The story
Paolo, papa, babbo, papo, it is difficult to condense one’s life achievements and eulogize them in just a few paragraphs. Paolo Borsellino, it is an honor to be called your daughter, you were a man amongst men, and you and Giovanni Falcone were one of the first people to proclaim so fiercely against the mafia and Sicily still commends you.
My father started working as an anti-mafia magistrate in his early 30’s and during those 20 years of his life, he achieved more than many have during their whole lifetime. Dad was never fearful of hiding his political judgment. He was never scared to expose the mafia and to put his life in danger in order to make the life of Sicilians better.
Our family constantly suffered, the death threats that the household received was emblematic of the success my father was having against the mafia. As a teenager, I could not handle the thought of lights switching off within my family. This led me to anorexia, which progressively worsened as my father dug deeper and deeper.
However I realized that my condition couldn’t stop his work. Babbo had reached a stage where if he stopped doing what he was doing, he would simply be regarded as weak. We saw our father in flashes, which made us even more worried. However, what we failed to understand is that our young minds couldn’t handle a situation of such complexity; the danger of his job seemed surreal.
That is why we never saw him working. We knew who our father was more from the screen than from real life. However, that is why, I have so much respect for my father, dad would never stop working on his 8,607 page indictment until it had reached the standard necessary.
In the end all his hard work paid off, 465 mafiosi, all sentenced to sentences no shorter than 30 years. A case that had taken years to build had now taken those years and inflicted them upon the criminals.
Our father was simply a man of principles and a man who always wanted the best for his own nation. That is why he continued to work so hard even after the death of his only colleague. 57 days separated their deaths but once the 57th day had arrived, all that echoed through my head was the words that he had repeated for the last 2 months. “It’s nice to die in what one believes in; whoever is scared dies every day, whoever is not scared only dies once.” Ultimately that is what happened to our father.
It remains an honor to be associated with his achievements when I present my last name. Possibly the most influential activist against mafia, he had to decease so soon. It is only now that I realize why. Sicily can’t stand on its own legs. It needs the support of two advocates like Paolo and Giovanni once where. Sicily remains fearful of the mafia.
I know these words may not be as powerful as they would have come out of my father’s mouth but as his daughter I have had the duty to honor him and succeed his legacy after all he has done for Sicily. As his daughter, I can truly say that even after all the pain, fear and sorrow I experienced during my father’s time, I have never been happier, because stopping the mafia is what made him happy, Sicily happy and me happy. Therefore in order to stop the stagnancy of the state of Sicily’s actions against an issue that it has always been plagued by. Therefore I announce, that I will finally take the first step in redeeming my father’s legacy by initiating the movement, #TuttiControlaMafia.
Memory wall
7 tributes have been left in memory of Paolo Borsellino.
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A film in honour of Paolo Borsellino.
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Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino as they smile in each other's company.
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Very beautiful tribute!
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The story of this man is emotionally fascinating
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Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino as they smile in each other's company.
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A film in honour of Paolo Borsellino.
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