December 18th, 2015 – The curtain falls on the activities organized in Sudan for the 15th edition of the “Week of the Italian Language in the World”, dedicated this year to “Italian music, and the musicality of Italian.” In the African country, the event featured numerous art initiatives organized by the Italian Embassy in Khartoum over the course of the past two months. In December, there were several initiatives aimed at promoting Italian music, language and cuisine. One was a three-day afternoon workshop dedicated to Italian cuisine raised funds for the construction of a hospital for children with diabetes in the Sudanese capital, held by Maria Voltolina, author of “L’italiano a tavola”. Intended initially for 90 participants, the event was duplicated in the mornings for the high deman. In the final evening of the workshop, there was also a benefit concert at the Casa d’Italia, where Ambassador Fabrizio Lobasso has his residence. Maestro Francesco Sartori, author of the famous “Con te partirò,” performed works by Italian singers. Also present was tenor Luca Favaron, who sang melodies by Maestro Sartori. On the evening of December 7, the Junior Hall of the international school in Khartoum, welcomed Paolo Balboni, a professor of linguistics at the University Ca ‘Foscari of Venice who held a conference on the Italian language entitled “A Night at the Opera.” Throughout the evening, the professor explained how contemporary opera can be, exploring issues that are still modern (such as in the Traviata) and the universality of the Italian language to bring forth these messages. The 15th Italian Language Week in Sudan ended with a great musical event in the school amphitheater. Maestro Sartori, together with his group and tenor Luca Favaron, celebrated Italian music with a concert on “Songs, Ambassadors of Italy”. More than 600 people were present to listen to the tunes, which were introduced by Professor Balboni, on stage in the role of presenter, to the Sudanese and international audience. Italian culture, represented in the songs and expressed in its language, was the star of the evening. The lineup was elaborated based on recent research by Ca ‘Foscari regarding the Italian songs more known in the world. The results facilitated the analysis of Italian culture spread in the world, giving important signals and directions for cultural policies to be implemented. For Sudan, the Italian Ambassador Fabrizio Lobasso commented: “The success of these weeks is primarily the result of careful observation on behalf of this Embassy, of how the Sudanese look at us and perceive us. This was a critical element upon which we created a specific modulation of the Italian cultural offer.” (Red)
