A garden has been created on Lampedusa to honor those, especially fisherman, who have saved the lives of migrants. It opened on the anniversary of one of the Mediterranean's worst migrant shipwrecks off the island's coast.
The Garden of the Righteous on the Italian island of Lampedusa is intended to honor those around the world who save the lives of others, but in particular the fishermen who have saved countless lives off Lampedusa in recent years.
The initiative was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Gariwo Foundation and the town council of Lampedusa and Linosa.
The inauguration ceremony was held on the 11th anniversary of the capsizing of a large vessel carrying hundreds of people on October 3, 2013. A total of 368 people lost their lives in the incident off the coast of the island.
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Place of memory and reflection
The Garden of the Righteous is located on a terrace overlooking Lampedusa's Porto Nuovo south of the island and is adjacent to the Archaeological Museum of the Pelagie Islands, which focuses on the link between the past and present, memory and hope.
"Creating a Garden of the Righteous on Lampedusa is a way of expressing gratitude to all the people who, acting on their own personal sense of responsibility, saved" people's lives, said Gariwo Foundation chief Gabriele Nissim.
"Lampedusa is the gate to Europe but it has also been a scene of indifference. For this reason, it is important to create a space that embodies the value of rescuing, in the Mediterranean as well as the rest of the world," Nissim continued.
"Starting from the recent history of the island, the garden celebrates rescuers from around the world and at the same time remembers those who have been saved, keeping all of humanity together."
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The Righteous
The first of the 'righteous' to be honored in the garden are the fishermen of Lampedusa and their families, who have long come to the rescue of those at sea, risking their lives to save hundreds of people in difficulty.
Among them is also Alexander Langer, a politician, journalist, and environmental activist who dedicated his life to promoting inter-ethnic dialogue, peace, and justice.
Langar fought against indifference and violence, serving as a bridge between cultures, populations, and humanitarian causes, representing a model of moral and civil commitment. He died in 1995.
Project to reaffirm values of solidarity and welcoming
Created with funds from the Fami 3928 Memoria, Migrazioni ed Accoglienza a Lampedusa project and designed by architect Brunello Sighinolfi, the garden aims to reaffirm the universal values of solidarity, justice, and welcoming, starting from Lampedusa as a symbol of openness, dialogue, and hope.
The garden is located only a few dozen meters from the New Hope memorial, created on the initiative of the Gariwo Foundation and Vito Fiorino to commemorate the 368 victims of the October 3, 2013 incident off Lampedusa.
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