Nomadic Wax continue their Audio Documentary series with AFRItalian, a short musical adventure into the experience of African immigrants in Italy. The docu-mixtape was co-produced with Dj Nio (Zero Plastica).

Widespread anti-Immigrant sentiment is nothing new in Italy, especially anti-African sentiment. This after all is a country in which a member of former Prime minister Berlusconi's main ally, the Northern League, could put forward a proposal for racial segregation on trains, trams and buses, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

As the UK Guardian wrote a couple of years ago, Italy is a country united by racism, and not even the Vatican's condemnation made much of a difference.

 Protests after the shootings in Florence in December, 2011

So it came as no surprise to most observers, and least of all to Italy's African population, when in December last year one rightwing sympathiser went on a shooting spree in Florence, killing two Senegalese street vendors and injuring three more. Some Italians tried to deflect criticism by suggesting the guy was just a madman, but as one of those who staged a protest march following the incident said, "Don't tell us he was a madman, because if he was he would have killed whites as well as blacks".
 
This is the environment from which those interviewed on AFRItalian report. Racism in Italy is not going anywhere anytime soon, but migrant activists are now becoming more vocal.

Listen to AFRItalian and learn more.