L'Italo-Americano

T he general elec- tions, an essential m o m e n t f o r a l l I t a l i a n s b o t h i n I t a l y a n d o v e r - seas, are approaching. For us Italians abroad, it is impor- tant to be actively represent- ed in Parliament, so that our n e e d s a r e h e a r d a n d o u r ideas can help make Italy a better country. W e o f L ' I t a l o - A m e r i - c a n o h a d t h e p l e a s u r e t o chat about it with Angelo Viro, MAIE candidate for t h e C h a m b e r o f D e p u t i e s . MAIE is a movement born abroad for Italians abroad, which wants to bring their voice to Rome without being connected or limited by any political affiliation. Viro, who is the movement's vice-presi- dent, has lived for years in the Dominican Republic and represents North America, C e n t r a l A m e r i c a , a n d t h e Caribbean in these elections' MAIE campaign. How has your experi- e n c e o f I t a l i a n a b r o a d influenced your decision to join MAIE? I decided to join the move- m e n t w h e n t h e I t a l i a n embassy in Santo Domingo w a s c l o s e d . T h a t ' s w h e n I realized that not having a consulate means being com- pletely isolated. We Italians in the Dominican Republic had Panama as a consular reference, so we had to travel by plane and stay there for a few days to get a passport r e n e w a l , w h i c h w a s v e r y problematic. At that moment, I understood it was necessary to support a political move- ment focused exclusively on I t a l i a n s a b r o a d a n d t h e i r needs. One of MAIE's objec- t i v e s i s t o c r e a t e a stronger bond among all Italian communities in North and Central Amer- i c a : h o w c a n t h i s b e achieved? MAIE was born as an asso- ciative movement in 2007, in Argentina. Italians living in South America felt the need to belong and be represented by a movement that had their i n t e r e s t s a t h e a r t e a r l i e r t h a n i n N o r t h A m e r i c a , where the process has been more complicated. Roman political parties are deeply rooted in the US and Cana- da, in name of the historical and often generational con- nection Italians there have with the traditional Roman left and right. When MAIE first ran in North America, i n 2 0 1 8 , w e s t r u g g l e d t o m a k e p e o p l e u n d e r s t a n d w h a t w e w e r e d o i n g , a n d what our goals were. T h i s p r e m i s e i s f u n d a - mental to understand that, if we want to create a more solid bond between all Ital- ians-abroad communities, working on the territory is k e y . A n d n o t o n l y w h i l e campaigning before elec- tions, but all year round, to be always in touch with peo- ple and their necessities. Several points of our pro- gram are dedicated to forg- ing stronger ties and collab- oration between Italy and A m e r i c a . A p i v o t a l s t e p would certainly be that of increasing the number of consulates so that citizens not only can receive quick responses to their questions b u t d i p l o m a t i c r e l a t i o n s with each country can be consolidated. At the same t i m e , w e w a n t t o a s k f o r more investments in univer- sities and research and bet- ter educational and profes- sional exchanges for both students and workers. Final- ly, for entrepreneurs, we ask for a reform of the Cham- bers of Commerce. Y o u h a v e d e f i n e d yourself as "a Sicilian in the world:" how much do your roots define the person you are and how h a s t h i s s h a p e d y o u r political life? All of us emigrants leave for a reason, often to work a n d c r e a t e s o m e t h i n g w e couldn't achieve, or thought we couldn't achieve, in Italy. Being Sicilian, perhaps, i n f l u e n c e d m y d e s i r e t o r e a c h s p e c i f i c g o a l s a n d a c h i e v e s o m e t h i n g t h a t could make me proud. A lot can depend on where you c o m e f r o m . T h e r e i s t h i s need for redemption and, at the same time, for bringing pride to the land you come from. Your values and your roots become stronger when you are abroad: you become more dedicated to what you do because you are moved almost by the necessity to demonstrate you made it. But all in a positive way, as an incentive to do better and better. B e i n g f r o m t h e S o u t h u r g e d m e t o w o r k e v e n harder, because I felt the duty to show our country, a country of migrants, must be taken into consideration. Often, all this gets lost back h o m e a n d o n l y e m e r g e s when we live abroad. But many who have been away from Italy for many years often lose connection with their origins and roots. That is why MAIE gives so much importance to culture and traditions, to ensure this fundamental connection is not lost. MAIE wants to make t h e v o i c e o f I t a l i a n s abroad heard in Italian politics: how can this be achieved concretely? Giving a voice to Italians abroad means, first of all, listening to them and under- standing their needs, but also taking into considera- tion their ideas. The job of a politician lies not only in solving problems and fixing the system's flaws but also in enhancing citizens' poten- tial. In the context of Ital- ians abroad, this means rec- ognizing their rights as well as their fundamental role in the dissemination of Italy's cultural and entrepreneurial heritage. In 2018, when MAIE first r a n f o r t h e e l e c t i o n s , i t d i d n ' t e a r n a n y s e a t s i n North America, while it won two in South America, one in the Senate and one in the Chamber of Deputies. The constant work and leader- ship of Ricardo Merlo, the founder of the movement, made the difference: for the first time in the history of voting abroad, a representa- tive elected abroad became part of the Government in Rome, as Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs. And the fact we don't have any political a f f i l i a t i o n e n a b l e d u s t o k e e p s u c h a p o s i t i o n through two legislatures. In other words, if we want the voice of Italians abroad to be heard, there must be some- one who fights for them in Rome. MAIE was born with this very purpose, and this is exactly what I plan to do with my candidature. Notice of non affiliation a n d d i s c l a i m e r : L ' I t a l o - Americano is not affiliated, associated or in any way o f f i c i a l l y c o n n e c t e d t o Angelo Viro's campaign for the Chamber of Deputies for Canada, United States, Cen- t r a l A m e r i c a a n d Caribbean. L'Italo-Americano speaks with Angelo Viro, MAIE candidate for the Chamber of Deputies STAFF Angelo Viro is MAIE's candidate to the Italian's Chamber of Deputies (Photo: Angelo Viro/MAIE) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

• Cover