Massini removed from a festival in Calabria that goes to the polls
The official explanation was one of the most embarrassing and yet irrefutable admissions one can usually make: "There's no money." In reality, though Stefano Massini only discovered this a month later, the choice—as the timing suggests and the resolutions and decisions confirm—was a merited one: to avoid inconvenient messages during the election campaign.
So it's better to do away with already announced events, throw away tickets already issued, change plans at the last minute and send Morgan on stage, still on trial for stalking , who, while talking about music and peace – say those who were there – underlined how "Mussolini also did good things".
It's happening in Calabria, specifically in Caulonia, home of the Kaulonia Tarantella Festival , conceived and created in 1998 by Eugenio Bennato , who directed it until recently. This festival has always combined popular music and civic engagement. That's why, like every year, the program included not only concerts, but also a series of talks, all dedicated to peace and the increasingly dramatic situation in the Gaza Strip. Among the invited speakers were the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese ; Fulvio Lotti, coordinator of the Peace Roundtable; Monsignor Francesco Savino , Bishop of Cassano allo Jonio and Vice President of the Italian Episcopal Conference; and the writer and playwright Stefano Massini .
Their names were prominently featured on the program, approved by municipal resolution at the end of July and immediately submitted to the Region to request, as is done every year, a grant for the festival. Meanwhile, a budget variance was approved, to be compensated later—the allocation process is underway—with regional funds, which have never been lacking for Calabria's longest-running folk music festival.
Four days later, on August 4th—the dates in this story are important— Roberto Occhiuto , who had been embroiled for months in a corruption investigation , resigned as regional president and ran again to lead it . In short, he called a sort of referendum on himself, his actions, and those of his government.
The summer political agenda shifts, and the aftershocks of the earthquake seem to be reaching Caulonia. On August 11, Massini's staff receives an email informing them that the planned event has been canceled because "the resignation of the regional president has led to changes in access to public funds."
Logic dictates that the entire festival be cancelled, or at least the most costly events. Instead, only the most demanding talks were disrupted. However, Marco Castoldi, aka Morgan, who was also appointed to co-direct the festival, was confirmed to participate. On paper, he was supposed to speak about music and peace, but he left many speechless by stating, as reported by those present, that "Mussolini also did good things" or that violence against women doesn't exist "because otherwise we'd commit violence against plates, against chairs; violence is violence, period."
According to the municipal administration, the change in program was dictated by a lack of funds, however, an investigation by the local newspaper Ciavula , with resolutions in hand, shows that €140,000 was spent on the festival. Perhaps even more, as several events are still pending. Therefore, the money was available, and even part of it was spent for Massini's participation, as tickets and hotels had already been booked.
The municipality, firmly in the hands of Forza Italia, remains silent. A few proconsuls, on the side of the Forza Italia party, speak out, accusing the newspaper of "telling lies," but offering no detailed explanation. For Massini, it seems like a sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of the sudden and inexplicable demotion of the Teatro della Toscana , which he directed, suddenly removed from the list of national theaters , with a consequent loss of prestige and funding.
"Culture," Massini said on that occasion, "is under heavy attack. This is a great comedy. Last year, the commission assessed that the Pergola program should have a quality score of 29. To be downgraded, that score must go below 9. What happened this year? I arrived. The terrible, the disgusting, and so I must be punished, taught a lesson ." And the sudden removal from the Caulonia festival lineup seems to confirm this.
La Repubblica
