On a hot Friday night in Palermo, Sicily's capital, musicians play Senegalese songs outside an African restaurant in the bustling outdoor market of La Vucciria. The band belongs to Doudou Diouf, a Senegalese musician and owner of the restaurant called Ciwara, which since opening in 2018 has become the focal point for the city's African community.

The sounds of African drumming and rhythm jostle for attention next to the Sicilian traders serving aperol spritz - an Italian aperitif - from their street carts and the restaurants dishing up Sicilian delicacies like caponata, arancini and fried fish.