Italy: In Bologna, a library is named after a Moroccan woman

This incredible story is that of Khaoula, a young woman of Moroccan origin who lived in Bologna, Tangier and London.

Khaoula was born in Morocco. A few months later, she moved to Bologna with her parents. "We were five living in a two-room apartment. And so, there was no space to study"she recalls. However, even if the school allowed students access on weekends, Khaoula could not get there: "My parents were working and could not pick me up, so I did not go there often."

Apart from this initiative launched by the school, there was no space where students could read books. Khaoula, 12 years old, was encouraged by one of her teachers, to write an open letter to the town hall in 1998.

The letter will be picked up by the daily L'Unità. Thus, 12 years later, the inauguration of the library "La Casa di Khaoula" took place in 2008. This 13th and 14th of April 2018, the library will celebrate its 10 years, in the presence of the Mayor, Virginio Merola, and the cultural advisor Matteo Lepore, as well as Khaoula as honor guest.

Aged 32 today, Khaoula is based in London, where she continues her academic studies. Evoking her daily life in Italy, she says: "Bologna is special, it has changed a lot in recent years. It has always been an open city, but compared to 20 years ago, things have improved because there is a lot more integration."