For 25 years, the South Salento Branch of Italia Nostra has been promoting ‘IDENTITÀ Salentina’ with the aim of contributing to the understanding, protection and enhancement of the historical, artistic, architectural, landscape, cultural and natural heritage of Salento, in the firm belief that only by recognising the importance of these assets can local communities pursue a future in which every citizen plays a leading role and takes pride in the community in which they live.
Among the cultural heritage that documents the lives of the peoples who, throughout history, have lived in Salento (texts, inscriptions, dialects and various artefacts), those attributable to the Grecia Salentina area are tangible evidence of a distinct cultural identity that has been handed down to us and which we have a duty to protect, to deepen our understanding of, and to pass on to future generations.
This heritage deserves to be shared with local residents and young people – starting in schools – so that it may be recognised as a shared heritage; an endeavour to which the Municipality of Corigliano d’Otranto, together with the other municipalities of Grecia, has long been committed through the implementation of scientific, cultural and social programmes to ensure that the identity of their language is not lost.
Here is the programme for the two days at the Castello Volante in Corigliano d’Otranto:
Tuesday 3 October – 9.00 am
Welcome for classes from the Corigliano d’Otranto, Castrignano dei Greci and Melpignano Comprehensive School.
Presentation of the event’s initiatives and objectives.
Guided tour of the historic centre featuring poems and songs in the Grica language
‘Lòja ce Lisària – Words and Stones’ trail.
Wednesday 4 October – 6.00 pm
Presentation of the book
“The Griko Language – The Italian Landscape: Ideology, Practices and Language Policies in the Case of the Griko” by anthropologist Manuela Pellegrino.
Screening of the documentary (in the Griko language with subtitles)
“O cunto ti zoì – The Story of Life”.
Directed and written by Sandra Abbate, produced in collaboration with the Municipality of Corigliano d’Otranto and the Circolo Cittadino Polivalente. Filmed by Antonio Coccioli. The documentary will be presented by Pantaleo Rielli, organiser of the long-running film festival “Evò ce Esù Visioni – The cinema of hidden languages”.
Presentation of the project
“Grika Week”: connecting the past with the present, curated by Gianlorenzo Vacca.
