The Region has allocated over 400 thousand euros to Sicilian schools for the project “Non solo Mizzica – Sicilian, the language of a people”, which includes interventions for the diffusion and promotion of the dialect.
In recent days the regional Department of Education has approved the definitive ranking of the schools based in Sicily which will obtain the funds for the implementation of the projects.
Specifically, 65 Type A curricular and extracurricular proposals were admitted for funding, which concerns schools of all levels, the maximum cost of which was not to exceed five thousand euros. Finally, there are two Type B schools, for projects involving partnerships between high schools, with a dance-music high school as the lead institution and with a maximum financeable cost of 60 thousand euros each.
Specifically, the committed funds reach approximately 325 thousand euros for Type A interventions, and just under 80 thousand euros for Type B. The Region, through the decree approving the ranking, orders the immediate payment of 80 percent of the expense overall, while the remaining 20 percent will be paid upon reporting by the beneficiary schools.
The Hyblaean institutes that will benefit from the project
Two Modica schools will join the “Non solo Mizzica” project in typology A. The Istituto Comprensivo Raffaele Poidomani will join with the “Cuntu e Canto” project financed for €4,996.07.
The Giovanni Verga high school in Piazzale Baden Powell in Modica is one of the two high schools selected for type B in all of Sicily, which won with a project entitled “Isola Sicilia” financed for €39,996.80.
The Francesco Crispi Comprehensive Institute of Ragusa was excluded due to the lack of an attachment.
The types of activities financed
The funded activities will concern, among other things, studies and research on local dialects (also in collaboration with universities, research centers, cultural associations and experts), to the discovery of proverbs, poems, sayings, songs, dirges, nursery rhymes, “cunti ”, according to the different expressive codes (phonic/auditory, visual/gestural).
Meetings and study days are also planned, also organized in aggregate form between several schools, for the analysis of cultural events typical of the Sicilian popular tradition (markets, typical shows, customs, traditions, religious rites); laboratories for the diffusion of the Sicilian language; meetings with storytellers, puppeteers and other artists; intergenerational exchange through meetings between young and old; artistic shows and works; creation of bibliographic sources and documentary archives, including audio ones; networking of archives and sources.
The dance-music high school in particular will promote workshops aimed at the creation of compositions, interpretations and artistic representations; events with Sicilian artists and personalities from the world of culture and entertainment. The final destination will be a public event involving personalities and artists as testimonials. The activities can also take place outside of school/academic periods and hours.
