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Ethiopian migrant brings the Italian hills alive with the sound of goats

Ersin Çelik
12:55 - 20/07/2018 Friday
Update: 12:59 - 20/07/2018 Friday
REUTERS
Mochena goats nuzzles up to Ethiopian Agitu Idea Gudeta, 40, at her stable at the Valle dei Mocheni near Trento, Italy
Mochena goats nuzzles up to Ethiopian Agitu Idea Gudeta, 40, at her stable at the Valle dei Mocheni near Trento, Italy

Hard Work

Ironically, in Italy she was able to use common land in the northern mountains to build her new enterprise, taking advantage of permits that give farmers access to public land to prevent local territory from being reclaimed by wild nature.

"While I was holding down another job, I started to recover the land and animals, starting off with 15 goats. Today I have 180 goats," she said.

She employs a fellow-migrant to help out at her business, La Capra Felice (The Happy Goat), and is looking to hire two more people, who will almost certainly also be foreigners.

Italians, she said, struggle to keep up with the gruelling work day, with milking starting at 5.00 a.m., followed by long hikes through the mountain pastures.


"The refugees fit this job better, because it is very tiring," she said. "Someone who has crossed the desert, crossed the sea, has physical resilience and also the motivation to redeem themselves."

The secret was to try to draw the best out of everyone.

"Once (migrants) are on our territory, we should not constantly look to marginalise them. This is negative and counterproductive," she said.

Interior Minister Salvini complains that Italy has taken in too many migrants and has accused European Union allies of doing nothing to share the burden by refusing to distribute asylum-seekers evenly around the continent.

While locals appreciate Gudeta's efforts, many also support Salvini's pledge to put Italy first.

"It is right to use an iron fist for a while to wake up the rest of Europe," said local resident Diego Detassis.

#Agitu Idea Gudeta
#Ethiopian migrant
6 years ago