(17 March 2016) 2016 is a particularly busy year in terms of anniversaries that bind Italy and Belgium: it’s the 70th anniversary since the signing of the Franco-Belgian agreements and the 60th anniversary of the Marcinelle tragedy. On June 23, 1946 Italy and Belgium signed a protocol that laid the foundation for the movement of tens of thousands of Italian workers to the Belgian coal mines. On August 8, 1956 the Marcinelle mine, on the outskirts of Charleroi, caught fire and caused the death of 262 miners, of which 136 Italians. For this double anniversary, the Italian Embassy in Belgium and the Italian Cultural Institute are promoting the organization of cultural and artistic events, in collaboration with Italian and Belgian institutions (universities, museums, theaters, institutions and cultural associations). Special attention is dedicated to initiatives of the Musée du Bois du Cazier, the place that more than any other remembers life in the mines and where on August 8 of every year, there is a solemn tribute to the Marcinelle victims. In Italy’s collective consciousness, the Marcinelle catastrophe aroused a deep echo and brought again to the attention of the country the painful drama of emigration, which involved hundreds of thousands of compatriots who faced hardships, humiliations and difficult work conditions. All remembrance and celebration events for 2016 were presented over the course of a press conference that saw the participation of Italian Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi and the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Paolo Grossi, with special guests such as Elio di Rupo – former Prime Minister of Belgium and current mayor of Mons, and Congresswoman Silvia Costa – chairman of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament. The latter reaffirmed the importance of remembering the phenomenon of Italian emigration to Belgium after World War II to demonstrate an appreciation for the Italian immigrant community of which, especially in Italy, little is known. The celebrations will also be an occasion to reflect on the great drama of the current migration crisis and to reflect on migration flows from Africa, the Middle and Near East. (Red)
