For Nicola Lagioia (among other things, Premio Strega 2015 and former director of the Turin International Book Fair) the South is a beautiful place but at the same time totally abandoned by government policies. Tomorrow the writer will be in Andria for the eighth edition of the Festival of Despair.
You were born and raised in Bari. Then, you lived in Rome and Turin. In short, you traveled around Italy. How do you find the South of this country?
«To me it seems like a beautiful place but at the same time totally abandoned by government policies. Italy is probably the country in Europe where there is the greatest economic disproportion between two areas. In these terms, differentiated autonomy is cowardice. First of all because the South risks having a worse demographic winter than that of the rest of the country. Then, without the imagination, liveliness and cultural strength of the South, Italy would be completely different, infinitely poorer. And compared to the South, this latest government seems hostile to me.”
And Puglia?
«It is one of the few regions whose spring has not retreated into autumn or winter, as has happened in other contexts. In the last twenty years it has emerged from the shadows and has become an international tourist destination. And culture was certainly the driving force. Now, however, we are at a crossroads: do we want to turn it into a sort of wild “tourist factory” or do we want it to be a political and cultural laboratory at a national level?”.
We are just a few days away from the European elections. What political moment are we in?
«I believe that the picture will remain unchanged compared to the current one. But the problem with Europe is that, despite being a welcoming place where people live well from many points of view, it does not have clear positions on various issues, on the ongoing wars or on the economy. It fails to be a political force capable of influencing issues.”
Are you desperate?
«I’m not at all but we live in an era where desperation is near. There are, in fact, two wars not far from us. We may not be desperate but feeling other people’s feelings, participating in them, is the only way to be worthily in the world.”
And what is desperation for you?
« It’s living in a context where you know that things will always get worse. Having said this, however, we must not be desperate if we think about our “final destination”. We are mortal, transitory, passing creatures. The truly desperate person is the one who doesn’t realize it. Those who, on the other hand, manage to accept their limits, experience healthy desperation and improve their community.”
Tomorrow won’t be your first time in Andria. What is the value of cultural projects like this?
«As part of the Festival and beyond my lesson-show, I am very happy to participate as moderator in the meeting between Paolo Pecere and Andrea Piva. Their two books are antidotes to despair.”
