The endless low blue sky, dotted with opulent clouds, rests on the rolling green hills of Nyeri, with the Aberdare massif in the background, where Africa, like the sky itself, becomes darker and wilder. We are a two-and-a-half hour drive from the capital Nairobi, where last Sunday, as every year, the commemoration of the Italian prisoners who died while imprisoned in British labour camps was held.
An event much more important and profound than the natural, due, institutional significance it has, celebrated in the presence of Ambassador Roberto Natali, together with the Nyeri county governor, Mutahi Kahiga. 
A custom that, as the ambassador himself said, is both ‘a duty and a warning’. Because today, memory is more than a treasure, it is a necessity in order not to fall into the darkness of these times in which values and reference points are lost, and in which respect for history, culture and traditions are no longer considered precious assets for our intellectual and spiritual growth, but dusty folders to get rid of in the name of a lightness that is then swept away by every breath of wind carried by the currents of cosmic confusion.
Banning romantic and mournful recriminations, this year in Nyeri, through the memory of the Italian fallen in captivity during the Second World War, we also wanted to celebrate those who continue to keep this memory alive, made up of the stories of men, their dreams, their families and their descendants. Made of deeds, of benefits brought to Kenya, of epic and meaningful anecdotes.
Memories that inevitably risk being lost and that the scholar Aldo Manos had begun to fix, dedicating himself to until the day of his death, which occurred last June, collecting documents, memories, testimonies, and even finding a monument that was about to be crushed by a crane in a field on the outskirts of the capital. The work of Aldo Manos, as Natali said, cannot and must not stop here, ‘we will do everything possible so that it can be continued and expanded’.
With the Carabinieri in full uniform history, representatives of the Italian missionary communities in Kenya, and a large representation of compatriots, truly remarkable, with many families and children, the memory of Aldo Manos and the fallen made those present think that memory is of the living, and celebrating it means celebrating ourselves ‘because we are the heroes of history’, as the president of the Comites, Bruno Giachino, recalled, who for many years, together with his people, has organised free transport for compatriots to Nyeri and had a lunch of Italian specialities set up, adding to the pleasure of sharing.
Because this is what we are, and the unity, dedication and extreme sacrifice of our compatriots imprisoned in Kenya remind us of this. Their vicissitudes, which intersect with those of Kenya's history and the relationship between the two peoples, was perfectly illustrated by Governor Kahiga (‘my first headmaster, here in Nyeri, was from Turin, we know very well that Italians have been fundamental for us, first bringing religion, then education, and now with cooperation in other fields, including health’).
We Italians are capable of great things, and of great humanity, we often have privileged relations and great consideration from Kenyans (and the same happens in many other countries in the world), but it is fundamental not to forget the history of those who before us created the conditions for this, with humility, genius, suffering and sometimes even losing their lives.