Originally Published: 2008-03-16

It’s definitely not the same stench you could have been assaulted by in Naples a few months ago from tons of garbage, but GTA citizens can still get a taste, so to speak, of what Neapolitans have had to endure for quite a long time.
Their sense of dignity – trampled by years of institutional neglect, by deflection of political responsibilities, by blind rage from police who constantly hound the protesters – is the only weapon left for those who must now deal with the issue of the rising pile of garbage.
Still, a proverbial rose can grow on a pile of garbage. The one who planted this rose was a woman of Italian origin who has lived in Canada now for several years.
Marisa Datri has decided to continue an awareness campaign that started in the small town of Chiaia. She has decided to hang a black sheet from her house balcony in Woodbridge as a sign of mourning.
“I wanted to offer some help from outside the country,” Datri tells Corriere Canadese/Tandem, “because what’s happening in Campania is a tragedy that affects all Italians, even those who live in other countries. We can’t simply turn our backs thinking it doesn’t involve us. This situation involves everyone.”
It’s a small gesture whose significance crosses the Canadian border and goes all the way to Italy. It’s an act of solidarity among people towards a populace forced to live in inhumane conditions.
“The situation is no longer acceptable,” explains Datri. “Even now that we are in an election, the political parties are doing nothing other than unloading their responsibilities without discussing a single solution…What I truly can’t tolerate is the indifference towards this emergency. I see many people going back to Italy on vacation; they enjoy the beaches and the beauty of our country only to come back to Canada and turn their back on the slaughter. I’m not there, but I feel the need to do something for Italy.”
And it’s because of this that, across thousands of kilometers, Datri wanted to participate in the Chiaia per Napoli, an initiative started by Paolo Santanelli and other fellow citizens of the small town who are involved in the emergency garbage awareness campaign.

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