◦ Cultural promotion
◦ Italian school "Enrico Mattei" - Italian language promotion
◦ Cultural cooperation in the multilateral context
Cultural promotion
Italy has constantly promoted and fostered cultural relations with Nigeria in the bilateral and in the multilateral context.
A special emphasis has been continuously given to promote opportunities for an ever growing attention to Nigerian culture by Italian and other international counterparts, besides increasing the knowledge and the presence in the Country of Italian cultural expressions and endorsing the networking amongst cultural entities of the two Countries.
The events receives wide coverage and appreciation by Nigerian media and are advertised also in Italy.
Every year a week-long series of events take place on the occasion of the Italian National Day celebrated on the 2nd of June.
The events are named “Taste of Italy” and encompass visual art, music and traditions including the world-wide renowned cuisine and wine production. In 2010 it is worth mentioning “Visions of Nigeria”, a paintings exhibition featuring Nigerian and Italian artists’ paintings, sculptures and photographs.
Italian culinary traditions are further fostered by the yearly participation to the international bazaar promoted in Abuja by the association of diplomats’ spouses.The Italian stand has been registering one of the highest turn-outs in terms of appreciation by Nigerian and international attendants.
Additional events are organized by the Embassy and by the General Consulate in Lagos throughout the year. They receive wide coverage by Nigerian media and are also advertised in Italy.
In Abuja, earlier in 2010, the Ambassador’s Residence hosted an exhibition of paintings by the Italian artist Paolo Tardich.
At the same location, in November, there were the exhibition of the Italian-Ghanaian painter Glenn Turner and the performance of the Metropolitan Chorale of Abuja, singing a “repertoire” of Italian classics.
In December a concert has been organized at Transcorp Hilton staged by the Italian Ensemble “Bel Canto” performing Italian opera pieces and folk music, instrumental only music and international classic and contemporary songs.
“Bel Canto” reached Abuja after a similar performance at the Residence of the General Consul of Italy in Lagos. The General Consulate organized in 2010 in the same location also the performances of the Italian baritone Francesco Landolfi, alone and accompanied on a different occasion by the soprano Clara Calanna, of the Trio Vuono and of the soprano Anna Corvino. The five events have been staged also at the widely renowned Muson Music Center of Lagos where the Italian singers gave masterclasses to a Nigerian audience.
On October 2011, on the occasion of the world-wide celebration of the Week of Italian Language and Culture, the ensemble "Bel Canto" has again performed in Nigeria on the 15th at the Muson centre in Lagos, organized by the Consulate General, with the participation of 400 attendees. On the 16th the concert took place at Port Harcourt, organized by the Vice Honorary Consulate of Italy, and on the 17th at Abuja, promoted by the Embassy at the prestigeous Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in front of 300 invitees. Here follow some pictures of the Abuja night event.
The 2011 Week of Italian Language has been celebrated also through a composition contest at the University of Abuja, organized by the Italian lecturer Prof. Angelo Fanutti. The best compositions get a prize consisting of Italian books and dictionaries.
The Italian Ambassador Roberto Colamine’ hosted an exhibition of Italian contemporary paintings and a reception at his Residence, on March 21st, 2011, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy.
The event was attended by top Government Officials, including the Hon Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Iyom Josephine Anenih, the Hon Minister of State for Mines and Power, Arch Nuhu Somo Wya, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador (Dr) Martin Uhomoibhi, and other representatives of federal agencies and ministries.
At the centre of the event was the celebration of the unification of Italy which took place one hundred and fifty years ago and was proclaimed officially on Mach 17th, 1861. The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed after the unification of several smaller kingdoms and states into which the Italian peninsula was previously divided.
The Italian Ambassador, with the sponsorship of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company and with the participation of B. Stabilini Nigeria Limited, hosted an art exhibition of contemporary Italian painters (Bellobono, Centenari, Cervelli, Fabrizi, Nardi and Salvadei) curated by M&M, an Italian art company. The works exhibited provided an insight into the recent development of figurative arts in Italy.
On this event, see also the link http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Sala_Stampa/ArchivioNotizie/Approfondimenti/2011/03/20110331_Iniziative_Nigeria.htm?LANG=EN
Italy, however, is not only a country renowned for its artistic prowess but also a nation with a tradition of patronage of the arts. True to this tradition the Italian Embassy will host yet an other exhibition dedicated to a Nigerian painter, Ben Ibebe, in “a bid to rise the awareness of the public about the potentials and the talents of the artists living today in Nigeria”, as stressed by the Italian Ambassador in his closing remarks. The exhibition of Ben Ibebe took place on the 30th of March.
The celebrations of the 150th Anniversary of the Italian National Unity by the General Consulate in Lagos consisted of a first class concert by the "Ottoni" ensemble of "La Scala" theatre of Milan, accompanied by the tenor Giuseppe Veneziano and by the youth choir of the Muson Centre of Lagos. They performed pieces from Verdi, Puccini and Mascagni, besides Italian and Nigerian national anthems and a selection of most-know movies soundtracks.
The Embassies of Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, have organized an exhibition on the urban development of cities of their respective countries.
The exhibition named "Expansion of the City", consisted on several panels and explicative texts and it was open to the public from the 4th to the 16th of October 2011 at FCT Archive House.
It allowed an interesting comparison between the experiences regarding the development of European cities and the on-going one concerning notably the federal capital of Nigeria.
The exhibition has been inaugurated on the 4th of October by the Hon. Minister of State of FCT, H.E. Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, and by the Ambassadors of the four mentioned countries.
A round-table on the theme took place on the same day with International experts, among whom Arch. Raffaele Vibrati (Sitec company), and Nigerian experts along with other urban developers, representatives of the government and of local communities.
Italian school "Enrico Mattei" - Italian language promotion
The Italian school “Enrico Mattei” in Lagos, legally recognized by the Nigerian government, has been from many years the main permanent institution providing Italian education for students of every nationality. The school provides primary and middle level education. From next year secondary school classes will also be administered. Italian language courses are offered, too. The headmaster of the school is Italian as well as the teaching personnel.
Italy is also promoting the dissemination of its language through courses administered at the University of Abuja by an Italian lecturer. The programme is articulated over three years and a certificate is issued at the successful completion of it.
Italian movies are reguarly shown within the European film festival which takes place every year at the main cinema theathre of the Capital town, Abuja.
A new Italian Dictionary on Orthography and Pronunciation, pubished by RAI, is freely available on-line at the web-site www.dizionario.rai.it
Cultural cooperation in the multilateral context
As per Italy’s commitment in the multilateral context, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contributed through a grant to the multi-donors programme “Africa 2009” managed by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). It has provided for training courses, workshops, seminars and site projects at regional and national levels. More than 300 heritage professionals of Nigeria and Mali (the other Country partner to the initiative) were trained and over 35 heritage sites addressed. More information are available on this website at the section on “Development cooperation” and at ICCROM website www.iccrom.org
Italian Diplomatic Network
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