Join us in London on April 24, 2026 for the launch of the English translation of The Game of Chance : Unaccompanied Minors in Italy and the Risk of ‘Going Back to Square One’ (May Day Rooms, 19.00 to 22.00).
The Game of Chance draws on the analogy of a game – such as Snakes and Ladders – to highlight how life on the margins is precarious and open to slippage back to where you started from, at any time.
The comic is based on the lived experiences of eight young men (five Nigerians and three Gambians) who made the increasingly dangerous and criminalised crossing from Libya, across the Mediterranean Sea, to Italy as minors in the hope of a better future. Rather than foregrounding extraordinary stories of suffering, the focus is on their experiences upon arrival in Italy, of life in the asylum system as ‘minors’ under eighteen, and then on the barriers they continue to face as ‘adults’.
Based on ethnographic research conducted over five years (2017–2023) in Bologna by researcher Sarah Walker, the featured dialogues are taken from interviews conducted with the young men. The comic tells the story from their point of view. It was produced in collaboration with Hardi Jahateh, who himself came to Italy as a minor seeking asylum. Some of Hardi’s drawings reflecting on his life are also included in its pages.
The comic is self-funded, with all proceeds from sales going towards publishing further copies and/or related anti-racism workshops. It has been used as a teaching tool in Italian schools to prompt discussion on childhood, migration and racism in Italy; as an Italian language-learning resource for young people within the asylum system; and as a tool for raising public awareness about some of the issues faced by young migrants in Italy.
Published by Action30 – an independent antiracist and antifascist publisher – it has been translated from Italian into English and French.
In the event, Sarah Walker will be joined by our friends Sunflower (London Copwatch), a representative of Southwark and Lambeth Anti-Raids Network, and Sophie-Marie Niang (King's College London). Departing from the themes of the book, we will discuss what childhood means under the racist and capitalist societies we live in, and how we can harness this knowledge to support young people in London, Bologna, and beyond.
Physical copies will be available at the event. We suggest a donation rate of at least £5.
Event poster:
Comic art by: Antonio Mirizzi: antonio_mir_
Chiara Suanno: demi__san
Published by Action30, Giuseppe Palumbo: ramarrotosca
Based on research by Sarah Walker: bolognamusings
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