Yesterday, Tuesday, May 16, at 6:00 PM, in the evocative spaces of the ex Conservatorio Sant'Anna (Via Libertini, 1 – Lecce), the presentation of *CREATURE DI SABBIA* took place. CREATURE DI SABBIA is a project aiming to transform the city of Lecce into a crossroads of art and intercultural dialogue in the last week of May.
Promoted by the
Agenzia per il Patrimonio Culturale Euromediterraneo, the project is inspired by the novel "
Creatura di Sabbia" by Tahar Ben Jelloun, which tells the silent yet powerful struggle of a woman against social oppression, a theme that deeply resonates in the works of the young participating artists from Arab and Muslim cultures.
Funded by the
Puglia Region – Welfare Department, with s
tate resources from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, under the P
uglia Capital Social 3.0 notice, *CREATURE DI SABBIA* is a project promoted by the
Agenzia per il Patrimonio Culturale Euromediterraneo, in collaboration with the
Positivo Diretto Association, the
Polo Bibliomuseale della Provincia di Lecce, the
Municipality of Lecce, and the
N.O.I Salento Association.
The conference featured prominent figures such as
Senator Adriana Poli Bortone, President of the Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Heritage Agency,
Ettore Bambi, scientific coordinator of the project,
Alice Caracciolo and
Andrea Laudisa, curators of the artistic residency, along with
Fabia Anna Cicirillo, Councillor for Culture and the Enhancement of Cultural Heritage in Lecce,
Silvia Miglietta, Councillor for Equal Opportunities, and
Brizia Minerva, art historian, representing Polo Bibliomuseale della Provincia di Lecce.
Imam Saifeddine Maaroufi, representative of the Islamic community of Lecce, participated in the event, highlighting the importance of intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
The artistic residency will officially begin on Tuesday, May 23, at 9:30 AM, with a public meeting at the Auditorium of the Sigismondo Castromediano Museum (Viale Gallipoli, 31, Lecce). The project focuses on an artist residency centered on gender equality and the violated rights of women, twelve years after the Arab Spring.
From May 23 to 27, the residency will feature an
intensive program of workshops and discussions with teachers, critics, and experts in the field of art, hosted between the Castromediano Museum and the ex Convitto Palmieri - Biblioteca Bernardini. In addition to the artistic residency, there will be cultural events and multidisciplinary meetings open to the entire community.
The project features
four artists of Arab Muslim origin and culture – students from Fine Arts Academies – and four peers of similar nationality and religion, residing in Lecce and active in the field of intercultural mediation. The students were selected through a call sent to Italian Fine Arts Academies and faculties of Arts and Performing Arts:
Mehrnoosh Roshanaei, an Iranian student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna,
Rafika Ferchichi from the Academy of Bari,
Salma Hilmi from Morocco, and
Khatereh Safajoo from Iran, both from the Albertina Academy in Turin.
Alongside them,
five students and cultural operators of Arab culture are participating, including
Afghan sisters Asyra, Latifa, and Maliha Amani, interns in the S.A.I. Union 3 Welcoming Project of the Rinascita Cooperative, and intercultural mediator
Nunzia Bushra Todaro, residing in Lecce and converted to Islam. The participants will also be supported by
Maryam Barak, a scholarship recipient under the *Culture Builds the Future* project promoted by the Emmanuel Foundation, and currently a Social Media Moderator at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), residing in Rome. Although not an artist, Maryam will contribute her background in intercultural mediation.
The residency, coordinated by
Andrea Laudisa and
Alice Caracciolo, will provide participants the opportunity to develop and compare their artistic projects with a group of distinguished teachers and experts. Among them are
Luca Bandirali, film critic and lecturer at the DAMS in Lecce; Paolo Pisanelli, director and photographer;
Donatella Tanzariello, immigration lawyer; Valeria Carlini, spokesperson for the Italian Council for Refugees;
Takoua Ben Mohamed, graphic artist and comic book artist;
Rossana Gaddi, communication designer;
Raffaella Massacesi, design lecturer;
Beatrice Bambi, designer;
Laleh Davoudi, intercultural mediator; Irene Strazzeri, sociologist at the University of Salento;
Imam Saifeddine Maaroufi, lecturer in Islamic Law;
Giorgia Salicandro, journalist; and
Valentina D’Andrea, set designer and illustrator.
During the mornings of
May 23 and 27, a
group of students from the Ciardo Pellegrino Artistic and Choreutic High School in Lecce will also participate in the workshops, with particular attention to themes of social equality, proximity relationships, gender parity, and the fight against sexual and racial violence.
The work developed during the residency will serve as the starting point for creating works that will be the focus of an unprecedented
exhibition in the fall/winter. During the residency, the projects will be reviewed and enriched through discussions with nationally recognized teachers and experts, offering intercultural stimuli of a sociological, anthropological, and social nature before being finalized.
The main objective of the project is to raise awareness and train participants and a significant part of the Salentine youth community on human rights, using art as a tool to reflect on social changes, such as those from the Arab Spring, and on how culture played a key role during the revolts, through the music, poetry, and graffiti of the "jasmine revolution."
*CREATURE DI SABBIA* aims to promote gender equality and the empowerment of Mediterranean women, using art as a vehicle to address today's challenges and heal the deepest wounds of the soul.**FULL PROGRAM:**May 23, from 9:30 AM (public meeting) - Auditorium of the Castromediano Museum
After institutional greetings from the President of the Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Heritage Agency,
Senator Adriana Poli Bortone; from the Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Lecce,
Fabiana Cicirillo; from the Director of the Welfare Department of the Puglia Region,
Valentina Romano and from the Vice-Rector of the University of Salento,
Maria Antonietta Aiello.
The activities will then move swiftly into the heart of the project with an introduction by
Luigi De Luca, Head of European Territorial Cooperation and the bibliomuseum poles of the Puglia Region, and
Ettore Bambi, scientific coordinator of the project, followed by a lecture by
Ilaria Guidantoni, journalist, writer, and researcher on Mediterranean culture, and
Attilio Pisano, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Law and Human Rights at the University of Salento.
In the afternoon, at 3:30 PM, at the
ex Convitto Palmieri - Biblioteca Bernardini, there will be a presentation of the students of the residency:
Asyra Amani,
Latifa Amani,
Maryam Barak,
Salma Hilmi,
Rafika Ferchichi,
Mehrnoosh Roshanaei,
Khatereh Safajoo,
Nunzia Todaro, and an illustration of the residency by curators
Andrea Laudisa and
Alice Caracciolo. This first day of activities will conclude with a workshop on Arab culture led by
Ilaria Guidantoni. The afternoon activities are open only to resident artists.
On May 24 at 9:30 AM (open only to resident artists), the spaces of the
ex Convitto Palmieri - Biblioteca Bernardini will host a workshop on cinema and video art led by
Luca Bandirali, film critic, and senior researcher in cinema, photography, and television at the DAMS of the University of Salento, and
Paolo Pisanelli, director, photographer, and screenwriter. The afternoon session, starting at 3:30 PM, will feature a workshop on denied rights led by
Donatella Tanzariello, immigration lawyer, and
Valeria Carlini, spokesperson and communication officer of the Italian Council for Refugees, Rome.
On May 25 at 9:30 AM (open only to resident artists), the working day at
ex Convitto Palmieri - Biblioteca Bernardini will begin with a workshop on graphic art led by
Takoua Ben Mohamed, graphic artist, journalist, illustrator, and comic book artist, along with
Rossana Gaddi, communication designer, and researcher at the Department of Architecture at the University of Chieti-Pescara, and
Raffaella Massacesi, lecturer in communication design at the University of Chieti-Pescara. In the afternoon, starting at 3:30 PM, the program includes a social art workshop led by
Elisa Vladilo, street and public artist, set designer, and
Beatrice Bambi, designer, and
Laleh Davoudi, intercultural mediator.
On May 26 (open only to resident artists), activities will begin at
9:30 AM at
ex Convitto Palmieri - Biblioteca Bernardini with a workshop on the Spring of Women led by
Irene Strazzeri, Associate Professor of Sociology of Globalization at the University of Salento, and
Imam Saifeddine Maaroufi, founder of the Noi Salento Association, project partner and lecturer in Comparative Islamic Law at the Higher Institute of Islamic Studies in Sesto San Giovanni. In the afternoon, starting at 3:30 PM, the students will participate in a workshop on words led by
Giorgia Salicandro, journalist, and expert in communication for social inclusion.
The final day of activities will be on May 27 with morning workshops, at
9:30 AM, focused on the thematic development of projects, culminating in a public presentation of the results of the residency at the
Auditorium of the Castromediano Museum.
**Contacts:**
Agenzia per il Patrimonio Culturale EuromediterraneoEmail:
agenzia.euromediterranea@gmail.comWeb:
www.euromediterraneaculturalheritage.com-
