Tolentino, the internet ... and Africa

No-one would accuse me of being technically cool. In fact, most tech-hip cruisers would likely see me as the middle-aged prat that I am. But there is one thing that’s likely true – I do know my way around the internet, perhaps even better than a lot of people my age. That’s because I spend a fair amount of time online, to the point that it’s become an integral part of my day.

Now one of the sub-plots in the move to Marche is to change all of that, and to get more out into the world. I didn’t see it as a cold turkey thing, though, and so, while I didn’t expect our home’s hamlet of Regnano to be “connected”, I did expect it of nearby Tolentino, enough for a daily (or at least every other day) catchup of email, news, blog, and the like.

Tolentino has 3 public “Internet Points”, with five PCs between them. Two of them are infected with a Trojan worm, and for some reason I can’t even get to my email on them. Yesterday, neither of the other two “Points” was even open! On the positive side, I do get a feeling of nostalgia when the Windows 98 slogan appears during start-up.

However, for a man looking to “catch up” – has my BMW sold back in the US? who won the US Open? did SA beat Australia in the last Tri-Nations rugby game of 2006? – not being connected is enough to be somewhat unhinging.

As it turns out, all 3 “Internet Points” are run by Africans. This is not something I expected. And stepping into them is like stepping into Africa – amongst other things, pictures of Mecca and the Hajj adorn the walls, not something one would expect to see in a country that bows down to the pope. However, in this next respect they’re perhaps not out of place in Italy – things may work … or they may not.

But there’s a larger thing going on here – an African speaking Italian? Even though it’s been over a year since I first discovered it, I’m still surprised every time I hear it. French – yes. English – yes. Even Portuguese. But Italian?

By Marche standards, Tolentino is a good-sized town, with a population similar to that of our last “home town”, Chapel Hill – about 40-odd thousand. (Here, by the way, ends the similarity between Chapel Hill and Tolentino). Its population is predominantly locally born and bred – that is to say, Marchigiani. I don’t know how many Africans are here, but those that are do not appear to be from Italy’s sole colonial conquest in Africa – Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). They are rather primarily from Senegal and Ivory Coast, with others from north Africa providing an additional Arabic flavour. It seems they have been attracted here by the work offered in the commercial and industrial factories of the area – leather, motors, furniture, and I’ve yet to discover what else.

At some level, however, while the reasons they’re here is interesting information, and it contributes to the overall Tolentino tapestry, it’s really academic. The point is that the Africans are here. And while it’s unexpected, I think it’s a wonderful thing (my internet challenges notwithstanding).

“What else is under the covers?” I’m thinking.