Migrant Vendors in Italy: An “Interference” or has it become part of the Rhythm?

The “rhythms” of a certain place or country can typically be thought of as the traditional, “typical,” or cliché actions, movements, people, sounds, and images that are connected to that specific place. The “interruptions,” then, are things that may “interfere” with these rhythms –– they might be the rhythms of migrants, tourists, or people with other cultural backgrounds that interrupt the country’s dominant rhythm. This article focuses on migrant vendors who are oftentimes described as a nuisance to the country.

A mural in Piazza Vittorio, a popular migrant destination in Rome, representing a crane carrying immigrants.

Wherever there are tourists, there will likely be street vendors trying to sell souvenirs such as selfie sticks, purses, Pope figurines, toys, and anything else that may attract the eye of a tourist. The items are oftentimes identical to every other vendor’s that one may encounter, and majority of these venders are from Senegal, Bangladesh, China, and other large migrant populations.

These street vendors are oftentimes described as a nuisance; however, for the street vendors themselves, “the often illegal peddling of mass-produced souvenirs is a way of survival for both themselves and their families back in Bangladesh, China or Senegal” (Harboe, 2016).

Although these vendors can be “annoying” or “pushy,” there is also a lot of understanding of their situations. It is difficult enough for native Italians to find work amongst the current unemployment crisis –– migrants are facing these same issues, as well as a number of other hardships, “with many of them trying to carve out a decent living and return money to their families back home, all the while living a life on the edge of legal society,” (Harboe, 2016).

According to the latest data from ISTAT (Italian statistics), “the average level of poverty lies around 8.9 percent for Italians, while the poverty for non-natives lies around 28.6 percent,” (Harboe, 2016).

Moreover, according to a study done on migrant flower sellers in Naples, “most of the interviewees (80%) said that selling flowers is the only work they can have in their condition as they do not have regular documents and do not speak Italian” (unicri.it) –– the situation is most likely similar amongst most migrant vendors in Italy and other countries in Europe.

In addition to having limited employment options, many migrants settle for low-paying, and oftentimes illegal vending jobs because their journeys to Italy have left them stifled in debt –– “The majority of the respondents (63%) did not have enough money for the journey and asked for a loan or sold properties,” (unicri.it). They will settle for the low-salary and poor working conditions because they are desperate to pay off their loans.

Moreover, many of these migrants’ families rely on them for remittances. According to statistics from the World Bank, “Bangladesh annually receives 154,6 million Euro from Italy, Senegal receive 259,7 million Euro and Chinese families receives 1,03 billion … With almost a tenth of the two countries economy coming from the men and women living abroad, it becomes quite clear why there are people willing to put themselves in such bad working conditions in order to make a living. A lot more people than themselves depend on it,” (Harboe, 2016).

As mentioned previously, many of the souvenirs sold are identical to one another. This is because most of the souvenirs are purchased from whole-sale shops typically run by Chinese immigrants. These shops are located in Vittorio Emanuele, a town that has been described as the “multiethnic heart of Rome” –– “The overwhelming majority of stores are owned by either Bangladeshi or Chinese shop owners,” and “the amount of Italian stores around this park can be counted on one hand,” (Harboe, 2016).

The wholesale Chinese-made souvenir shops are seemingly identical; and what is especially strange is the lack of customers in any of the shops.

Apparently, “They are empty because they are meant as showrooms. People can sample and see the goods, and then buy in huge bulks… They can’t sell to shoppers on the street. If someone wants to buy from the stores, they’ll have to have a Partita Iva, a license to buy for business purposes. There are plenty of official sales done this way, but from what I know there are also plenty of people who buy from within the shops, illegally,” says Laura Antonucci, a tour guide from Rome,” (Harboe, 2016).

Recently, though, there have been rumors of the new Italian populist coalition government “cracking down” on illegal street vendors, who, as we know, are majority migrants.

The new rules were proposed after a viral video revealed two Senegalese vendersattacking two police officers who attempted to confiscate 160 fake designer bags and other goods from the street sellers (Tomlinson, 2018).

However, it could be argued that this event was just the catalyst, or justification, used in order to further disenfranchise migrants –– this would not be surprising considering the growing hostility towards migrants that has followed the increasing popularity of The Northern League and its federal secretary, Matteo Salvini.

After the video went viral, Salvini commented, saying: “Expulsions for illegal immigrants and restoring a climate of legality to our cities is my goal,” directly correlating illegality and violence to migrants.

It seems unlikely that this will evoke any beneficial results because, as we know, these migrants rely so heavily on this kind of work since they have very little to no other options.

There are, though, many migrant vendors not involved in illicit vending. Also located in Vittorio Emanuele is the New Esquiline Market. This once “average neighborhood market catering to middle-class Italians” (Donadio, 2013) has now become a center of multiculturalism.

The market has immensely evolved as immigration has increased –– “First, it was internal immigration, immigrants from the south, from Calabria, Puglia and Sicily. Then Poles came under Wojtyla,” said Fausto Bonanni, an Italian vendor, referring to Pope John Paul II, (Donadio, 2013).

Then, in the 1990’s migrants from Bangladesh, India, and South America arrived, as well as immigrants from China, which is when the neighborhood began to transform into what some describe as “the Chinatown of Rome.”

“The number of foreign-born residents residing legally in Italy has tripled in the last decade, to about 4.3 million out of a population of 59 million. The largest groups are from Romania, Albania, Morocco and China, but other ethnicities are on the rise. The number of Bangladeshis in Italy has risen to more than 82,000 in 2011, the last year for which data was available, from 20,000 in 2003,” (Donadio, 2013).

Nowadays, the market offers a variety of food from various cultures –– “There are Chinese dried mushrooms, odd warty gourds, lemongrass, chili peppers, yams and spices. South American stalls sell mango juice and Inca cola in Technicolor hues. A Polish butcher carries a variety of sausages. In one stall, an advertisement for Nestlé powdered milk reads, ‘Ramadan Mubarak,’ or Happy Ramadan,” (Donadio, 2013).

Mostafa, a vender in the market from Egpyt, describes how as many of the Italian vendors grow older, they sell their businesses to young people. “These young people are foreigners, because Italians want to do other kinds of jobs,” says Mostafa.

The youth unemployment crisis in Italy has led to many young Italians migrating to other countries to find work. Instead, migrants have been filling these unwanted, or less-desired, jobs. According to Riccardo Staglianò, the author of Thanks: Why We’d Be Lost Without Immigrants, argues that “immigrants have become essential in Italy in fields as diverse as construction and health care for Italy’s growing elderly population,” (Donadio, 2013).

This market is a primary example of how migrants are changing the face of Italy, and how co-existence and cooperation can work; although many people are opposed to this “change,” it is apparent that Italy has been changing for years, and that the change may be necessary. These migrants can fill the jobs that are left vacant by the fleeting young people.

The presence of migrants in Italy is not a new thing, nor is it an “interruption.” It is, instead, part of the dominant rhythm.