The exhibition “The Memory of Objects. Lampedusa, October 3, 2013. Ten years later” was held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the tragic shipwreck of October 3, 2013: on that day, an old fishing boat with more than 500 Eritrean refugees on board sank off the island of Lampedusa, causing the death of 368 people. Their bodies became visible to the whole world, triggering a huge emotional reaction in international public opinion.
Items belonging to the October 3 shipwrecked victims were found by the Agrigento mobile squad and shown to family members of the missing Eritreans, in hopes of identifying the bodies. In 2015, the Palermo Court of Appeal entrusted these objects to the custody of RAI correspondent and President of Carta di Roma, Valerio Cataldi. Survivors and family members of the victims accepted the proposal to display the objects in events aimed at raising awareness about migration and political asylum among Italian and European citizens.
Presented in the spaces of the Shoah Memorial, a symbolic place of remembrance, the exhibition La memoria degli oggetti includes objects and photos that belonged to migrants, portraits of rescuers, some survivors and relatives of victims. Audio recordings of the first responders, TV reports and videos of those dramatic moments also enrich the exhibition.
Indeed, the intent of the exhibition is to contribute to the construction of a shared and collective memory, while raising crucial questions about human rights and the value of life.
The exhibition will be open until October 31, 2023; access is included in the entrance fee to the Memorial. The Memorial is open Monday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (closed on Friday). Special opening last Friday of the month, with free admission from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
