Salah Methnani’s Immigrato, written after Italy’s Martelli Law reforms, is a sad story about the difficulties faced by North African migrants trying to find dignity and feel at home in a new country. Methnani’s writing is a mix of diary and social commentary. It shows what it is like to be “othered” (to be treated differently) in a society that is still finding its own multicultural identity. His writing is honest and raw, and makes readers feel like they are experiencing migration for themselves. It shows that migration is not just about moving from one country to another, but also about a deep change in who you are and in the society around you. Methnani’s work helped create space for literature about migrants in Italian writing. It focused on themes of struggle, identity, and belonging. These themes are still being discussed today when we talk about inclusion.
