Nine days of talks, meetings, conferences and shows: the Festival of Despair returns to Andria. “How do you make mistakes” this is the theme chosen for the VIII edition which will have as its subject the error in all its forms and contradictions, starting from those we make in our daily lives up to current social and political events: the event – organized by the Circolo dei Lettori of Andria – will be held from 7 to 16 June 2024. The only cultural event in our country that celebrates the transformative and catastrophic power of desperation (the literary feeling par excellence) in literature and life modern, the festival will once again bring writers, actors, journalists, musicians and artists to the Apulian town. With a lot of humour, but without lacking seriousness, many of the protagonists will meet in Andria: from the journalist Saverio Tommasi to the linguist Vera Gheno, from the philosopher Ilaria Gaspari to the rapper Ghemon, and then again Nicola Lagioia, Vito Mancuso, Irene Soave, Claudio Morici, Ilaria Maria Dondi, Mauro Covacich, Chiara Tagliaferri, Guido Vitiello, Lucrezia Ercoli, Roberto Mercadini, Francesca Coin, Antonio Pascale, Niccolò Fettarappa and Lorenzo Guerrieri, and many others and others.
“How you make mistakes is the condition with which we approach this eighth edition of the Festival of Despair. A condition which, in addition to characterizing and best representing the spirit and essence of the festival, represents the condition of all of us who, every day, try everything to achieve our small but big goals, systematically making every single choice we make wrong. .” Said the artistic director Gigi Brandonisio, who added: “Error, in all its forms, is the thing we do best, the thing we never make mistakes on time. And so we start from the awareness that every effort is useless, that something will go wrong. We will live the eighth edition of the Festival of Despair with this awareness: waiting to confront our daily mistakes. With or without mistakes we will try to survive this time too, knowing that it won’t be easy at all.”
Modern times… “How do you make mistakes”!
It will therefore begin on Friday 7 June, with a reflection by journalists Giulia Alonzo and Oliviero Ponte di Pino, who will question the meaning and usefulness of an event such as a cultural festival in an era characterized by recurring disasters and uncertainties.
Reporter Saverio Tommasi, with his show “Fuoco alle Polveri”, will lead us in an engaging narrative experience that explores the theme of resistance and change through stories of kind revolutionaries. Journalist Paolo Berizzi, on the eve of the European elections, will explore the Italian political context and the risk of the return of fascism in new forms. The actors Luca Amorosino and Carlo De Ruggieri will be in Andria to stage “Un Giorno come un Altro”, a biting and ironic comedy by Giacomo Ciarrapico which, with a paradox, highlights the lack of awareness of voting as a value of democracy. Instead, we will talk about the strength of disobedience with the writer and philosophy teacher Federico Zuolo, exploring the new forms of protest and rebellion that are emerging in the contemporary panorama. What is resistance in a time of climate crisis? We will discuss it with environmental activists Sara Segantin and Alice Franchi. With the scientific journalist Roberto Inchingolo we will discuss anti-speciesism and the power of crying according to a scientific and anthropological vision; while with Irene Soave, journalist, we will talk about work and hope workers. We will also continue to talk about work with the sociologist Francesca Coin and the journalist and writer Niccolò Zancan with their meeting on the disappointment that has spread among the world of workers in recent years and how our society has changed in relation to this. We will also meet Niccolò Zancan again in another meeting, this time focused on human vulnerability where the journalist will share real stories of daily challenges. The geneticist Edoardo Boncinelli and the philosopher Marco Furio Ferrario will instead talk to us about the natural history of discontent, exploring the biological and cultural roots of this feeling through history, science and art, with the aim of accepting it as part of human life.
We will enter into a revolutionary perspective on motherhood and female freedom: with the writer Chiara Tagliaferri instead we will talk about patriarchy and feminisms, in a special memory of the writer Michela Murgia. The theologian Vito Mancuso will lead a meeting on the meaning of hope and the search for meaning in human life. Also at the Festival of Despair will be the writer Barbara Bernardini who will take us into the world of agriculture to imagine new paths for humanity.
With Lucrezia Ercoli, philosopher, we will reflect on the concept of evil and its representation; while the writer Ermanno Cavazzoni will offer us an intriguing “Handbook for the next life”, an eccentric guide towards possible alternative futures. With the philosopher Ilaria Gaspari and the writer Anna Voltaggio we will instead see a comparison between the feeling of nostalgia and the concept of reputation. Carolina Bandinelli and Laura Pigozzi will take us on two journeys through love relationships and the toxic dynamics that can characterize them. Piero Martin will entertain us with fascinating stories of memorable mistakes in science. And then, does our idea of pain change with experience, environment and culture? We’ll talk about it with the presenter and researcher Roberta Fulci. We will also talk about pain with the speech therapist and writer Mariagrazia Fiore and the illustrator NadiaGelsomina, with them we will see what the common process is for recovering and healing after a moment of profound suffering.
Mauro Pescio will give us his show “It’s not the story of a hero” taken from Io ero il Milanese podcast by Rai Play Sound; while the linguist Vera Gheno will hold a monologue on the possibility of loving words entitled “Grammamanti”.
There is no feeling more literary than desperation: all the dating
With a psychedelic dialogue between the writers Paolo Pecere, Andrea Piva and Nicola Lagioia, we will embark on a journey that starts from the Eleusinian mysteries up to the encounter with other animal intelligences. Nicola Lagioia will also hold a praise of literature, celebrating its transformative power and exploring the vital role that works play in the modern context with their ability to shape our internal and external world. The writer and comedian Claudio Morici will entertain the audience with a unique look at the life and works of “crazy” authors and the impact they have had on our existence; we will also find him again for “Editorial Suicides”, a provocative and entertaining analysis of the production mechanisms and creative dynamics in the publishing world. The writer and journalist Antonio Pascale will illustrate the consolatory power of pessimism through a symbolic garden where each plant represents a human theme and is associated with a writer or thinker who explored it. While with the author-actor Roberto Mercadini we will embark on a journey between existentialism and transformation through the pages of Herman Melville’s masterpiece Moby Dick.
We will find Ilaria Gaspari again this time paired with Guido Vitiello, the two will lead us into a lively and engaging dialogue telling their “Prust”: through a careful and passionate analysis the two will offer a unique perspective on the power of narration and its ability to shaping our relationship with time and memory. Finally Mauro Covacich will lead us on a compelling exploration of the lives of two literary greats, in a melee with James Joyce Franz Kafka.
Let’s try to laugh about it: the shows of the Festival of Despair
In a journey between comedy and tragedy, the actor and comedian Massimiliano Loizzi will lead us through the challenges and contradictions of today’s life, offering a provocative and engaging vision of contemporary society. Halfway between a scientific conference and a theater show, the comedian Andrea Cosentino will give us a unique performance challenging our conceptions of time and matter: a senescent TedTalk in punk style.
Niccolò Fettarappa and Lorenzo Guerrieri will be the protagonists of two events: with Apocalisse Tascabile, a heroic-comic one-act with a theological extravagance, they will deal with the end of the world seen from various perspectives; while with La sparanoia, we will enter into the bitter reflection on the death of the Left and the quiet submissiveness of a generation now imperturbable to social and cultural abuses.
The famous hip-hop artist Ghemon will bring to the stage a mix of music, stand-up comedy and storytelling made of sharing, personal stories, unreleased songs, unexpected covers and moments of deeper reflection.
So the appointment is in Andria, from 7 to 16 June for a festival that focuses on the transformative power of literature and culture. The entire program will be available on the website www.festivaldelladisperazione.it
It will be possible to purchase tickets from 05/13/24 both on www.festivaldelladisperazione.it and at the Festival secretariat located in via Largo Seminario 18 in Andria (9.30am – 12.30pm / 4.30pm – 8.30pm) .
The Festival is conceived and organized by the Andria Readers’ Club. We thank the San Tommaso D’Aquino Diocesan Library, the Immaculate Conception Archconfraternity and the Presidi del Libro for their support and the partners Cristal Palace Hotel and Collettivo 32 for their collaboration.
