THE BARRAKS

from "Addio, Gibellina" by Leonardo Cangelosi (1977)

The first barraks are builded. The I.R.l. give the first ones and they are builded in "Madonna delle Grazie"; the Austrian Red Cross give another village, which is builded in "Rampinzeri". Then, the Canadian barraks, Cantù, Keller, Pasotti complete the two villages. Two villages unified by a nine Km road with 55 curves and periodical landslides and landlips. How much does the State have to pay for a four rooms plus two little bathrooms barrak? As much as an elegant residential flat in the city! Then everlasting digging up and ambankments: the rash and loose waste goes on. The reflux begins. From the emergence lodging in the schools, in the storehouses, in ex convents, in hotels and in rented rooms in all the province. People come back and occupy the so called temporary lodgings: the barraks. They are given chairs, tables, beds, tools, covers, sheets, shoos, dresses and everyone try to set up house as best as possible. Money and natural goods help goes on and also the general confusion and the full disorganization. Now everyone knows for certain everywhere people speculate and steal. Why do not they have to? Every morgning people go out and get, as if they are assailing, to the distribution centres. They always get somthing, it does no matter what, it does no matter if necessary or superfluous: it also happens to take home a ring under his eye or a bump in his head.

LIFE IN THE BARRACKS

The barraks, temporary lodgings, their use was forseen for three years at most, but they have been hour holes for 10 years. We have mended, modified, strenghtened, widened, repaired as much as possible, but nothing has changed. Everyone could go in and out of your barrack, without any effort, if he would like to. As your words, your sighs, your belches, your prayers, your sorrow easily enter   your neighbour's barrack, so the others' ones reach yours. This is our dramatic everyday life and there's only one chance: getting worse when one more trouble comes, as it often happens. The electric energy goes away and the interruption often lasts several days; we draw out lights and candles, we look like Diogene but, looking for lots of things. In winter, things get even worse: it is cold, we prepare our hot-water bottles, we light the fire as good as possible, we revivify hadn-warmers and braziers;  roundabout you can smell a sharp smog that spot your soul. What about water? It is another problem! We have it for an hour every two days, we fill bottles, containers, cans, but it is never enough. Sometimes you open the water-tap and... "But this is not water, it looks like wine!" and the problem of the water wupplying get tragic and epic at the same time. Typhoid fevers and hepatitis add themselves to the frequent bronchitis. In the barrack we do not live, we are in the throes of death. When storms arrive, the drama reach the highest level and becomes absurdity. Anyhow rain and wind can penetrate from the roof or the walls now rotten and seize you. Cold, water and wind and a steady dull noise, which obsessingly oppress your ears. Some roof flies away, some panel falls down: you wish you could run away in the storm! You scan from the window: it is dark outside, it is even darker inside yourself. While the sky brightens and darkens because of the blinding light of the lightning, you look outside and instead of the street you can see water, mud, stones, some branches of a tree, some chairs, cans and pieces of wood. In spite of your promiscuity you fell alone and neglected. You loose your self-control. You curse. You rave.

from "Addio, Gibellina" by Leonardo Cangelosi (1977)

In June, 1977, 150 families give back the keys of their barraks, where they have lived for about ten year, and occupy the council houses  le case popolari they have received in New Gibellina.