Igiaba Scego’s Roma negata: The ethical nomadism of a second generation migrant writer

Igiaba Scego (Born 1974, Rome) belongs to the Italian-Somali “Second Generation” of writers. This article focuses on her essay Roma negata, Percorsi postcoloniali nella città, published in 2014, which shows exploration of the city of Rome, as painted by the author, as not just a simple tourist activ...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Bovo, Martine
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2019
Country:Brasil
Institution:Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)
Repository:Letras de Hoje (Online)
Language:Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br:article/33259
Online Access:https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/fale/article/view/33259
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Igiaba Scego. Rome. Nomadism. Ethical writing. Post-colonial approach. Roma negata.
Igiaba Scego. Roma. Nomadismo. Escritura ética. Visión poscolonial. Roma negata.
Igiaba Scego. Roma. Nomadismo. Escrita ética. Visão pós-colonial. Roma negata.
Description
Summary:Igiaba Scego (Born 1974, Rome) belongs to the Italian-Somali “Second Generation” of writers. This article focuses on her essay Roma negata, Percorsi postcoloniali nella città, published in 2014, which shows exploration of the city of Rome, as painted by the author, as not just a simple tourist activity, but having an ethical approach aiming to inform Italians about the obstinacy, even today, of a colonialist heritage being part of their lifestyle and sensibility. Scego’s touring of Rome is directly linked to nomadism, reminiscent of maternal cultural roots, and focuses the attention on the human bodies and monuments of Rome by connecting the colonial time with the actual present of Italy. While doing that, Scego makes the usual perception of Rome collapse and brings us a new way to see the city by making a post-colonial mapping of the capital, engaged and full of emotion.