Magdas HOTEL REFUGEES AUSTRIA. Simone Cerio PARALLELOZERO

Transcription

1 Magdas AUSTRIA HOTEL REFUGEES Simone Cerio PARALLELOZERO

2 The entrance of Magdas hotel

3 Madgas hotel is a social project for integration deployed by Caritas Vienna, which invested 1,5 million EUR to turn an old building located around Prater (the famous luna park of the Austrian capital) into a hotel. Most of the workers of Madgas hotel are immigrants. Some of them are political refugees. Other workers have legalized their position over the years (some were refused as asylum seekers), after a rather long bureaucratic process and several experiences in the grey economy. Although the country has one of the highest percentage in Europe in terms of foreign residents, getting access to labour market and earn fair salaries is not easy at all. This is the reason behind the initiative carried out by Caritas Vienna, which aims at giving migrants a better chance to work and integrate themselves in Austria s society. Madgas hotel was inaugurated early this year. Before this, a crowdfunding campaign had been launched to support the project and attract the attention of people of Vienna. Making Madgas something more than a mere structure for tourists is a goal that Caritas Vienna and the management of the hotel are pursuing strongly. They want to make people feel involved in this project. Thus, a wide range of initiatives have been deployed so far, like cooking workshops and happenings. Yet the most important one is the cooperation with the Vienna Biennale, where some of the design objects of the Madgas hotel are currently displayed, under the motto social challenge and economic business. Visitors, young designers and whoever visit Vienna Biennale can become interested in Madgas hotel, visit it, being involved in some activities or simply spread the sense of the integration project. 14 nationalities are currently represented in Madgas hotel. 24 different languages are spoken.

4 Nicholas Isikhueme, 36, a Christian from the southern part of Nigeria. He left his country due to economic and security reasons as well. He felt threatened by Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group. Nicholas, whose role at Magdas hotel is serving drinks, got the status of political refugee

5 Eshan Amini. Talibans destabilizing activities pushed him to flee his country. In Magdas he works in the kitchen

6 Dinis Angsberg, 29, from Guinea Bissau. He is one of the receptionist of the hotel. European governments must do more for immigrant, yet immigrants must quickly learn the language of the country where they go and show the will to integrate themselves in its society, he says

7 Pictures of workers are displayed in the hall of Magdas hotel

8 Austria received in 2014 more than 28,000 asylum requests, three times the European average relative to population size (8,5 million).75,000 asylum seekers are supposed to arrive by the end of 2015, most of them via Serbia and Hungary. Last June, the government stopped processing (but not accepting) asylum requests. A gesture throw which it signalled that immigration should be equally faced by EU countries

9 The courtyard of Madgas hotel

10 Abena Pokua, from Ghana. She is supposed to get Austrian citizenship in few months. She moved to Austria 15 years with his husband

11 Madgas hotel is attracting several international guests, thanks to its policy of integration in the hotel there are 14 nationalities and 24 languages spoken

12 Due to its innovative design, Madgas is seen with growing interest by young and talented architects and designers

13 Design, alongside integration, is the other factor through which the management of the hotel is trying to broaden the attention on the project and bring visitors in

14 Segun Prince and Ahmadzia Rasuli, two other workers. They respectively come from Nigeria and Afghanistan. They are employed in the kitchen

15 Antonio Piani, 40. He left Iran due to political reasons. He organized protest against the regime. He was jailed three times. Antonio is the name he chose for himself after he converted to Christian Catholic religion

16 Workers having some rest

17 Design and integration attract people for daily visits at Magdas hotel

18 Nicholas Isikueme having a rest

19 Dinis Angsberg after a soccer tournament for integration in which Magdas took part with its own team

20 Dinis Angsberg and Antonio Piani come back to Magdas hotel after they took part to a soccer tournament promoting integration

21 Segun Prince and Ahmadzia Rasuli, two other workers. They respectively come from Nigeria and Afghanistan. They are employed in the kitchen

22 Magdas hotel was granted with a small exhibition area inside Vienna Biennale, held at MAK - Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art

23 PARALLELOZERO, VIA DONATELLO 19/A, MILAN - INFO@PARALLELOZERO.COM