Postcolonial optics in the representation of Italy and Somalia in novels by Igiaba Scego and Ubah Cristina Ali Farah

This article examines the representation of Italy and Somalia in the novels of Afro-Italian writers Igiaba Scego and Ubah Cristina Ali Farah through the lens of postcolonial discourse. Key themes of hybridity, postcolonial identity, intergenerational trauma, and migration are analysed, as well as the ways in which the colonial narrative is deconstructed. Particular attention is paid to the role of language and memory in conceptualising cultural boundaries and integrating the African experience into the Italian literary canon. The author emphasises that the works of Scego and Ali Farah form a new optic of perception of Italy and Somalia, offering an alternative perspective on the colonial past and its impact on contemporary reality.