I had no desire to get on that plane to NOSY BE destination in Madagascar July 22, 2006. The week before my father had left us and I was terrified of the plane; a vacation in Africa did not appeal to me, it was so beautiful the other years spent in Ugento !! These were my reflections inside Malpensa airport without knowing that one of the most beautiful experiences of my life was about to begin.
The holiday village was extraordinary, palm trees, swimming pool, air conditioning, very good food but after four days I was already full of it; I thought, I took the plane I took a nine hour trip to always stay locked up here. UGENTO !!
So, given my spirit of adventure, I told myself that it would not be bad to go out and see what was out there, so by now I had to stay there, all inclusive, for two weeks. None of the companions were willing to move so I rented a motorbike and I ventured alone to discover black Africa! It took me 2 km to realize how relative everything is in life, how much beauty, how much serene poverty I was surrounded, how much time lost in illusions and, I'm not ashamed to say it, I started to cry with emotion.
Around me people who can't be poorer but who smiled at me showing teeth that you can't even find in the most beautiful advertisements, people who showed themselves to be intensely friends, who said "hello friend" to me, people who, bent over the fire lit on the ground in front at home to prepare the evening meal, he invited me to dinner.
Here, I stopped running them, I slowed down until I stopped and I began to look around me, calmly and I saw a world around me of which I did not even know resistance.
At that very moment my future began.
Over the next few days I began to think that this could be my new world, discussions with friends and, needless to say, with my wife and son. Yet something had taken place that I could not stop, that no one could have stopped. I had to do something for those poor people but above all for me. But towards the end of the holiday I realized that whatever I wanted to do there, in Nosy Be, would be an act of abuse, a violence, it meant polluting something extremely clean, simple and above all happy, even without electricity.
On my return I took advantage of the never accepted invitation of dear friends to spend a holiday in Kenya in their villa in Malindi.
It was Easter 2007
My wife, my son and I flew to Malindi as guests of our friends in their villa looked after by James and finally we came into contact with the real Africa.
Completely different from the island of Madagascar, Malindi welcomed us with all its wonders but above all with all its ugliness and its paradoxes. A completely different world, especially contaminated by everything that can be used to contaminate the immaculate. Corruption, danger of disease, death at every corner, dirt, chaos and anarchy, desire for Westernization but in the most deleterious aspects. Above all, an insurmountable border between disproportionate wealth and poverty, one in close contact with the other; without either of them, especially wealth, taking a step to lighten the difference How far I was from the paradise of Nosy Be! How I regretted the villages and islets full of perfumes, flowers, animals, smiling children, polite, kind and hospitable parents. Yet there was still something deep inside me telling me it can be done.
Yes, I said to myself, but what? Do I teach music, open a recording studio, organize concerts, do I also continue to be a talent scout?
In the morning we went to the beach, in the company of rich people, some retired, some business owner, some simply on vacation. The usual chatter and of course 1000 questions to us newcomers (you will understand, they are waiting for someone new to come back to regain color and have reason for discussion with new topics, then a reason to talk about it among themselves "Nice people, they seem so young, the son then so polite ..); but this only after the first meeting and after the introductions, because then .......
It was Easter and as usual even in Malindi schools close and you go on vacation. So, morning after morning, I began to see miraculously functioning minibuses loaded with children arriving at the beach. They were unloaded together with the teachers and kept away from us because they did not have to disturb. I quickly noticed that few groups were in uniform while most of the children were simply covered. But in the water they were all the same, like all the children in the world, And they had fun like crazy under the watchful eye of the teachers
Of course, even though I didn't know a single word of Swahili, I made them play, doing stupid things like, for example, pretending to trip and fall and this was only because they laughed when they said a word that meant "still".
They called me PAPA. Then they all disappeared around lunchtime behind an abandoned building in ruins. I was going home for lunch.
But this disappearance intrigued me so after a few days I followed them. They gathered in a circle to eat but those who ate the most and also had to drink were those in uniform.
As soon as a teacher saw me she waved me away but it was the excuse to get me closer, to understand; then another, perhaps older, explained to me in English that those without uniforms were orphans. There were almost three times the number of those in uniform and the orphanages have no money and the children are owed
arrange with what you find, whatever it was, food, games, pizzas, kisses, Affection ... love. I got a lump in my throat and asked why there were so many. I was blamed for AIDS. I instinctively felt a surge of inner anger, the teacher asked me for some money to make them eat and drink a little more, at least that day. I gave her everything I had. Above all, I understood what I should do in Africa, I understood why I was in Africa. An orphanage!
It was not easy to explain it to my parents but my determination was scary, my determination at that point was a wall that would have repelled any attack. In my mind the project was starting to be born.
I was thinking only of that, even after returning to Italy, how many times, seeing me absorbed Alessandra, my wife, would say to me: “Are you over there? I would like you here with us and so would your son "
My parents were absolutely not happy with the place, that incredible babel, that incredible decay. They said to me: but you don't think about us, what are you doing, are you going alone? And all of this was a real torment, day and night.
In those days my great friend in Malindi was James, my friends' waiter
37 years old, Protestant priest, five children, a smile as big as Africa, he knows and speaks Italian in his own way and cooks in the Tuscan style after 15 years of school with his mother Antonina, our friend the hostess; always ready and very smart, ready to take chances. On Easter Sunday we went to his village to get to know his family and above all to attend "his" mass that he organizes every Sunday in his home (the Church is a luxury)
With that excuse I began to look around and that little village could be a perfect place for my orphanage; there was a lot of land to buy to build the orphanage and then green, tranquility, sounds and colors. And so the project begins to take shape in my head and I am more and more convinced but there is always the opposition of my wife and my son. I feel that I have to talk to someone who is truly friend who can understand me, who can help me, who tells me "Do it, I'm with you, it's a beautiful thing."
I have been a talent scout for at least 25 years, I have discovered many good artists and I have helped them achieve success. The greatest joy of all, however, was knowing and working with Giorgia, the greatest Italian singer, the artist that every talent scout dreams of meeting. Getting to know her and helping her achieve success was fantastic. For years, however, our paths had taken different directions and only on rare occasions did we see and hear each other.
However, the friendship remained strong. I call her and tell her that it is not about work, she responds to the invitation, I meet her, I talk to her about the project, she tells me “do it, I'm with you, this project is beautiful!”.
I was over the moon because I would never have hoped for such an immediate response and full of enthusiasm and collaboration.
The other great friend of the recording world is Fabio Concato
See you in his particularly difficult moment, I tell him everything, he and his wife Betty invite me for a weekend at their home in a famous seaside resort. I go and an immense door opens. I know a friend of theirs, Silvia, and with her I come into contact with an extraordinary world, the elite of communication in Italy.
All dear friends of Fabio and Betty. Thus was born a strong and compact group, extremely determined to make this project something extraordinary and unique. The enthusiasm is great and engaging, my wife begins to give in.
At this point I have to formalize the project and I decide to do it by setting up an association. But the people making up the association had to be at least three. With a wonderful act my wife and my son offer themselves, however refraining from any active participation and so on 8 October 2007 the KARIBU ONLUS was born.
Start a scary PR job. I look for all the people I know, I explain the project, I try to involve them, to attract them and to make them join the group. To do this, I am almost always traveling, left and right, up and down. I forget dislikes, abuses, old rusts, I pass above everything because the project demands it, deserves it and imposes it.
One person above all, equatorial agronomist, former FAO Director, 75 years old, of English nationality, named Andrew MacMillan, my light, my guide, teaches me everything and what he teaches me I really relive when I'm there.
I forget my work, records, songs, constantly absorbed by the project ..
Meanwhile, Silvia organizes dinners after dinners inviting the world and new followers join the group. Among these Guido Rocca, a 25-year-old boy. Fantastic, he tells me "I'm a lucky boy" I can have everything but I prefer to share my everything with those who do not have the same possibilities as me. I lived seven months on a mission in Honduras and three months in Nepal. Your project is what I have always dreamed of and I will follow you everywhere! How not to embrace it? I take this step at sixty with everything that generated him, he is only 25!
So we arrive at the end of 2007, the television starts showing terrible images from Kenya… Deaths and violent clashes! I say to myself “right now that I decide to start with a project in Kenya! But I don't give up, I plan the trip to Malindi, we have to go on, my wife my brother are furious, the situation seems to precipitate, it's really crazy to leave.
I call some acquaintances in Malindi and they tell me that everything is quiet, something is missing, like petrol and coca-cola, but otherwise flat calm. As if something was raging against me and against my desire, there are more and more reports of deaths also in Malindi, but they are not related to politics but to normal crime.
Guido and I decide to leave, they are all against it but on January 4th 2008 we leave. There are 22 of us on the plane and the journey is magnificent. We arrive in Mombasa via Zanzibar, The situation is very quiet, our dear friend Baya driver awaits us at the airport who takes us to Malindi in just over two hours and we find the usual quiet confusion. I had the money with me to buy land in James's village but James has a surprise for us. Sensational. Basically he tells us that in the village where he was born his relatives have a lot of land to give us, not only but also free for the project! We do not believe our ears and we decide to go and see it immediately the next day and this is how we meet Chakama 60 km from Malindi, in the interior, near the TSAVO Natural Park, the largest in Kenya, a real paradise.
The first meeting was with the mayor in his office. Then all to see the land, 10 hectares! I am stunned by the sun, by the whirlwind of thoughts, by the kindness of the people, by the fatigue, by the emotion of being immersed in a pristine world, very poor but dignified, completely different from Malindi. This is our Africa, Guido and I thought, looking at each other astonished.
There is a river, there is a pond, there is everything to do without the fear of contaminating, of exaggerating, the project takes a new form, the definitive one that is no longer a simple orphanage. We adopt the whole village and plan to bring it to economic and food independence within five years by providing the means and structures for this to be achieved.
We meet the community to tell about our intentions, our project. The meeting takes place under an immense tree and under the tree there are about three hundred people. What happens during the meeting is exciting to the point that I wonder who at that moment needed help most, whether they or us poor little Westerners. A lesson in democracy and civilization. They accept us and thank us saying they are very willing to do everything necessary. What happens in the following days is so pressing that we do not realize that there are only two days left to leave. So let's go back to Chakama to fill the eyes and the spirit and make new friends, above all we return with mountains of flour packs to give as gifts. Guido takes thousands of photos especially of children.
Let's go back to Italy full of beauty, energy and enthusiasm. Guido is very happy, I thank God during the whole trip and my future is less and less future
During our stay in Malindi we also entered into a partnership with a government body that will support us in all respects, all the more so since the village is an absolute priority for them as it is in the poorest area of ​​the Malindi district; everything returns, the design begins to take shape.
The first person to see the photos was my wife. She is impressed, she begins to think, she asks me to take her on the next trip too because she wants to see for herself. She especially likes the new project. Even supporters begin to increase, donations also begin to arrive, Guido's mother organizes an extraordinary party from which we get a lot of money, the same thing happens with the party organized by the boys of the LEO CLUB of Verbania. Fantastic success. We can start building. Subsidies arrive, small but always welcome, from large groups, donation of two tankers from the fire brigade, I ask and get donations and used summer clothing from friends. A very dear friend makes his warehouse available for the collection of all this material.
The group of creatives studies and creates the brand, the brochure, the posters. A great teamwork, a united and wonderful group. We study the commercial, for a moment I return as a musician, I write the music. The spot is ready and is being broadcast on Mediaset networks. Easter is coming and me, my wife and Guido go back to Malindi
I take my wife to Chakama, she would not want to leave anymore, she is completely fascinated and tells me this is Africa, here I want to accompany you and help you.
It is literally conquered.
The months go by always full of movement. We make agreements with those who can help us, I meet singing friends, Silvia does the same with the tour of her friends.
In July Guido returns to Malindi alone to meet some builders. 20 different quotes, we choose that of an Italian, the least expensive.
In September I, my wife and Silvia go again to meet the builder, we check the project, we examine the budget, we reduce it by half, he is convinced and we leave happy again. Two days later work begins, the first photos arrive, the emotion is infinite, the dream began to be reality.
And not even a year has passed since the establishment of KARIBU.
Finally we could show something concrete to all our friends, various supporters, finally from words to deeds.
Now the kindergarten is over and on its walls you will read all the names of those who contributed with their donations, with their affection and with their trust to make this first goal possible. . We have managed to convey our emotions, our energy and people are gratifying us.
The Lord's roads are never flat and we have been checking it every day for a year and a half now, but as long as there is enthusiasm, energy, confidence in one's own means, solidarity and seriousness we can rest assured.
The obstacles will be overcome and each additional obstacle will be an incentive to demonstrate our faith and our strength more and more.
28 DECEMBER 2008

It has been a little over 4 years since I wrote this "MY KARIBU". It seems little but the period is full of history.
There are those who have left us because they are no longer motivated, others because they have been carried away by an unforgiving disease. Instead, there are many new, wonderful and extraordinary people, one above all MOHAMED SALIM, a very special person. In Chakama we brought electricity and water, we started growing vegetables, there is a hectare dedicated to animals, including bees, there is a splendid aloe vera plantation that extends for 8 hectares with thousands of plants, there is 1 Primary class and as soon as possible a small clinic complete with delivery room (the works will start in June and finish by Christmas 2015).
It was not easy to be able to do all this and it still is not, but the energy and enthusiasm are the same as at the beginning, made stronger by the obstacles overcome.
A great commitment, but it's worth it. I have left my son from Italy, his wife as precious and irreplaceable as water, my beloved brothers, Giorgia and music, my great passion. In short, my life is and will remain increasingly linked to these people and this land but above all to that great dream born on the islet of NOSY BE in Madagascar in the summer of 2006 .......... in the meantime, however, the journey continues .........
13 February 2012

 

It's been another 7 years

Very intense and with some important revolutions. I managed to obtain the JUVENTUS SOCCER SCHOOL as a franchise. An official football school of my beloved Juventus. I started the school with the partnershish of a glorious English college in Nairobi. A huge dream for me, a project to which I have dedicated myself body and soul. I had the support of the Ministry of Sport and the head of my coaches was a former coach of the Kenya national team. Meanwhile Mohamed Salim remained in Kibora and managed the schools and all the other activities in complete autonomy. There was a lot of enthusiasm in Nairobi for this school, the first football school with the official branding of one of the most important football clubs in the world. The boys went crazy at the idea of ​​being able to wear a real team shirt.

Unfortunately, fate was not favorable to me. The terrible attack that took place at the WESTGATE Shopping Center in Nairobi led the British Foreign Office to ban

the entry of foreign workers into all British facilities in the city, including our college. In one day my whole dream collapsed and also my finances and my health, unfortunately. I returned to Italy, in full depression, as if overwhelmed by a terrible hurricane, desolate and defeated, for the first time and with various debts. It was November 4th 2013.

In Kibora, however, everything continued as always, away from the clamor, chaos, people, cities, history. Mohamed took the project on his shoulders and like an ancient warrior began to fight against everyone and everything. He planned all the work and went to work. He dedicated himself as a priority to the Porto Primary School with 3 classes and employed three new teachers, abandoned the project of the small clinic and the breeding, intensified work on bees and aloes. I, from Italy, supported him with the fundraising work and we spoke every night continuously from January 2014 until June 2016 when I finally managed to return to Kenya with the permission of the cardiologist and pulmonologist. I paid all the debts I had left and took over the reins of the project together with Mohamed. But our duo lasted a little less than a year because Mohamed disappeared one day after I discovered that he too had taken advantage of my trust. I have never seen or heard of him again until November last year, on the occasion of the kidnapping of the volunteer Silvia Romano. It is in Tanzania.

Since I returned I have brought the total classes between Kindergarten and Primary to 9, the teachers to 11, the people dedicated to services to 5 and today our school is called KIBORA PRIMARY SCHOOL, it is officially recognized by the Ministry of Education with a lot of certification as a private school with free admission, the only one in Kenya. The children who attend it for free are 435 and I am a happy man but not yet satisfied. In addition, I was also able to make the contract for the supply of drinking water that we use for our children and all the workers while for the other uses we still use the glorious pipeline that brings the water of the Galana river to our center.

7 MAY 2019

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Since the last update many things have happened in my personal life that have healed many wounds and above all made me understand many things about myself that I have never had the strength and courage to face them. All thanks to an extraordinary woman who with immense love taught me to dig, pull out and eliminate all the rottenness nestled in my unconscious. Today I am a serene person journeying towards a world of deep spirituality full of gratitude to God and gratitude for having always accompanied me since birth, for better or for worse, protecting me in all choices, especially the painful ones, giving me through Faith the courage and strength to overcome them.

 

I kept the promise I made to the Community in our first meeting, to build two schools and handed them over to the Ministry of Education and now I am about to start the second phase, the more demanding and onerous but certainly more rewarding because it involves the whole Community of Chakama, not just children, the stage that means making a big dream come true.

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YES Cbo, 26 July 2023

It is the new exciting challenge for the coming years. The first startup is born in Chakama! A cooperative mostly formed by those young people who were children when I arrived in Chakama for the first time. Today they are young people who have studied thanks to KARIBU and are starting a new path by taking over the reins of their people to lead them far away, towards a new horizon of life.