VOICES From Migrations | Alissa Scifo's story (Part 2)
- Changemakers
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 12
"VOICES From Migrations" is a project co-funded by the European Union that gives voice to the untold stories of migrants. Alissa Scifo is the granddaughter of migrants who arrived in Belgium in 1950 to work in the mines. This is her story.
“Through my paternal lineage, my sister and I come from a family of Sicilian immigrants who arrived in Belgium in the 1970s.
My grandfather, Carmelo Scifo, was born in Aragona, and as a child, his teacher had chosen him to continue his studies. But then the Second World War broke out, preventing him from continuing his studies. My grandmother, Grazia Alaimo, was also born in Aragona, and lost her mother at just 8 years old.
My grandparents met and married. They moved to a village to open a hair salon. In the back room, he had installed a vintage printing press: between clients, he printed the paper. My grandmother helped my grandfather with both his businesses and gave birth to five children.
One of my grandfather's brothers settled in Liège and encouraged my grandfather to do the same in the 1970s. He convinced him that there was plenty of well-paid work there and that the future was bright. safer. My grandfather actually lived very well from his businesses, but he didn't know how his five children would make ends meet in Sicily. He left everything behind and joined his brother for three years. But in the end, he took his entire family with him.
My grandmother traveled alone by train with her five children. When they arrived, it was snowing. It was cold, and it was the first time they had seen snow.
The work was very hard: getting up very early and carrying loads in all weathers, whether freezing or raining. My grandmother therefore had to get up at 4 in the morning, get the family ready for the day, and then take two buses to go to work full-time. My grandfather put his children to work from a very young age.
Despite everything, the family is happy to have managed to settle in Belgium. My grandmother continued to take care of them, making sure Sicilian food was on the table and raising her many grandchildren. The bond between grandparents and grandchildren was fundamental in shaping our generation.”
Interview with Luka Prpic, Cristall Russo, Bálint Fazekas, and Bisera Gjurovska
Original story in Italian:
“Per discendenza paterna, io e mia sorella proveniamo da una famiglia di immigrati siciliani arrivati in Belgio negli anni '70.
Mio nonno, Carmelo Scifo, era nato ad Aragona e, da bambino, il maestro lo aveva scelto per proseguire gli studi. Ma poi scoppiò la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, impedendogli di proseguire gli studi. Anche mia nonna, Grazia Alaimo, era nata ad Aragona e, a soli 8 anni, perse la madre.
I miei nonni si conobbero e si sposarono. Si trasferirono in un paese per aprire un salone da parrucchiere. Nel retrobottega, lui aveva installato una macchina da stampa d'epoca: tra un cliente e l'altro, stampava la stampa. Mia nonna aiutava mio nonno in entrambe le sue attività e diede alla luce cinque figli.
Uno dei fratelli di mio nonno si stabilì a Liegi e incoraggiò mio nonno a fare lo stesso negli anni '70. Lo convinse che lì c'era molto lavoro ben pagato e che il futuro era più sicuro. In effetti, mio nonno viveva molto bene delle sue attività, ma non sapeva come i suoi cinque figli sarebbero riusciti a sbarcare il lunario in Sicilia. Lasciò tutto e raggiunse suo fratello per tre anni. Ma alla fine portò con sé tutta la famiglia.
Mia nonna viaggiò da sola in treno con i cinque figli. Quando arrivarono, nevicava. Faceva freddo, ed era la prima volta che vedevano la neve.
Il lavoro era molto duro: alzarsi molto presto e trasportare carichi con qualsiasi tempo, che gelasse o piovesse. Mia nonna doveva quindi alzarsi alle 4 del mattino, preparare la famiglia per la giornata e poi prendere due autobus per andare a lavorare a tempo pieno. Mio nonno mise i figli al lavoro fin da piccolissimi.
Nonostante tutto, la famiglia è felice di essere riuscita a stabilirsi in Belgio. Mia nonna ha continuato a prendersi cura di loro, assicurandosi che il cibo siciliano fosse in tavola e crescendo i suoi numerosi nipoti. Il legame tra nonni e nipoti è stato fondamentale nel plasmare la nostra generazione.”
Intrivista di Luka Prpic, Cristall Russo, Bálint Fazekas, e Bisera Gjurovska
Read the article in My House of European History:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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