The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the Bois du Cazier tragedy in Belgium: a fire that broke out at a depth of 975 meters claimed the lives of 262 miners, 136 of whom were Italian. This event continues to represent an open wound in Europe’s collective memory, and the European Parliament has proposed commemorating it by designating August 8 as the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Workplace Accidents. 
This catastrophe gives voice and memory back to one of the most dramatic chapters of 20th-century Europe, recounting not only the tragedy itself but also what preceded it: postwar poverty, emigration, long train journeys, living conditions in shantytowns, work underground, racism, friendships, romances, and hopes. A choral narrative that intertwines historical and human dimensions, transforming memory into a poetic, civic, and deeply contemporary experience. A message addressed above all to the younger generations, who often remain unaware of the painful past of labor, sacrifice, and emigration that their grandparents were forced to endure.