“There is a growing desire for Italy in the world”, says Giorgia Meloni. And linguistic pride means that communities beyond our borders have 80 million people who speak Dante and Manzoni. The Prime Minister’s video message opened the first Italophonia Conference, promoted by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Pope Leo also sent a blessing. And Malta’s European Parliament president Roberta Metsola spoke via video.
“Our language – said the deputy prime minister – is building bridges not walls between nations. And this is the beginning of a new season”. This means the birth of an international community, a network between Switzerland, Albania, Somalia, Argentina, Croatia, Tunisia, Greece, Malta, the Vatican, San Marino, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Libya…
In the Loggia of Villa Madama, under a dome frescoed by Raphael, we talked about the art that brought Italian to the world, about music, opera, cinema, even sports. Among the testimonies was Frenchman Jean Todt (pictured above), the former head of Scuderia Ferrari, who is now the UN envoy for road safety. “Italy gave me the opportunity to cultivate my love of cars and sports. I learned values such as dialogue and teamwork. Italian for me is the language of speed and safety.”
No translator needed for representatives from 5 continents. Also taking part was Brazilian footballer Antônio de Oliveira Filho, known as Careca (pictured below), who along with Diego Armando Maradona made Napoli great in the late 80s. And Diego Dominguez, coach and former rugby player, Italian of Argentinian origin. Also from Argentina was speaker and former supermodel Valeria Mazza, who introduced writer Nadeesha Uyangoda, born in Sri Lanka, British choreographer Carolyn Smith, Greek-Italian actress Dorotea Mercuri.
Minister of Universities Anna Maria Bernini explained that our language is one of the most studied in the world: 2 million foreigners study in 130 countries and 900 universities. Language is also a power, explains Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis: “In our cantons, the nuances between the 4 official languages lead to different interpretations of a law. Language can be a weapon, as in the Russian-Ukrainian war”.
Says Andrea Riccardi, president of the Dante Alighieri Society, which promotes the Conference with Farnesina: “A thousand non-Italian writers have chosen our language. We have 400 committees, 350 examination centers, 110 heads of literary schools and dozens of schools”. IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said, “Italians did not come to the world as soldiers but as bearers of culture.
