Bengali Supplì

"Bangla" is a Capitoline slang term used to identify a commercial establishment where you can get all kinds of foodstuff. However, "Bangla" has taken on a racist connotation, becoming a metonymy where the minimarket takes the place of an entire community. On one hand, we do not consider how pervasive and committed this community is in offering various basic services, on the other, we have no respect for the men and women workers, not questioning whether those who are assisting us are actually bengali. Through this photographic series I seek to build a bridge to a diverse community, whose dedication to work and the propensity to sacrifice reveals a community seeking both economic and existential redemption, a revenge on a past distant in space and time, toward a present that still cannot-or will not-weave it into the fabric of our society.

"Bangla" is a Capitoline slang term used to identify a commercial establishment where you can get all kinds of foodstuff, from a pack of pasta to a beer for a few euros. Recently the term has taken on a cultural connotation, turning into a full-fledged brand. The greatest example of this success is "Bangla," a movie by Phaim Bhuiyan that later became a series produced by RaiPlay.
We use "Bangla" referring to a small store, yet ignoring a community that, according to ISTAT data for 2022, represents 9,7% of the foreign population in the Capital. "Bangla" has taken on a racist connotation, becoming a metonymy where the minimarket takes the place of an entire community.

On one hand, we do not consider how pervasive and committed this community is in offering various basic services, on the other, we have no respect for the men and women workers, not questioning whether those who are assisting us are actually bengali.
For these reasons, I decided to shoot within the radius of a few streets within the wealthy Trionfale neighborhood. This photographic series tries to build a bridge to a diverse community, far more complex than the humble little store with which it is usually identified.

Investigating their ambitions and dignity, the dedication to work and the propensity to sacrifice is revealed a community seeking both economic and existential redemption, a revenge on a past distant in space and time, toward a present that still cannot-or will not-weave it into the fabric of the italian society.