Napolipoesia in the Park 2009

About five years after the establishment of the Metropolitan Park of the Hills of Naples, I am particularly happy to host again in the splendid Amphitheater of the Gulf, the second edition of "Napolipoesia nel Parco", with an exhibition dedicated to the great international poetry in an extraordinary setting, rich in history, of beauty which is itself hope. With Napolipoesia we want to continue to propose a new path to relaunch from Camaldoli a new way of experiencing the suburbs, discovering its corners, its wide panoramas, its identity. The theme of the "spirit of places" represents the opportunity for a reflection on the relationship between man and the environment, and above all for a comparison between different cultures, open to many meanings, to many nuances. Starting from the exchange, from the mutual influence that arises between the event and the place that hosts it: on the one hand the hills which with Napolipoesia are characterized as the new cultural node of the city, on the other Napolipoesia which brought to the Camaldoli draws attention to areas currently excluded from the classic circuits dedicated to culture. For the future I hope that art will become, for an increasingly wider audience, the interpretative key of the territory and society, a way to access knowledge and awareness of the rights and duties of a community and its awareness of inhabiting a place. It is with this awareness and in this direction that we intend to work in the coming years, building a great annual event that brings poets and artists from all over the world to Naples. The President of the Metropolitan Park Authority of the Hills of Naples, Agostino di Lorenzo ________________________ The return of Napolipoesia in the Park coincides with the relaunch of one of the themes dearest to us, that reflection on the "spirit of places", which seemed to us to be a crucial node in the dialectical relationship nature/culture, to which the very destiny of humanity is probably linked. The places appear as the silent witness of a history made of violence and catastrophes or of respect, of a culture of living. The environmental crisis linked to the irresponsible desire for domination and exploitation of the individual and the species over nature probably finds its foundation in the breakdown of that "sacred unity" which inspired and inspires peoples who Western thought has classified as primitive and uncultured, destining them to contempt and oblivion. But the international meetings tackle this theme from a particular angle and with the usual tools: knowledge, comparison, respect, poetic texts and music. Too often the discussion on the environment is another way of prevaricating by keeping man and his economic interests at the centre, the construction of a new and unlikely mythology with instrumental political ends, often characterized by racist implications or bellicose territorial claims. The "spirit of places" must instead be grasped through an act of humility, a willingness to listen that is sincere and disinterested: not talking about places, but "listening to them". But what to do if just a few lines above we spoke of him as a silent witness? Poetry can attempt to be the voice of this spirit that sees all living beings united again, in a dynamic relationship. For this reason the first aspect is knowledge, demonstrated by the presence of poets from different parts of the world, who present us with different experiences born in different contexts. Some of them may evoke the figure of a modern shaman, others will appear closer to our experience, but all of them will be able to give us a new sensation, a new point of view. Through the comparison and dialogue between these experiences, a new awareness is born that taps into profound territories of the being, which include both its rational and unconscious parts. In mutual respect, between man and the environment, between different cultures, between beings who can finally experience their individuality as an element of enrichment and not of opposition, a true "new beginning" can be born, a return to the sacred unity which can represent the only true progress, capable of putting a barrier to the failures of development, exploitation, wars for oil and water, the domination of man over man and the environment. Don't think that all this is peaceful: many have had to flee their countries, distance themselves from their loved ones, undergo trials, persecution and prison, for having supported a critical position, for having exercised this will to resist the inevitability of the current established order, its obvious injustice, its greed, its innate violence. We therefore invite you to welcome these guests of ours with an effort of purity, with an act that is only apparently simple: listening. Let these voices of poets, that the music that accompanies them, be the voices of their places, of our places, of the living, of the dead ancestors, of the rivers, of the mountains, of the one human race and of its destiny as part of a totality. We believe that no small amount of help will be given by this place, the Camaldoli hill, which helps to place a distance between us and the metropolis, a creative and chaotic place par excellence, in which relationships frantically overlap until they fade into indistinctness. A distance to see better, before returning to the urban reality with a new awareness. The experience accumulated over the course of almost fifteen years of meetings organized in various regions of Italy and abroad makes us confident in the transformative capacity that poetry can operate in those who really want to listen to it, certain of the ability to convey the great treasure of humanity and sensitivity that each of these friends of ours brings with them and will want to share with all of us. For these reasons we reiterate the same hope as the previous edition: this time too we wish you, not conventionally but with great conviction, simply Happy listening! _____________________________ PRESS RELEASE On 17, 18 and 19 July 2009 in the incredible natural and landscape setting of the Camaldoli Park, in the Gulf Amphitheater, a new extraordinary edition of Napolipoesia in the Park will take place. The event, promoted by the Metropolitan Park Authority of the Hills of Naples and curated by Casa della Poesia, will see the participation of great international authors, often in interaction with musicians from various musical areas. The objective is twofold: to create one of the most important and largest international poetic events in Naples and to enhance such an extraordinary and innovative project, such as the Metropolitan Park of the Hills of Naples, through a spectacular, cultural product of excellence. The International Meetings include the presence of 15 of the major contemporary poets, coming from different nations and continents. The poets will experience the city and the Park for at least three days, together with their colleagues and friends, musicians, students, young writers and enthusiasts. The theme of this edition, "the spirit of places", aims to analyze the link between tradition and modernity, between local cultures and sustainable development, between the need for global communications and the need to protect diversity. Among the poets invited are some authentic stars and great emerging poets, widely recognized in their own country, stars on the rise internationally. Extraordinary character, Taslima Nasrin, from Bandladesh, woman and writer, persecuted and on the run, icon of freedom, struggle, resistance, emancipation of women in the Islamic world. Tony Harrison, probably the greatest contemporary English-language poet and one of the most famous and published in the world. Poet as "correspondent from the front and as historian and conscience of his era". From California, three extraordinary poets and three interpreters of performative poetry, with a strong interaction with jazz music, the African American Devorah Major, Genny Lim, of Chinese and Inuit descent, Opal Palmer Adisa, of Jamaican Caribbean descent. Three great voices, and three great songs of freedom and love. Juan Carlos Mestre comes from Spain, a visionary poet-storyteller who, with his accordion, proposes images in which reality and invention blend sublimely in enchanted atmospheres. Paul Polansky, an almost legendary American character who has lived in the Balkans for years. “Voice of the voiceless”, “voice of the excluded”, poetic megaphone of the most mistreated and oppressed people in history, the “Roma”. It comes from the Sahara desert, the cry of resistance of the Tuareg people in the poetry and song of Hawad, poet, calligrapher, ambassador of a nomadic culture of which he is heir. Adel Karasholi, Syrian, among the most important contemporary Arab poets. Having lived in Germany for many years, he has become a real bridge between Arab and European culture. Passionate and scholar of Brecht, he manages to bring together the Arabic tradition, full of emotions and song, rich in metaphors, with the "profane" tradition of modern German poetry. From the Caribbean, from the beautiful and very poor Haiti Louis-Philippe Dalembert, man-turtle, as he defines himself, drags his "dream of return" from Europe to North Africa, from the Middle East to Black Africa, passing through the Americas and other Caribbean countries, in a melancholic song of wandering and memory. And from other islands, the Azores, comes the Portuguese Ivo Machado, bringing with him, like every islander, in expression, in feeling, in time, the unfathomable memory of winds, waves, tides, the desire for travel together with that of return, the desire for freedom and knowledge. From black Africa, the magic, the colors, the rhythms of the beautiful and tortured continent, one of the emerging figures of the new African poetry, Gabriel Okoundji. Michel Cassir was born in Egypt, raised in Lebanon, lived in Mexico and now in France. Cassir's is a true poetry of the Mediterranean, which smells of spices and saltiness, which brings together men and cultures, which becomes a place of arrival for collective and shared memories. Representing contemporary Italian poetry are two of the best Neapolitan interpreters, who have long since risen to national and international level and are among the most original and important voices on the circuit, Mariano Bàino and Michele Sovente. Mariano Bàino was among the poets who in the 1990s animated a debate in Italy on modern and postmodern, avant-garde and tradition, and, more generally, on the changing communication structures and the effects of derealization in mass media society, often using irony and playfulness. Michele Sovente is certainly one of the most original and appreciated contemporary Italian poets. The three languages ​​in which it is expressed are presented as three different languages, but sisters, which chase each other and insinuate themselves into each other: Latin, Italian, the Cumae dialect. A magnificent opportunity for Neapolitans and all people from Campania to rediscover this magnificent place rich in history and preserved nature which is the Camaldoli Park, little known and frequented, to admire the splendid panorama of the amphitheater which overlooks the entire Gulf with the island of Capri in front. An unrepeatable opportunity for non-Neapolitans to visit a beautiful city, to immerse themselves in its beauty and culture and to spend three evenings listening to verses from poets from all over the world.

Program

NAPOLIPOESIA IN THE PARK "The spirit of places" International meetings 17 / 18 / 19 July 2009 Gulf Amphitheater Camaldoli Park NAPLES FREE AND FREE ENTRY

Information

Metropolitan Park Authority of the Hills of Naples Campania Region Municipality of Naples Thanks to: Campania Region: Department of Agriculture, Department of Government and Territorial Protection, Department of the Environment. Ministry of Culture. Directorate General of Books, Archives and Library, Madrid, Einaudi; Study Center for the Alfonso Gatto Foundation; Teche RAI, San Francisco International Poetry Festival, Universidad de Alicante.