Palermo’s ‘cultural revolution’ against the mafia In a troubled region, organizations encourage escape from extortion.

PALERMO, Sicily — This year marks a quarter century since Sicily’s Cosa Nostra murdered judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in the region’s capital. Now Palermo wants to use its Mafia-stained legacy to start a “cultural revolution” that will put an end to political violence and extortion.

For years, the Mafia’s violent and dishonest practices were met with apathy. To overcome “the Mafia phenomenon of power politics” Palermo’s residents will have to break with that tradition and learn to speak out, says Daniele Marannano, coordinator of Addiopizzo (Farewell to racket), an anti-Mafia NGO.

Addiopizzo opened shop in 2010, using buildings confiscated from the Mafia by the state. It has since grown into a network encompassing more than 1,000 businesses, which collectively refuse to pay the pizzo — a slang term for protection money paid to the Mafia under extortion.

The NGO, which receives funding from the Italian government and the European Union, works closely with local authorities to provide moral, legal and social support to businesses.

Addiopizzo’s work is a blow to the country’s shadow economy, which according to a 2008 survey quoted in media reports, generated about €15 billion a year for the Mafia. Di Giacomo, the imprisoned boss of one of Cosa Nostra’s groups, has publicly railed against Addiopizzo’s operations.

The organization’s slogan — “I pay those who don’t pay” — encourages locals and tourists to choose businesses that don’t pay protection money to the Mafia. With the help of EU money, the NGO also opened a travel company offering tours of “racket-free” activities that promote Sicilian heritage.

“Whenever the Mafia was mentioned, one would imagine a man with an expensive suit,” says Guido Agnello, who owns a store selling the flat caps that were once part of the Mafia uniform. “It was cool, it was a compliment. We decided it was time for the Mafia to be seen as it was: crooked, just like their hats.”

Despite efforts to revamp the region, Sicily still faces high unemployment and emigration rates, as young people leave the country to search for opportunities elsewhere. The region is also dealing with a high influx of migrants from Africa and the Middle East on its shores — a source of tension that the Mafia routinely exploits.

In an insecure region uncertain about its future, organizations like Addiopizzo hope they can help residents break with a dark past.