Fragments of (South) Africa: stories and faces of Johannesburg
Chiara Granata and Federico Parolo
A mosaic of testimonies, glances and encounters born in the heart of the “Rainbow Nation.” A photographic and narrative book to discover South Africa through the voices of those who live in and pass through it every day.
South Africa slapped us in the face and melted our hearts, showing us fierce contradictions alongside moving leaps of fraternity.
Chiara and Federico
The genesis of the book
Fragments of (South) Africa was conceived within the walls of the Scalabrinian Mission at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in La Rochelle, Johannesburg. South Africa is a country of a thousand faces and a thousand facets, characterized by staggering complexity. It has shown us fierce contradictions alongside moving displays of brotherhood.
This book is not meant to talk about South Africa in our own voice, but to let the country tell its story through the words of the people we met: friends, acquaintances, South Africans and migrants. Each person handed over a piece of their story, entrusting a part of themselves to us. Each fragment joins the others to create a mosaic of joys, sorrows, labors and hopes.
Chiara Granata & Federico Parolo
Chiara Granata (Milan, Italy, 1994) and Federico Parolo (Sondrio, Italy, 1994) are a medical couple who have been volunteers for ASCS – Scalabrinian Agency for Development Cooperation – for many years.
Among the medical school benches they met, fell in love, and from the first steps of their relationship they participated in different service realities.
Looking for contexts where they could learn to meet the Other by getting their hands dirty, they began their journey in ASCS in 2016: after summer camps, intercultural events and an initial brief international volunteer experience in Haiti, they decided to leave for a longer time.
ASCS proposes that they go to Johannesburg, South Africa, for six months.
October 2024 marked the beginning of their experience in the Rainbow Nation, which marked them to such an extent that they leave their testimony in these pages.
Despite everything, I think South Africa is a blessed country. And if God has not given up on us yet, I think we have to continue to trust. A lot of things have happened. Some of them very bad. But we have survived. South Africa has survived. We know that here, if it rains, we don’t have to worry: the rain will pass and the sun will shine again.
Auntie Flo – Life is all about survival
Fragments of stories
Each fragment is a piece of humanity
With a minimum donation of €15, order your book and support ASCS’s projects.
A gesture of solidarity to continue building bridges and fostering a welcoming environment.
Where you can pick it up Fragments of (South) Africa
Bassano del Grappa – Scalabrini Center (Scalabrini Avenue, 3) | Chieri – ASCS Headquarters (Via Sant’Agostino, 1) | Milan – ASCS Headquarters (Piazza del Carmine, 2) | Rome – Casa Scalabrini 634 (Via Casilina, 634)
