Choosing a diary as a vehicle for an intercultural message means - PDF document

Choosing a diary as a vehicle for an intercultural message means entrusting to its pages the refmections that emerged from a dialogue involving many migrant groups, both large and small. It means sharing these refmections with those who will turn these pages in the course of the year. And that’s how the fjrst intercultural diary, entitled “Choose the Piece”, came into being in 2010. “Choose the Piece” was the parallel project, run by Modena’s Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, which involved groups of migrants, students at the Centro T erritoriale Permanente, Modena. The new Modenese citizens were invited to “adopt” a Museum object that could symbolise the idea of shared cultural heritage, as part of the wider community, called on to conserve, curate and cherish. The 2012 diary and the parallel exhibition are the fruits of a second project, this time devoted to a specifjc theme: the Land. In this case, the Museum, as custodian of territorial memory, and the Casa delle Culture, a showcase for “other lands”, brought together migrants from eleven different nations. They responded to the challenge of working on a project which they knew would have positive repercussions in terms of social harmony and intercultural dialogue. Inspiration came from objects conserved and exhibited in the museum; these included farm implements in use for millennia and mementoes of rural life in the Folk Museum at Villa Sorra. Personal recollections emerged of experiences that each of the participants conserves in their own memory: the land that divides, the land that forges or reinforces ties; the land as a page on which countless stories have been written; the land of hard work and extraordinary fruits; the land that welcomes, represents and records the passing of time. What emerges is a multifaceted narrative, formed of stories told by its lead players, who set their own priorities from among

the many themes that regard the land – that huge reservoir of memory and aspiration. Naturally, given the scope of the issues involved, none of these testimonies can claim to be exhaustive, but they do offer a personal glimpse, and this is what makes the account unique. Whoever turns the pages of this diary will fjnd a store of real-life stories that came to light when members of the group sat down and shared their memories. These are what now unite Modena and the land around it with Argentina, the Congo, Albania, Ghana, Morocco, Colombia, Nigeria, Rumania, Iran, Turkey, the Ukraine. Objects from the museum’s collection, themselves mementoes of the land, provide a touching counterpoint. It is no mere coincidence that the project’s title is taken from a song written in 1940 by Woody Guthrie. In the course of time, the lines of this song have become a musical manifesto for tolerance and social solidarity, going way beyond the context in which they were fjrst written. In the course of time, other verses were also added, and it is likely that others will be added in future. Taking over the baton in a relay of ideals, we in turn add our voice to the chorus, writing another verse with the pages of this diary. Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology SiCklE made of bronze and dEEr AntlEr, from the terramare, Modena (1550 - 1150 B.C.) PuMPkin with SwEEt Corn from a burial site in central Peru (5th century) Folk Museum, Villa Sorra, hArVESting hook (msôra), Modena area, (early 20th century)

2011 lunedì martedì mercoledì giovedì 12 13 14 15 direction Sincere thanks to Project gianni and gabriella Zanasi ilaria Pulini monday tuesday wednesday thursday giorgio Cervetti for their warm welcome Coordination ilaria Pulini at Villa Cavazza Cristiana Zanasi Cristiana Zanasi december dicembre Civic Museum of Archaeology realization roksolana Movchan who made the didukh and Ethnology, Modena giorgio Cervetti Cristiana Zanasi (augural haystack) Marco Coltellacci Association “Casa delle Culture”, Exhibition design and Sonia Bonetti from Happyfmor Modena Aldina Progetti for so helpfully supplying Fausto Ferri Milena Bertacchini materials design assistance from gino Satta University of Modena Maria Elena righi Eddagni Zineb and Marika Minghetti and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) graphic design for demonstrating the use of Filippo Partesotti partesotti.com henna w ith 2 0 1 2 kyenge kikoko tribal chief of Mustafà Altin (T urkey) translations Kyenge village (Congo) for idris Bakkari (Morocco) Paul henry Angus the interview he gave wilfred Eke ( Nigeria) Exhibition panels printed by Eidos kwaw Pentsir Cécile kashetu kyenge and Fussein ibrahim (Dem. Rep. of the Congo) Printing King and spokesman of Anton lesaj (Albania) nuova grafjca Gomoa Simbrofo village who thomas Mc Carthy (Ghana) interviews and fjlms accepted our invitation to giorgio Cervetti germain nzinga present the prayer from (Dem. Rep. of the Congo) Andrea Comastri Ghana iryna Polishchuk (Ukraine) Photographs of participants irma romero (Colombia) and museum exhibits igwe John okafor-Agilo King of Nimo in the State of Mona Seddighi (Iran) Andrea Comastri Anambra (Nigeria), lead nora Sigman ( Argentina) Paolo terzi player in the fjlm on the yam Anca totolici (Rumania) Audiovisual plant festivity lorri Media Service nora guthrie and Sound technician with the collaboration of Claudio Costanzini Anna Canoni Adil laamane venerdì sabato domenica 16 17 18 note Woody Guthrie Foundation (Morocco) web site friday saturday sunday giorgio Cervetti Paola Varesi halyna hevko with the collaboration of Director of the Museo Cervi lidia Polishchuk Marketing and Communications di Gattatico (RE) for the (Ukraine) Offjce, Modena City Council documentation Anthony o.Eke on the tractor of the Press offjce gilbert idahosa Cervi Brothers giulia Bondi reginald ihebom Modena City Council Esther nwogwugwu organization and secretarial And also Jefgrey ochiama Francis Camilla Benedetti gabriele Beccantini, ogbonna okonkwo (Nigeria) Maria grazia lucchi Francesca and Emmanuele Annalisa lusetti Coltellacci, Milvia Servadei Francesca guandalini, with the participation of Mediagroup la lanterna di diogene, Maurizio Bettelli Paula Francisca nolfg thanks for their help to herrera, “A. delfjni” Civic library Alessia Pelillo, “Estense” university library Bianca rubino, giuseppe Panini Photomuseum Enrico Vignali Museo della Civiltà Contadina Bastiglia (MO) Museo Cervi Gattatico (RE) Cardboard display Structures aldinagozzi.it