Interview with Giulietta Doganieri

In her interview Giulietta Doganieri describes her life in Canada during World when her father, Nicola Doganieri, was interned. Nicola was interned for three years at Camp Petawawa, likely because of his involvement with a fascist organization. While Giulietta's father was interned, her mother cleaned houses as a source of income. Aside from working hard to make ends meet, Giulettta’s mother also had to take care of the children – two of whom were physically disabled. Giulietta recalls accompanying her mother to Petawawa to visit her father, although she does not remember many details of the trip. While Nicola was in the camp, his three-year-old daughter, Anna, died. Like many other children of interned parents, Giulietta says that her father never spoke about his experiences, and that there was a taboo with the children asking questions. Giulietta also states that she didn't realize that her father was so important to the community and that he helped so many people, as her parents never talked about these activities. She was also unaware of the Italian newspaper that her father ran. Giulietta describes the deep feelings of shame she had regarding her father's internment, even though he was a good man who helped so many people.