Letter to Luca Attanasio

A diplomat I would always have wished for.

Dear Luca, forgive the familiarity, but after seeing you smiling in a T-shirt with some Congolese children, I can only think of you as a friend, a man like all of us, not a diplomat representing the institutions.

I know you were consul in Morocco years ago. I am sorry I did not meet you back then, but I have read many positive and enthusiastic comments about you, which I virtually share.

Last spring there were numerous problems repatriating our fellow citizens in Morocco, who were heard little or not at all, which even led to demonstrations in front of the Consulate in Casablanca and to a parliamentary question on the matter. Surely those responsible for this and other inefficiencies are not only the Consul but the entire structure of the Consulate, and perhaps also the Farnesina, little sensitive to our problems.

On that occasion I wrote a few lines expressing my ideal of a diplomatic representative in a country that probably does not receive the political attention it deserves. I published them on our association's Facebook page.

IF I WERE CONSUL

I would wake up early in the morning and, without ceremonial clothes, begin organising the consulate's work, trying to respond to as many people as possible, using the phone, email and every form of messaging.

People often understand that someone cares about their problems even when they cannot be solved immediately. A caress, even a virtual one, encourages and reassures. I would bombard the Farnesina and the Moroccan authorities with calls to get answers. When there is a protest outside, I would go out to talk to people. I would call people I trust to ask for cooperation. I would want everyone to say: Italy is close to us?