La memoria come strumento di ricomposizione dell'identità somala

Memory constitutes the foundation of identity, ensuring continuity between past and present and allowing individuals to give meaning to their existence. In societies marked by war, such as Somalia, the reconstruction of life stories strengthens collective identity and preserves the memory of a vanished world. Survivors become guardians of a cultural heritage essential for future generations. Writing down memories is crucial to saving them from oblivion and keeping historical consciousness alive. Language, the basis of subjectivity, allows individuals to organize memories and shape the self. Its poverty, however, limits the capacity for narration and weakens identity construction. Oral and written stories function as devices for individual and collective reconstruction. Somali migratory memories reveal the link between trauma, loss, and the search for belonging. Italy’s colonial oblivion deepens the lack of recognition toward these individuals. Remembering and narrating thus become political and cultural acts of regenerating shared memory.