Art and Education Against Racial Discrimination

A colorful heart that unites differences to say no to every form of racial discrimination, faces of a thousand colors, and a hand that can break the chains of prejudice only through culture. These are just some of the creations made by students from the artistic high schools of the metropolitan area ("Giordano Bruno" in Arzano, "Degni" in Torre del Greco, "don Lorenzo Milani" and "Suor Orsola Benincasa" in Naples, "Caravaggio" in San Gennaro Vesuviano, "Segrè" in Mugnano-Marano, "Colombo" in San Vitaliano and "Ettore Majorana" in Pozzuoli), works displayed in the major cloister of Santa Maria la Nova on the occasion of the conference celebrating the "International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2024". The IPSEOA Lucio Petronio institute from Pozzuoli was also present. "Our students, also through educational action, are naturally oriented towards the values of respect and social inclusion, considering differences as a great value. Hosting this event in Naples is even more significant because our city has always been open and inclusive, a place where all ethnicities and religions have found hospitality. The Metropolitan City of Naples has joined this initiative to testify the work, the function, and the role of the institutions, whose commitment in this direction has never waned," stated the metropolitan mayor Gaetano Manfredi, who opened the proceedings. Manfredi also recalled that those who arrive in Italy give a lot to our society and brought up the example of a young Afghan girl, now a graduate in Medicine, whose integration was aided by the project of "university corridors for refugees" that he started as president of the Conference of University Rectors. "This day highlights the strength and value of art, understood as a powerful tool capable of promoting diversity, challenging stereotypes, and opening minds to new perspectives. The younger generations are very sensitive to the issues of racism, intolerance, and xenophobia and can actively contribute to the development of an active and participatory civic culture for the fight against all forms of discrimination," says the councilor for Equal Opportunities Ilaria Abagnale. A thank you to the students who created the displayed works also comes from Renata Monda, manager of the Metropolitan City of Naples, representative for the entity of the UNAR-National Office Against Racial Discrimination, which, together with the other Metropolitan Cities of Italy, responded to the invitation of Benedetto Zacchiroli, president of the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR), capable of uniting, for the first time on the theme, the 14 metropolitan cities in Pollica last year. Zacchiroli outlined all the advantages of synergistic actions. Elisabetta Zevola, a member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), also attended, highlighting the importance of the Global Compact for Refugees and the fight against discrimination, as well as all the projects launched in the metropolitan area of Naples. Among these is also "Common Space", realized by the Municipality of Naples in a property confiscated from the Camorra in collaboration with UNHCR, which was discussed by the Councilor for Social Policies Luca Trapanese, who also recalled the multiple inclusion projects (language training courses, professional training, and driving license attainment) that Palazzo San Giacomo has implemented with the Manfredi administration. Andrea Morniroli, administrator of DEDALUS, who addressed the theme of art and culture as a driving force in the fight against resentment and rejection of differences, Mara Biancamano of ArciGay, with a focus on the "migra-antinoo" desk for migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and stateless people for reasons of sexual orientation and gender identity. The vice president of Coni Campania, Sergio Avallone, recalled the importance of respect for diversity and fair play in sports. There were also playful moments with a Kung Fu and Tai Chi exhibition by master Gianni Mattei of the Ssd International Wushu Kung Fu Academy, which was also accompanied by a demonstration of Chinese calligraphy with a brush. To close the day, the performance of the Neapolitan singer-songwriter of Nigerian origins, Ste.