La vita dei neri conta: Un fatto accaduto in treno

Da donna nera qui in Olanda, potrei non essere uccisa per il colore della mia pelle, ma ciò non significa che in Olanda il razzismo non esista.
Netherlands, Western Europe

Story by Naomi Beijer. Translated by Giovanna Luisetto
Published on February 27, 2023.

This story is also available in GB ar fr kr nl tr



‘E’ questo il suo posto?’

Ho quasi dubitato di me stessa quando il controllore mi fece quella domanda. Evidentemente il suo ruolo lo obbliga a chiedermelo. Precedentemente ci eravamo scambiati delle occhiate e lo sguardo che mi aveva rivolto mi aveva già predetto che me lo avrebbe chiesto. Mi sentii a disagio quando il mio sospetto fu confermato.

‘Sì, ho il diritto di sedermi qui. Ho un biglietto valido di prima classe. Ma... perché mi sta facendo questa domanda?'

Avevo solo chiesto. Non riuscivo più a restare calma. E perché avrei dovuto? Credo di avere colto l’espressione di pregiudizio in quel controllore. La domanda in sé non era così terribile. Ma lo sguardo che mi rivolse, l’intonazione e la spiegazione che seguì mi innervosirono e mi fecero arrabbiare.

‘Beh, lei è seduta qui, sola. È strano.’

È così strano che io sia seduta qui? Sono forse troppo giovane per viaggiare in prima classe? O sono troppo nera? Avrebbe fatto la stessa domanda ad un uomo bianco più grande se fosse stato seduto al mio posto, solo?

‘Appunto, siedo qui, sola. Comunque, continuo a non capire perché mi stia facendo questa domanda.’

‘Se ne starà approfittando.’

Sta supponendo che me ne stia approfittando? Credo che la prima e la seconda classe siano indicate chiaramente. Sono volutamente seduta qui con un biglietto valido.

‘Non lo farei mai signore. So che questa è la prima classe. Trovo la sua spiegazione un tantino strana. Specialmente con quello che sta succedendo questa settimana.’[1]

Il suo ricetrasmittente si spegne. Un’ottima ragione per quel controllore per uscire dalla conversazione. Colgo il disagio grazie al suo linguaggio del corpo e lui si affretta ad entrare in un altro scompartimento. Mi ha lasciata facendomi pensare che sarebbe tornato per discutere, ma dopo un po' capisco che mi sta evitando. Veramente spiacevole.

Non fraintendetemi. Normalmente, vivo bene. Ho avuto l’opportunità di studiare, ho mia madre e un ragazzo carino. Ho un buon lavoro e, nel complesso, sono felice. Ma questi incidenti apparentemente-innocenti mi accadono un po' troppo spesso. Se compro un coltello in un negozio, la gente scappa. Se vado a teatro vengo controllata, ricontrollata e derisa. Se critico qualcuno vengo chiamata con nomignoli. Le persone si sorprendono di vedermi ad incontri-professionali, a causa 'del mio particolare aspetto esteriore'. Non ho intenzione di tenere mai più la bocca chiusa su questo. Non sono né meglio né peggio di nessun altro. Ne ho abbastanza.

La vita dei neri conta. È una frase assurda, a dire il vero. Sottintende così tanto.

Indica una differenza. La differenza del modo con cui vengono trattate le persone. La differenza della vita in questo mondo delle persone non-bianche rispetto a quella delle persone bianche. Speravo veramente di non dovere dire questa frase. Ma il mese scorso ho dovuto urlarla. La differenza può essere grande, come negli Stati Uniti. Ma anche sottile e velenosa, come spesso qui in Olanda. In questo paese non si sente solo nel dialogo tra le persone, ma è anche ancorata nei nostri sistemi. Pensate al codice etico dell’amministrazione fiscale e doganale, strutturalmente con meno possibilità per candidature e basse raccomandazioni se si considerano le scuole.

E soprattutto: questa differenza è sia consapevole che inconsapevole. Il pregiudizio è umano, è come comprendiamo meglio il mondo intorno a noi, ma non deve essere espresso. Non credo che il controllore fosse consapevole di mostrare il suo pregiudizio, ma questo indica quando profondo sia.

Questa storia è stata scritta da Naomi originariamente in olandese.


Note a piè di pagina

[1] Questa conversazione avvenne durante la settimana in cui ad Amsterdam ci fu la protesta chiamata La vita dei neri conta, e se ne parlò molto proprio in quei giorni (Giugno 2020). Ci fu anche polemica sul fatto che fosse saggio o meno protestare durante il corona.


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Naomi Beijer

Naomi Beijer

Naomi Beijer (26) is a youth worker in Zwanenburg, the Netherlands, and has recently become a counselor with an organization called Bureau Discrimination Affairs. She is double-blooded, her mother is Dutch and her father was Surinamese. She never knew her father and only started to take an interest in her Surinamese background during her studies in Cultural and Social Formation. With her work she tries to make social developments manageable and mentionable. Naomi sees it as an important task to provide historical context to people’s strong opinions. In the meantime, "Recognize your history" has become a motto to her.

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