NoonJuly 7, 2022 – 08:30
from Maurizio de Giovanni
It is difficult to find something that cannot be shared in the beautiful article by Aldo Schiavone, on these columns last July 2nd. The professor starts from the need to adequately commemorate Raffaele La Capria, the great writer who died recently, and from the 70th anniversary of the death of Benedetto Croce in 2023, to launch the enlightened idea of a Neapolitan year of culture. A real festival, which celebrates the greatness of art and more generally of the thought produced, over the years and at least for a century now, within this strange and polyphonic perimeter. An intuition, that of Schiavone, truly remarkable; because in fact memory, a fundamental element for the formation of cultural identity, is unfortunately not a distinctive feature of Naples and the Neapolitans. We tend to underestimate, superficially, those who in any other city would be celebrated with great pride; and we easily forget, especially if the artistic, philosophical or scientific luster dates back to a few decades ago. La Capria, it should be remembered, was the longest-lived of an extraordinary generation of writers: Ermanno and Domenico Rea, Pomilio, Compagnone, Prisco, De Crescenzo.
All born in the decade between 1917 and 1928; and with them Rosi, Patroni Griffi, Riccardo Pazzaglia and who knows how many others who now escape my memory. Of course, it could be argued that Naples has always had great performers, going back to the even previous generation of the Viviani, Scarpetta, De Filippo, Ferdinando Russo, and Scarfoglio and Serao, and Bovio and Costa and Di Capua. But it would be a further comfort to the belief that it is not possible to ignore such a large number of illustrious men and women, known internationally. And if, as Schiavone suggests, we expand to the history of thought and the sciences, the number is really too vast for a note like this. So? Surely the idea of the professor needs to be picked up and relaunched, perhaps as a permanent festival. And who should be responsible for organizing this event, which would have the non-negligible effect of attracting cultured and qualitative tourism from every part of the country, very far from the invasion of locusts that is mistaken for a beneficial flow of visitors, who, on the other hand, leave little change in the city in the face of the progressive deterioration of the historic center?
The municipal administration, in line with the regional one, has chosen, as is well known, not to attribute the delegation to culture. it has been said, in the face of the complaints raised by various parties, that this is by no means an underestimation of the sector, and that indeed the mayor cares so much about the subject that he wants to manage directly, through dedicated structures, the development of this sector, defined as strategic. Knowing Gaetano Manfredi personally, his human and professional depth and the absolute ideological honesty that he possesses, we are sure that this is really his position and that a man who has ruled the destiny of the most important cultural institution in the city, the university. Frederick II, to then become even minister of research, cannot fail to have clearly understood that culture is the main way for the development of the city. And yet to define a strategic sector, it seems clear that a strategy is needed.
Attention to cultural memory, through the celebration of the great minds that this city has produced in art, music, literature and science, testified by the acceptance of Professor Schiavone’s idea, would be a strategic first step. But it would be useful if the opportunity were taken to communicate, make public and clear what the medium and long-term strategy is to resume the ranks of a growth that is evident in the narrative of the city, so constantly primary and so monopolistic on the national stage that be even boring (gentle euphemism, compared to what Mr. Branciaroli recently said). In short, starting from the recognition of the great past, to comfort and protect a present that finally sees women and men of culture staying in the city, without having to leave in order to do their job at best. A notable turnaround that, I believe, needs to be sustained. And that can be very productive.
July 7, 2022 | 08:30
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