The GATE to hope

During the meeting in Palermo in March we had the chance to meet Lidia Tilotta, the writer of the latest best seller Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe (or as the original title goes Lacrime di Sale ,

Tears of Salt).The journalist of RAI and the author read passages from the book and had the kindness and patience to answer all our questions.

Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe is a firsthand touching testimony of the tragedy taking place on the small island of Lampedusa. An Island which symbolically has turned into the Gate to a promised land and a passage to hope, with its guarding angel a.k.a Dr Pietro Bartolo. One by one unbelievable stories of people , pictures of biblical tragedy and inhumanity unfolds via Lidia Tolotta’s pen making us ask ourselves, “In what language do you cry?” “What colour is pain?”,”Which religion does hope belong to?”,”What’s a life worth?”….

Our project is about Tolerance and meeting Lidia Tilotta and reading the book gave us strength and motivation to inform, educate and promote tolerance and maybe leave our comfort zone. We are educators, and we are here to give knowledge, awareness, to encourage ideas and justice. When history is written of our time future generations should not ask themselves how we allowed this to happen, why did we turn a blind eye. The project had its last meeting in Prievidza, but the tragedy is not over and the book has no end. Let us work and hope that the kids we educate will build a more beautiful world.

The Gate Teachers

We would like to thank Liceo Scientifico B.Croce in Palermo, the Headmastress and the coordinators of the Project,as well as Lidia Tilotta for the book copies in all languages spoken by the participant countries.