing and farmers struggled to tend its fields of pistacchio and olives.

This year, its population has surged by 200 after the local mayor agreed to take in some of the thousands of migrants that have made the dangerous journey from Africa to the Sicily.

“We have always been a hospitable town,” says the Mayor of Sutera, Giuseppe Grizzanti. “Our name comes from the ancient Greek word Soterwhich means ‘salvation’ because, thanks to our geographical location, Sutera was a perfect stronghold against invasions. Two thousand years later, our town has rediscovered its vocation for hospitality, giving shelter to these families fleeing war.”

Sutera has more to offer than hospitality. Hundreds of its homes were empty and and it even had work to offer. “Sutera was disappearing,” says Grizzanti. “Italians, bound for Germany or England, packed up and left their homes empty. The deaths of inhabitants greatly outnumbered births. Now, thanks to the refugees, we have a chance to revive the city.”

The local school was once attended by hundreds of children, but it was reduced to one class with six pupils. It has had an influx of new pupils providing work for teachers. Other businesses such as chemists, squares, butchers, grocers and bars have also benefitted. Each morning, the elders of Sutera sip espresso with their new neighbors. They chat casually, tell jokes and learn a few words of each other’s languages.

Here, every August, local associations organize the “festival of hospitality”, an event that attracts visitors from all over Sicily. The refugees cook typical dishes from their homeland, sing songs and perform traditional dances.

The situation in Sutera shows that a warm welcome can have an economic impact. The money to host immigrants comes from the European Union, which guarantees refugees a modest sum of money for food and other necessities and good accommodation.

This money allows Alex Ukunboru, 39, to live with his wife in a spacious apartment with kitchen, living room, bathroom, two bedrooms and a small balcony, overlooking a green countryside with olive groves. This house once belonged to one of the many inhabitants of Sutera who left for England in the 1980s to find work and without the arrival of asylum seekers it would likely remain vacant forever.

“I came to Sutera last October, from the state of Edo in Nigeria,” says Ukunboru. “In 2008, I moved to Libya where I worked as a waiter and driver in Benghazi. When the war broke out I found myself trapped in the city. As soon as we had the chance, my wife and I escaped aboard a boat and we arrived in Sicily last September.”

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