Berlin – Literature, Igiaba Scego guest of the Italian Cultural Institute

Racism, integration, roots and identity. These, amongst others, will be discussed at the Italian Cultural Institute in Berlin on Tuesday January 19 (at 7:00pm) on the occasion of the presentation of the book “La mia casa è dove sono” (Home is where I am). The Italian Cultural Institute will be hosting writer Igiaba Scego who was born in Rome in 1974 from Somali parents (her father, Foreign Minister, chose exile in Italy following the military coup d’état by Siad Barre). The journalist and writer defines herself as a “black Roman”, “Somali of origin and Italian by vocation”, “Afro-Italian”, with a “composite identity” and “second generation writer”. “La mia casa è dove sono” – 2011 winner of the Mondello prize – is her fourth novel. Today, Igiaba Scego lives in Rome, where she splits her time between writing and working. She collaborates with various magazines and newspapers covering African cultures and migrations. Her works, which  mainly focus on the dialogue between cultures, transculturalism and migrations,  are characterised by the delicate balance of her two cultural roots, Italian and Somali, which skilfully reflect the syncretic dimension in which the author grew up. Elisabetta Gaddoni will be moderating the meeting (in Italian with simultaneous interpretation) promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute.