(21 July 2016) “All grown-ups were children once. But few of them remember it” wrote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in” The Little Prince”. But there is a town in southern Italy – Caccuri, municipality of the province of Crotone, Calabria – which does not forget what it’s like watching the world through a child’s eyes. And it especially does not forget that children are able to catch that “essential” – as “invisible” as a universal – of peace, respect for others, hospitality. Calabria is prepared, in fact, to welcome one of the most important international events dedicated to children: the Kid’s Fest. “Hosted” by Caccuri Literary Award (scheduled from August 7 to 10 and sponsored by the Academy of Caccurian:) the Kid’s Fest will be held on August 8 (starting from 15.30): this is an international event created in 2004 in Sarajevo that for the first time sets foot in Italy thanks to the partnership with the Tunisian association Kamar, the Bosinan association Viakult and the Kids Festival International association in Berlin. “Terrorism, bombings, the migration phenomenon, racism: in the historical period in which we live it is necessary to speak about peace, integration, hospitality. And we must do it with the next generation: our children”says Manuelita Scigliano, one of the Kid’s Fest organizers reminiscing the long journey made by the festival: “From Sarajevo it comes to Caccuri, passing through Tunis, Abuja, Sofia and Berlin”. “I lived in Tunis since 2005. I worked for the Tunisian edition of the Festival. It ‘a project supported and promoted by the Italian ambassador in Tunis Raimondo De Cardona, that believed in the value of the initiative from the start. Bringing it in Calabria is a great bet: it is a small town, not a great venue. But we believe in it so much: we want to demonstrate the value and the importance of networking. Interculturalism and integration are the themes chosen for the event “. “The idea – continues the organizer – is to bring together children from different backgrounds and different countries: we’ll give them a day of celebration. In Caccuri children will perform, participate in workshops, games and expose their vision of an intercultural future. Calabrian children will meet children escaped by crises and wars”. All of this to teach hospitality and solidarity, to learn not to be afraid of others, to accept the “different”: “For the first time today the Kids festival is not held in a capital city, but in a small village in Calabria. The message we want to convey is that every child matters, every child can be a vehicle for change and a builder of a better world, even if it comes from the southern hemisphere or the south of Italy, indeed perhaps above all for that! The theme chosen is that of multiculturalism and inclusion. Calabria, an ideal geographical center of the Mediterranean, is a land of immigration and transit but for a long time it has been a land of emigration. What better place to talk to children and with children of a future of tolerance, dialogue and peace?” For more than 12 years the festival has received awards and praise from all over the world. It’s made with the support of UNESCO and UNICEF in collaboration with relevant organizations such as the EU, USAID, OSCE, UNHCR, Red Cross, Scouts and Save the Children. During the 2016 edition in Tunisia, the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, Ouided Bouchamaoui, opened the shows launching a beautiful message of peace to children. (PO / Gil)
