Salvation

Sutera (lat. soter = savior, to save) is a sleepy, ancient village of 800 inhabitants in the heart of Sicily, located under a mountain. In the past four decades it has lost 90% of its population. In the last years, Sicily experienced the brunt of the refugee wave coming across the Mediterranean, trying to get to the European shores. Following a marine tragedy in 2013, the inhabitants of Sutera opened the doors of the empty houses for the migrants. The main piazza was buzzing again with life but soon the migrants faced unemployment and a lack of job opportunities. A story of migration as economic choice vs. migration as a desperate act of last resort.