Meet the collective rewriting the narrative around second-generation Italians
A team of Milan-based creatives has united to tell the inspiring stories of numerous Italians of African descent and highlight their contribution to the future of the country
Photography Karim El Maktafi
Learn, experience, excel, and teach — This is the motto of The Good Neighborhood Collective, an Instagram page launched by a young group of creatives with the aim of elevating the voices of second-generation Italians, and amplifying their professional experiences, through in-depth interviews shedding light on Italy’s social customs and workplace culture.
With a focus on Italians of African descent, the collective, which took shape in Milan over the past few months, wants to give visibility to the positive stories of ordinary people who succeeded in staying true to their origins while laying the foundation for a more culturally-diverse and inclusive Italy.
Putting integration at the core of their vision, the members of The Good Neighborhood Collective strive for a future where everyone will be able to follow the professional path they wish to pursue regardless of the colour of their skin.
“We are the change. We are the hope. We are the right choice. We are the future.” — The G N C
Featuring the personal reflections of African-Italians on themes such as discrimination, colourism, allyship, white privilege, and more, the collective intends to provide advice and educate people of all ages and backgrounds on what still needs to be done to improve today’s Italian social environment.
Among the others, the creators of the Instagram page have also developed subject-specific rubrics (e.g. Sapevi Che? and Fratelli d’Italia - Black Edition) presenting followers with anecdotes from the life of black personalities who — despite being overlooked by history books — have marked a milestone for the emancipation of generations of African-Italians as well as for that of the black community as a whole.
Below, we catch up with the collective to find out how they plan to turn their values into action.
We’ve got to know you as the faces behind The Good Neighborhood Collective, but who are Jon, Stephen, Martina, Lorenza, and Clement in their everyday life?
The G N C: We are just normal kids bound by the same idea, working together to create something positive for our community. Jon is a Photographer and Art Director born in Accra, Ghana, in 1989. He moved to Italy at a very young age. Stephen is a 27 years old Italian-born Designer and Art Director of Nigerian descent. Then we have Martina, a Project Manager class of ‘93, and Lorenza, a 25 years old singer, songwriter, and journalist. They are both Italian. Finally, there is Clement: born and raised in Italy, he is of Ghanaian origin and works in the world of marketing and retail. This was the original team when we started the collective, but we’ve just got two new entries: born in Catania in 1997, Siria is a third-year student in Graphic Design & Art Direction at NABA. She was raised in Milan and is of Mauritian descent. Amira is a 25 years old Graphic Designer, Editor, and IG Filter Creator of Moroccan origins.
You describe yourself as the change that Italy has been waiting for, as the hope and future of our generation. How did you connect with each other, and what made you think of creating a platform like The Good Neighborhood Collective?
The G N C: The page was actually launched a few years ago. At first, it was all about inspirational content created by black artists from all over the world. The concept behind The Good Neighborhood Collective as you know it today came to us during the first quarantine. Our region, Lombardy, was one of the worst-hit by the pandemic, so we started talking about what we could do locally for our people and, specifically, for the Afro-Italian community. We decided to archive the content that had been published so far and start from scratch, this time only focusing on the Italian scene.
The collective has been inspired by discussions we had on the obstacles and problems we have faced in the past. When coming up with tasks and roles for the platform, we really wanted to make sure to have the right personalities as members; thus, we began looking for different options among our group of friends, that’s how The Good Neighborhood Collective was born. Because of the fast pace at which the page is growing, the team has got bigger. We hope to be able to keep on growing, so as to include as many voices as possible in our collective.
Photography Karim El Maktafi
What’s your mission?
The G N C: Our goal is to truly bring about something new and create a common space where to give visibility to the testimonials of young African-Italians. We want to improve the Italian social environment by stimulating youth — what we believe to be its principal source of change — and we want to do so by turning the spotlight onto good examples coming from ordinary people. People that remind you of your friends or relatives. Unfortunately, even today, if you live in Italy, it is hard to get to know many Afro-Italian personalities from whom to get inspiration. That’s because, too often, they are not given enough exposure.
We, The Good Neighborhood Collective, as the future of this country want to change that. We believe that the youth should get closer to each other so as to learn from the experiences other people go through. We are trying to keep the page as inclusive as possible by sharing a wide variety of stories on topics such as cultural integration and social or work environment. A vital aspect of those testimonials is that each of them presents our followers with suggestions on how to better the current situation or with alternatives to the present system.
“We want to improve the Italian social environment by turning the spotlight onto good examples coming from ordinary people.” — The G N C
Your collective wants to amplify the voices of African-Italian creatives by serving as an outlet for their artistic talent and as a showcase for impactful collaborations. By what means are you planning to promote the values and vision you stand for? Should we look forward to any specific initiatives?
The G N C: Sadly, right now it’s impossible to organise events IRL, so we have been forced to focus more on our online presence. We have launched a couple of new formats on Instagram, each one tackling a different topic, as well as participating in bigger projects like the one we’ve done with Converse about a month ago. Instagram gives us the opportunity to easily connect with those who gravitate around our page, that’s one of the perks of the platform itself. Still, we are looking forward to collaborating with other creatives and organising physical events in the coming months.
It’s been almost two months since the launch of The Good Neighborhood Collective. What sort of feedback have you received so far? What are the highlights and the low points — if any — of these first few weeks?
The G N C: Our following keeps on growing on a daily basis, which is great. Considering the short time that has gone since the launch of the page, it’s crazy to think that a huge brand like Converse chose to collaborate with us to support our mission. To be fair, we really weren’t expecting anything like that to happen. We’re grateful for everything we’ve accomplished so far and hopeful that what we’ve created will give us the strength and energy necessary to grow even bigger in 2021.
Photography Karim El Maktafi
Your platform was born in Milan, a city known for its internationally praised fashion industry as well as the fast-paced lifestyle. Considered the economic heart of Italy, Milan is also one of the leaders of the country’s creative sector, but how welcoming is the city to second-generation Italians?
The G N C: Milan is probably Italy’s most international city and that’s why, now more than ever, the creative scene is full of personalities with a mixed cultural background. To be part of this specific sector is rather intense as there is a lot of competition out there. Still, the creative industry is also one of the few markets where you get the chance to fully express yourself and your artistic vision. In that sense, having roots in different countries can be a plus. We really believe that, if we work hard enough, it will all pay off eventually.
“We are just normal kids bound by the same idea, working together to create something positive for our community.” — The G N C
How would you like Italy’s attitude towards Italians with a diverse cultural background to change in the future, and what can be done concretely to speed up that process?
The G N C: We truly hope Italians will become more aware of the diversity distinguishing other cultures from the Italian one. Many people still need to make the “next step” and stop seeing foreigners in a bad light. We also hope that more and more young African Italians will have the opportunity — and space — to talk about their background, skills, ambitions, and personality. For us, it is fundamental to support and train the youth providing them with numerous good examples coming from ordinary people who are a bit further on their personal journey.
You’ve just got started but it looks clear that The Good Neighborhood Collective has all the potential necessary to grow bigger. How is the platform going to expand in the coming months, and what will the collective look like in the post-coronavirus era?
The G N C: If you are part of a collective, organising events is crucial, especially when it comes to fostering positive exchanges between people. We know this isn’t the best moment to start planning things like that, but we really can’t wait to be able to share our thoughts and ideas with others who believe in what we do and strive for our same values. That’s something that has been missing in Italy for a long time and who knows? Maybe that’s exactly what people need in order to make integration happen.
Photography Karim El Maktafi
