The «Vlora» thirty years later: the memory of that 8 August 1991 on Sunday

by time news

noon, 7 August 2021 – 10:41

An art bridge between Bari and Durres and a conference of the Feltrinelli Foundation at the Piccinni theater, a tribute to the then mayor Dalfino and the show “La nave dolce”

from Nicola Signorile



“They are people, desperate people. They cannot be sent back, we are their only hope ». There is an indelible message in the words of the then mayor of Bari, Enrico Dalfino, in front of the 20,000 desperate people aboard the Vlora ship who poured their dreams of freedom over Italy in 1991. A spark of humanity that intended to cross the bureaucratic shackles, a warning that pushed the city of Bari to a solidary embrace of the brothers who came from the other side of the Adriatic, that 8 August. Today those words resound like a testament, in Morse code and become a banner of peace on two twin sculptures located on the two opposite shores of the Adriatic, in Durres and Bari. “They look across the sea that the Albanians have long considered insurmountable and that today unites us “, says Jasmine Pignatelli, author of the work” Sono People / Ata Janë Njerëz 8.8.1991 “: two monuments that represent a single work, one, since 2019, on the promenade IX Maggio of Bari, in San Girolamo district, the other on the Shëtitorja Vollga seafront in Durres, inaugurated three days ago.

An open work

“This is an open work, I define it as a memorial that lives and feeds on memories, personal stories – continues the artist – opens up to people, stimulating a spirit of participation and sharing, as has happened in recent days in Durres. During our stay many people wanted to tell us about their experiences related to Vlora and that journey in search of freedom, to which it is dedicated. A work that calls to itself, overcoming the reticence of those who are not familiar with art ». But above all it is a tribute to Enrico Dalfino, capable in a moment of great difficulty of spreading a message of brotherhood and civilization, opposed by the head of state Cossiga himself: “They are people transmitting the ethical-civil heritage of Dalfino – underlines Pignatelli – a pure feeling that was part of the intimate dimension of man; the words his wife reported in an interview. A small story within a great story, which thanks to the power of art imposes itself on the general attention ».


Morse code

A sentence in Morse code consisting of 14 lines and 14 points translates the sentence pronounced by Dalfino, in Bari as in Durres (donated to the Albanian municipality by Aps Cellule Creative and by a group of sensitive supporters, together with the Municipality of Bari, in the sign of these unchanged values), in a continuous dialogue between the sculptures connected by a common message of peace and welcome, reproduced and amplified thanks to the third element of the work: the radio link in Morse code (with the special name “Ir7za”, issued by Mise) which will be launched tomorrow, by the Bari section of the ARI, “a dedicated thematic channel, which will travel in the ether without barriers or borders”.

The program

The “launch” is part of the rich program of events, which tomorrow will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the arrival of the Vlora, promoted in collaboration with the Municipalities of Durres and Tirana and with the support of the Puglia Region. The day will open at 10.30 with the municipal administration’s homage to the memory of the former mayor: the mayor Antonio Decaro will lay a wreath under the monument dedicated to him in the council chamber of Palazzo di Città, followed by, in the Piccinni theater, on the initiative of the Feltrinelli Foundation, there will be a meeting with many witnesses of the time, «The long journey of rights. Bari: thirty years after the landing of Albanian citizens », third live date of the Civil Calendar organized by the foundation in collaboration with the Municipality and One Bridge to Idomeni onlus.

In the evening

The celebrations will resume at 7.30 pm, on the IX Maggio seafront, with the inauguration of the newly redeveloped green area under the artistic installation created by Jasmine Pignatelli which will assume the toponym “largo Sono Gente 8.8.1991”. Finally, on the stage set up in the piazza del mare of San Girolamo, the theatrical show will be staged at 9.15 pm «The sweet ship “, text and direction by Daniela Nicosia with Massimiliano Di Corato, produced by Tib Teatro, inspired by the homonymous documentary by Daniele Vicari (broadcast tomorrow evening from 11.25pm ​​in the Special Tg1 dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of the Vlora landing).

August 7, 2021 | 10:41

© Time.News


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