Inspired by the exhibitions Nel Cuore del Congo (until 5 May 2024) and Encounters of distant worlds (until 1 June 2025), which can be visited respectively at the Sala Veratti and the Civic Archaeological Museum of Varese, a series of meetings open to entire citizenship – organized by the Degree Course in History and Stories of the Contemporary World of the University of Insubria and by the Municipality of Varese – which propose intertwined views on the extraordinary relevance of the African continent, not only from a historical-economic perspective, but also philosophical, sociological, artistic and cultural in the broadest sense.
The cycle of meetings, which will continue until autumn 2024, opens with two appointments at Villa Mirabello – Sala del Risorgimento, on 9 May and 5 June, dedicated to ways of possible coexistence and mutual enrichment between the technical- scientific knowledge of European civilization that has become global and the traditional wisdom of which African civilization is the bearer today.
In the time of global economic and cultural exchanges, of which the increase in migratory processes and human relations are the essential and vital correlate, a focus on the possible points of convergence between differences is more urgent than ever. How can we imagine interaction with the extraordinary variety and richness of the African world today, without falling into forms of post-colonial cultural appropriation, but not forgetting the inevitable effects, still evident today, of the European presence on the African continent?
On May 9, Florinda Cambria, professor of Philosophy of the Present and Philosophy of History at the University of Insubria, with the meeting entitled “Why do you dance for so long?”, reflects on the common roots of ancient Greek wisdom , from which European philosophy originated, and of some wisdom practices still practiced today in non-urban contexts in Africa. Can those common roots today constitute a shared resource to address the urgencies of the present, in search of forms of life compatible with current planetary geopolitical, ecological and economic conditions? The African continent, moreover, has for some years been starting to occupy an important position in the international philosophical debate, in particular in the field of moral and political philosophy. Of course, the plurality of orientations corresponds to the variety of contexts present in Africa, but everywhere the thematic crux is that of the coexistence between the philosophical-scientific legacy – that is, universalizing and therefore, inevitably, homogenizing – of the European dominators in the colonial era, and the plurality of forms of life and knowledge present in the varied cultural horizon of African peoples.
On 5 June the appointment will be with Gabriele Pasqui, an expert in urban planning and urban policies, professor at the Polytechnic of Milan, who has carried out training and planning activities in Mozambique, in collaboration with local universities. Pasqui will propose a meeting entitled Learning from Maputo. Lessons for a reflection on the post-colonial approach, in which he will testify how it is possible today to plan and design in the cities of the Global South, for operators rooted in the knowledge typical of the modern West. In dialogue with the philosopher Florinda Cambria, the professor of Urban Politics will then question the meaning and destiny of Western technical knowledge, also in dialogue with the theoretical and political perspectives of post-colonial thought, showing ambiguities, problems and opportunities of concrete practice of design in the urban contexts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Series of meetings as a corollary to the exhibitions In the Heart of the Congo and Meetings of distant worlds
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Thursday 9 May
Villa Mirabello – Risorgimento Hall
Piazza della Motta, 4 – Varese
h. 6.15pm
«WHY ARE YOU DANCING FOR SO LONG?»
Traditional wisdom and philosophical heritage in African culture
Florinda Cambria, professor of Philosophy of the Present and Philosophy of History, University of Insubria
Wednesday 5 June
Villa Mirabello – Risorgimento Hall
Piazza della Motta, 4 – Varese
h. 6.15pm
LEARNING FROM MAPUTO
Lessons for a reflection on the post-colonial approach
Gabriele Pasqui, professor of Urban Policies, Polytechnic of Milan
