The director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo and area coordinator Paolo Sabbatini presented on 4 February in Amman the extensive programme of the event entitled “Italy, Cultures, Mediterranean” to take place throughout the current year.
From Dante to Petra and passing through Matera, the event will encompass conferences, exhibitions, and ornamental fountains. The presentation was delivered at the “Knowledge Forum”, which takes place in the capital city of Jordan, and was attended by Prioncess Dana Firas, President of the Petra National Trust. There were also many members of the diplomatic community and cultural circles, entrepreneurs and representatives of the press at the event. Sabatini highlighted the meaning and the regional scope of the programme, underlining the privileged location Italy holds within the Mediterranean Basin, not only from a geographical standpoint but also due to the complex relations that have been established historically with the many countries in the region. The many initiatives on schedule are inspired by the respect for the multifaceted features of the communities along the shores of the ‘Mare Nostrum’. The programme is due to begin with Dante Alighieri, who has inspired the calligraphic art exhibition “Writing the Divine Comedy…..in all the world’s languages”, organised in cooperation with the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo and hosted by H.E. Hind Nasser from “Artisana Gallery 14”. The exhibition will run in Amman from 5 to 24 February and will represent the first event of the initiative “Italy, Cultures, Mediterranean” in Jordan. Following this will be Professor Kamel Mahadin, a landscape architect and designer and the author of thousands of drawings depicting Italy, which make up the collection of “Drawn memories…..recording the Mediterranean memories.” His art compares Petra and Matera, the latter of which is nominated as European Cultural Capital 2019. It thus offers another opportunity to promote the two cities in which stone represents the major identifying trait. Events that deserve a special mention are the initiatives organised for the 10th anniversary of the death of Father Michele Piccirillo, a prominent Franciscan archeologist, to whom the Madaba Archeological Park could be dedicated. A fellowship grant bearing his name will be given by the Fondazione ARPA to a Jordan physician specialised in robotic surgery. A film entitled “Tesere di pace nel Medio Oriente” [Elements of peace in the Middle East], produced by Rai Cinema, will be screened. Within the framework of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival, there will be a premiere of a piece for choir and orchestra featuring the March for Peace from Mount Nebo to the baptism site on the Jordan River. Finally, a book will be published containing Piccirillo’s legacy. Margherita Moscardini presented the visual project entitled ”Inventory. The Fountains of Za’atari”. The artist has been putting together an account of the ornamental fountains constructed in the Syrian refugee camp at Za’atari. It is to be part of her exhibit at the ”Shoman Foundation Darat al Funun”, in addition to the publication of a photo catalogue. One of these sculptures will be on show at the Museo Madre di Napoli. The agenda will also include live shows, conferences and a project developed by five young Italians that will feature five UNESCO sites in the Middle East, including Petra. Padiglione Itinerante will offer a collection of Italian literature translated into Arabic, followed by a conference on archeology in the Middle East organised by inCairo, alongside initiatives such as Italian Language Weeks and Italian Cuisine in the World. To complete the programme, Florence will host in January 2019 the International Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan, focusing on the theme, ”Flows of people, artifacts and ideas”. The presentation of this initiative in Amman was completed by the awarding of the ”Amici dell’Italia” membership cards to a group of Jordan personalities who have command of the Italian language and spread the passion and interest for Italian culture in Jordan.