Najla Aqdeir

My name is Najla Aqdeir. I was born in Idri on December 3, 1994 (don’t bother looking it up on maps: it’s a tiny, remote village).
My mother is Moroccan and my father is Libyan.

I’ve been practicing my discipline (i am a middle-distance runner) since 2008, when I was 12 and still in middle school. I have never been able to compete in international events, nor in major European competitions, like the one in Birmingham in 2017.
My legal status is quite complex: I am a political refugee with subsidiary protection, and I would very much like to obtain Italian citizenship. But there always seems to be something standing between me and the opportunity to wear the national jersey. Just recently, my application to renew my residence permit was even lost. I honestly don’t know what else to do.
I feel as though I’m never able to move forward.

This project gives me the strength to shout to the world that we are here, and that we want to be, athletically speaking, the very best, both for the country that raised us and for all those who watch us from afar.