To celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the Italian Embassy and Italian Cultural Institute in Algiers, in association with the Algerian Ministry of Culture and the National Archaeological Research Centre, organized a Cultural Heritage Day entitled “Promotion and Valorisation” on 26 February.
The event, organized at the Palais de la Culture Moufdi Zakaria in Algiers, was attended by the Algerian Minister of Culture, Azzedine Mihoubi, major Arabic and French-language newspapers and TV broadcasters and a large audience. The day was subdivided into two sections: the first dedicated to Italian-Algerian cooperation and the second focused on the valorisation and protection of cultural heritage. Great appreciation was expressed for the presence of Italian experts from the National Research Council of Rome, the Polytechnic of Milan, the ISCR and the ICCROM, the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (“Art Squad”), in addition to several Algerian archaeologists and museum directors. The conference screened a video by Altair4 Multimedia and edited by Alessandro Furlan entitled “Ancient Rome and Pompeii in 3D” featuring virtual reconstructions of Italian archaeological sites.
In his address, the Minister of Culture, Azzedine Mihoubi, expressed the hope for stronger cooperation in cultural property protection and in promoting the development of archaeological research, also with a view to increasing tourist appeal.
The Day also offered the opportunity to give a preview of the integrated cultural programme “Italy, Cultures, the Mediterranean”, which is part of the extraordinary plan titled “Italian Way of Life”, with the specific aim of consolidating dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean on the basis of exchanging and promoting different identities, by combining tradition, innovation and creativity. The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Maria Battaglia, illustrated the many events scheduled, all of which of great artistic relevance: starting from the music by Eugenio Bennato and of the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio to the theatre performances “Alì Piccinin, Pascià di Algeri”, “Arlecchino, servitore di due padroni” (“The Servant of Two Masters”) and “Quando gli emigranti eravamo noi”, the photography of Mimmo Jodice, the dance performance by Liliana Cosi, and periodic events to celebrate the Italian Design Day in the World and the Week of Italian Cuisine.
The initiative was promoted by screening the video narrative to launch the ICM Programme and the ICE Programme in Algeria (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u82AnUZgeA).
