Fortunatamente nera
(Luckily black) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
From an early age, Nogaye wondered where she belonged. Despite having a home, a family, and friends, she always felt torn between two worlds. Born in Italy to parents of Senegalese heritage and raised in a small provincial town, Nogaye absorbed all the prejudice and rejection that much of the Italian society reserves for those who are “foreign” and instinctively sought, with all her heart, to belong to a majority that made her feel different. For years, she made excuses not to go to Senegal to meet her extended family; for years, she suffered because of her ‘wrong’ appearance; for years, she went by another name, Noghina. But Noghina and Nogaye are two souls of the same person, two souls that escaped each other, fought each other, but in the end embraced and came together like pieces of a puzzle.
Edited by: Centro MeTRa - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Comment:
In this intense and personal book, Nogaye Ndiaye intertwines memoir and public education to recount her journey of identity deconstruction and rediscovery of her roots. Through lucid and brave narration, the author illuminates the contradictions of Italian society, often hidden behind invisible but pervasive racist overstructures. The volume is divided into two symbolic parts: Noghina, the name the author used in the past in an attempt to appear more “Italian,” and Nogaye, the name she has chosen to proudly embrace, marking the beginning of a new life of authenticity. A law graduate, Ndiaye is also the voice behind the Instagram profile @leregoledeldirittoperfetto, which began as a space dedicated to study methods and then evolved into a place for reflection on racism, identity, and social awareness. A necessary book that invites us to look within ourselves and not turn a blind eye to the discrimination of the present.