How a remote corner of southern Italy became a crossroad for Kurdish narratives of exile, hospitality, and historical erasure

In recent decades, Calabria, a region often overlooked in Italian national discourse, has unexpectedly emerged as a nexus for two key Kurdish-European encounters. These episodes, although separated by decades, are connected through themes of exile, refuge, and displacement and offer a compelling lens for exploring migration dynamics, solidarity, and the formation of collective identity. Drawing on two distinct case studies, one literary and one historical, this article examines the influence of Calabria on Kurdish experiences and vice versa, thereby contributing to broader discussions on marginalized spaces and transnational networks within European migrant histories.

The Ararat landing in Badolato: A community writes a new chapter

On December 27, 1997, over 800 Kurdish refugees landed on the shores of Badolato Marina aboard the cargo vessel Ararat, which was heavily loaded with people fleeing conflict zones. As chronicled in Michele D’Ignazio’s novel Fate i tuoni (2024), the local community responded swiftly and decisively. Houses in the nearly abandoned medieval hill town of Badolato were prepared and opened to the newcomers, marking a landmark moment in grassroots refugee integration.

The novel’s title – Fate i tuoni (literally ‘Make the Thunder’) – conveys the intensity and defiance of this collective act: an emphatic response to indifference. The novel traces how Badolato’s citizens organize temporary housing, social support, and cultural welcome. It also incorporates a fictional narrative, focusing on local adolescents Zaira and Scilla, a resourceful youth named Nik, and Murad, a Syrian-born migrant whose story animates the broader themes of displacement and belonging.

Despite being a work of narrative reconstruction, Fate i tuoni anchors itself in historical fact – it recounts an event that garnered international attention and later inspired similar efforts elsewhere, such as those in Riace and Placanica. These initiatives were later amplified by broader discussions around migration and solidarity, with documentaries like Jan Ralske’s Hasan si e fermato a Badolato (2000), Wim Wenders’ Il volo (2010), and Imelda Bonato’s Badolato amata terra mia tra cielo e mare (2019), embedding Badolato’s story into European discourse and garnering attention from the EU.

D’Ignazio’s work offers a nuanced examination of the moral and emotional dimensions of community-driven hospitality within diasporic contexts. The narrative illustrates how ordinary citizens repurposed vacant dwellings into safe havens and how children cultivated empathy through their engagement with newcomers, highlighting the relational dynamics at play. Furthermore, the sea emerges as a complex symbol, functioning concurrently as an obstacle and an agent of connection. Overall, the novel contributes to the wider discourse on diasporic solidarity, intercultural interactions, and the role of micro-geographies in shaping global migration narratives, providing valuable insights for scholars interested in the interconnectedness of place, identity, and community resilience.

Sherif Pasha in Catanzaro: Exile, memory, and the erasure of tombs

While the Ararat landing is a story of hospitality, the death in 1951 of Mohammed Sherif Pasha – a member of a prominent Kurdish family and former Ottoman diplomat – in Catanzaro, approximately 30 kilometers north of Badolato, reflects the darker side of historical memory and displacement.Sherif Pasha had relocated to Italy after being exiled, and his daughter Melek married a local Calabrian man. Sherif Pasha’s life encompassed roles in Istanbul, Stockholm (as ambassador), and Paris, where he was active within Kurdish-Armenian diplomatic circles. Sherif Pasha’s career underscores a commitment to advocating for minority statehood amid the geopolitical upheavals of the early 20th century. His final resting place was a stark white marble tomb in the city’s cemetery, inscribed in French, a nod to his diplomatic and intellectual life in Europe.

In the late 1950s or 1960s (accounts vary), the tomb was dismantled and reportedly transferred to Cairo at the behest of King Farouk of Egypt, effectively erasing its physical presence from Catanzaro. The exact details of this theft remain unclear. Still, local historian Nando Castagna has described the empty cenotaph as a “silent book,” a poignant reminder of how history can be overwritten, and how relocation can serve as both a form of homage and of erasure.

Sherif Pasha’s life and posthumous absence raise several reflections. First, exile was not just a concept of displacement but a lived condition spanning continents and ideologies. Second, tomb relocation is symbolic: it simultaneously recognizes and veil’s identity, rendering the connections invisible between Calabrian soil and Kurdish presence. Finally, without a grave marker, memory shifts, and the historical narrative risks being blunted by silence.

Transnational threads and cultural memory

Although the Ararat landing and Sherif Pasha’s tomb theft took place decades apart, both episodes highlight a recurring theme: Calabria as a landscape of hospitality and erasure, of solidarity and silence. These incidents offer valuable insights for scholars examining the intersections of regional histories with diasporic identities and post-imperial legacies.

D’Ignazio’s novel, along with the recent renewed interest in the Sherif Pasha case, contributes to a broader reevaluation, illuminating the Kurdish presence in Europe beyond headlines centered on migration and unveiling complex narratives of family, exile, and statehood. The Calabrian landscape – with its empty houses and tranquil cemeteries – serves as an evocative backdrop for these transnational stories.

For publishers and readers interested in migration studies, European postcolonial transitions, or memory and historiography in peripheral communities, Calabria provides fertile ground. The juxtaposition of literary recovery through Fate i tuoni and historical reexamination in the case of Sherif Pasha’s grave invites reflection: How do local actors shape the reception of displaced communities? How do cultural artifacts, books, graves, and oral accounts mediate the persistence or disappearance of memory? How does place affect the frames through which exile is understood?

What risks falling into silence

Calabria’s Kurdish intersections vividly demonstrate that exile is not merely a political event but a shared communal experience of empathy and collective amnesia. The Ararat saga showcases powerfully how genuine care can flourish even in the margins of modern Europe, while Sherif Pasha’s missing tomb underscores the delicate nature of memory without tangible anchors. These episodes compellingly reveal the resilience and fragility of identity and remembrance in exile.

Contemporary discourse on migration and transnational identity should incorporate such regional narratives, especially when they are grounded in real-life events and literary reflection. In doing so, we honor both what was once present and what risks falling into silence.

Gabriele Leone is a researcher specializing in political philosophy and biopolitics, focusing on Türkiye’s treatment of its Kurdish minority.