In the church of S. Giovanni evangelista of Acireale, on the occasion of the anniversary ofeightieth anniversary of the birth of “Acireale 1”, the first scout movement of Acireale, the presentation of the book “Together… again…” by prof. took place. Antonino Leotta.
The professor. Antonino Leotta knows what he’s talking about: after all, he has been part of the Acireale scout association since its inception. Scouting is in its DNA: three brothers and one sister, in fact, were scouts themselves.
When he talks about his book Antonino Leotta does so with the passion, dedication and naivety of someone who has experienced the story he tells firsthand. But at the same time he is afraid that that story might be forgotten.
The history of the scouts in Acireale from birth to today
“Together… again…” tells the story of the Acireale scout movement from its birth in 1944 until today. Due to the fascist regime all activities were declared illegal and therefore disbanded. Only after the armistice of 8 September 1943, with Benito Mussolini’s substantial loss of power, did we feel the need to bring about change in our country. Fascism had not only destroyed the seed of democracy but had made the soil on which to sow it barren.
Between 1943 and 1944 the English established a commando in Acireale, and came into contact with the Pennisi barons of Floristella. Then the idea of scouting began to take hold. Monsignor Russo, bishop of Acireale, knew, for obvious reasons, the Pennisi of Floristella, he thought well that the scout ideal could instill the seed of democracy in the young generations, just emerging from the rubble of fascism.
The author declared “We are children of history, and no son would repudiate his mother, for this reason it is necessary to know our past. And from the comparison between what was and what is, we can arrive at new truths. Scouting was born in South Africa, during the Anglo-Boer conflict, from the general’s idea Baden-Powell. In Acireale thanks to Msgr. Salvatore Russo, in 1944, the ASCI (Italian Scouting Association) was born, in 1964, again in Acireale, the AGI (Italian Guides Association) was born and, from the merger of these two, in 1974, the AGESCI (Guides Association) was born and Italian Catholic scouts)”.
More than a book…a diary
Antonino Leotta’s book consists of ninety-six pages, divided into ten chapters. The book is chock-full of events narrated in the first person. In fact, it should be considered a diary rather than a book. It ranges from the movement of the “Acireale 1” to various locations before reaching, in 1948, the position of S. Sebastiano thanks to Father Biagio Catania, up to the discrepancy between the Catholic action of Acireale and the scout group, as the scouts were seen as children of Protestantism.
At the end of the presentation of the book, photos testifying to eighty years of scouting were displayed in the parish field. Many of the photos from the forties and fifties were courtesy of the prof. Antonino Leotta. Scouting in Acireale was born with the idea that only democracy is the sine qua non of peace, and as Roger Schutz said “Scouting was born as a peace movement. But his is not a passive, immediate peace. It is a peace that is built with sacrifice and commitment.”
Giosuè Consoli
