From Egypt to Milan: One Zizo’s Journey of Survival & Hip-Hop

The story of One Zizo’s life-altering journey, from crossing the Mediterranean to founding the Milan-based rap group Arab Milano. I remember watching ‘Voy! Voy! Voy!’ in theaters, a film that was based on the incredible true story of a man who fakes blindness to leave his home in Egypt and live out his dream of moving to Europe. When the credits rolled, I was left with a single question: why would anyone take such a risk? Illegal migration was something I first learned about through films depicting the harrowing realities – men dying in pursuit of a better life, risking everything with little chance of success. I understood the desperation, but the thought of gambling with one’s life, where death is more likely than safe arrival, seemed unfathomable to me. Recently, I discovered the music of One Zizo, a rapper who speaks from the other side of that journey. Creating songs in Arabic, English and Italian, Zizo shares his experiences as someone who made it across the sea, recounting the trauma, alienation and struggles of being in a society that may never fully accept him. “I was already dying, exposed to violence and addiction. So for me, the sea was...