Overcoming the ‘Ndrangheta: contrasting methods and continuities of action: A report from the ‘La ferita’ conference, Reggio Calabria, November 2010

Extract

The ‘Ndrangheta is one of southern Italy's three traditional mafias; with its roots in Calabria, it has a presence in other Italian regions and operates from bases abroad, including outside Europe. Until a few years into the new millennium the other two, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the Camorra of Campania, were much better known. Serious studies of the ‘Ndrangheta could be counted on the fingers of two hands, the few journalists who took an interest were not well known, and its public image was largely linked to kidnapping, in which the Calabrian gangs were specialists. In 2005, however, the vice-president of the Calabrian Regional Council was murdered, and on 15 August 2007, the Ferragosto holiday, six young Calabrians were killed in Duisburg; these events helped to break the silence around the ‘Ndrangheta that had prevailed for a long time. Anti-Ndrangheta groups, consisting mainly of young people, have formed; journalists with a national profile have started to file reports from Calabria; there has been an explosion in reportage (not, in truth, of high quality) on the ‘Ndrangheta's origins, characteristics and business activity; and finally, in 2008, the Parliamentary Commission on the Mafia devoted a special report to the Calabrian mafia for the first time. Despite this rapid growth of interest, there have still been very few serious studies.