Salerno is the second stop on the mural tour that the Representation in Italy of the European Commission is carrying out as part of the initiative EU Street Art aimed at raising awareness of the main current European issues and the results achieved by the EU in the last five years.
The initiative which involves local administrations and associations of seven Italian regions in the creation of open-air public art works, aims to build a network to promote masonry art as a tool for urban regeneration and social inclusion. The objective is to increase the sense of belonging to the European Union, stimulating dialogue and active citizenship, while contributing to improving the quality of life within communities.
Is titled “Parolana” the work that the painter and urban artist Antonio Cotecchia, in art Kote, is being created in the Pastena district of Salerno. In the ancient Campania tradition, “‘o parulan” was the one who, shouting from alley to alley, sold fruit and vegetables. But the parulaniin their free and perpetual wanderings through the streets of Naples and Salerno, they did much more: they told popular stories and anecdotes which, also thanks to their contribution, have been preserved over time and have come down to us.
In Koté’s interpretation “’o parulan” takes on the face of a young woman who, holding a typewriter in her lap, exercises her freedom of speech and dissent, but also the right to free and pluralistic information. “ Parolana” represents the personification of the desire of the new generations to express themselves and live in a society where even journalists are able to work freely and independently.
These values are fundamental for the European Union which, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2024, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting and defending media freedom and pluralism in the EU and in the rest of the world. Access to free, pluralistic and quality information is at the heart of the value system and democracy in the EU, as embodied by “Parolana”.
The mural’s unveiling will be held Thursday May 23at 6.00pmin via Michele Pizone, 2- Salerno – Pastena district.
