On Sunday 15th May, the first meeting with the Bangalese community in Venice was held, marking the start of the exchange activities of the “ONDEW ~ Let’s face climate change together” project. The project aims to involve the Venetian community, which is exposed to the growing risk caused by climate change, by including the community from Bangladesh, in particular from the Shariatpur region, where severe flooding has invaded coastal areas and forced inhabitants to emigrate. Among them, many have migrated to Venice where they paradoxically face a similar risk, made evident by the increasingly recurring events of extreme high tide.
Climate justice, political representation and emigration were some of the topics discussed during a lunch full of Bengali dishes cooked by the Dhaka Biryani restaurant, hosted by the Argo16 Association in Porto Marghera. This first meeting was joined by more than 30 people living in the Venice area, most of whom came from Bangladesh, but also from other countries in the world. People who joined the invitation all had a direct experience with climate change, and the desire to share it.
The project is made possible by the funding of the Municipality of Venice and co-funded by the European Union – with the European Structural and Investment Funds | Operational Programme Metropolitan Cities 2014-2020 | Civic Crowdfunding Call “La città Sicura di Sè“.
Pic by Eleonora Sovrani.