Category: Società

Few years ago I published the History of Arruffat El Hachbedel accompanying it with the picture of one of his daughters: Msida or Gzira.

Now I found the real picture, much nicer.

But no comments.
Because of the English?

As usual, Italian political left disappoints even the most faithful supporter.

Of course, we all are very happy for the (temporary) end of the previous regime. And sure, comparing the new Ministries with the old ones, makes us sigh with relief.

But the teenager enthusiasm some political leaders shows for the new government, its team and its programme (that are quite a conservative team and programme indeed) do confirm the message we got several times already: left parties’ leaders don’t trust themselves to govern the country.

Why otherwise repeating with an idiotic smile that this solution was the only possible. There are no younger and more progressive experts in Italy? And why they don’t present any indication for possible policies avoiding squeezing the same people further, causing the clear impression that they just hope that ‘super Mario’ would not be too hard on the weakest. May be because he is a church man……

Even when they had a (possible) majority of voters, a sinking adversary and a favourable political (not certainly economic, though) situation, they succeeded in making any other option seem a preferable one.

Cravates d’Afrique stemmed from a double challenge.
During a travel in Burkina Faso I liked very much the local materials (les pagnes) produced in the country of the incorrutible human beings as a media to disseminate political and development programmes.
Those materials were very coloured and brilliant and it was quite difficult to employ them properly.
On the other hand, I started working in an organization where I was required to wear a tie, and I had no one.
Therefore, I searched the Yellow Pages (paper version, no google available yet) and I found a small atelier on the Prenestina road, where they were curious enough to accept to produce just two or three examples.
Then I produced more, I drawed a logo (a sage leaf) and a sticker

and with some friends we organised some gatherings to present the collections

Soon, other products came out, first of all the shopping bags: more elegant than the plastic ones, more handy because of the long handle and less bulky as one could fold it and put in the purse or in a pocket.

Later on, in Ivory Coast, the activity grew up and we tried to structure it better, more details in the dedicated website www.cravatesdafrique.com (first answer if you search by google: cravates and Afrique).

I don’t know why I was thinking to this bycicle that I would have liked to get but was too expensive. Searching the net I found some photos, I remembered it bigger, but it really was something different.
It was advertised on the magazine ‘Topolino’ and had something with the pedals, I don’t remember what.
Looking at the comments, it seems quite a generational milestone; in any case everybody confirms that it was very heavy and not really manageable.
One of the first product with an English name.

This is the first time in my life. Actually, this is the first time I have an undefinite time contract. Also the first time I have a long term contract, before that max 15 months and when in Roma working was rather based on a gentleman agreement.

At Parc Baudoin there is a family of swans.
Every time we go there, I see them growing up. Today they were in the little lake, sliding elegantly on the water.
I wonder where they go afterwards, as there is no trace of the previous clutch.

Benjamin Moloise was a Southafrican poet who was hanged by the apartheid regime.
We thought he was the right person to whom dedicate the transcultural association we wanted to create, and the ASTRACUBEM was born.

We arrived soon on the pages of the new newspaper: La Repubblica, contesting for the publishing of an advertisement for tourism in South Africa.

The first activities we tried to organise were not successful: a meeting bringing together the Southafrican Embassy and the representative of ANC (at the end of the 80s, Mandela was far to be freed). We then tried with the Israeli Embassy and PLO, but again we couldn’t debate.

We had to restrain ourselves to less complicated activities:
a celebration for Nelson Mandela seventieth birthday,

a tombola to collect money for sending bycicles in El Salvador ,

cows in the Amazonia,

and for the independence of Timor Este.

After 1989, also celebrations (and even a movie) to remember the October revolution.

Et voila the group photo …….

I started the ABC Book (expression much less effective than Abbecedario) for my cousins’ sons. Then I added the French definitions for my nephews and my goddaughter. And finally, I updated it in three languages (not in English, unfortunately, but with Spanish addition) for little Paula.

I used some of my drawings, sometimes widening them with the Russian zoom lens I used for printing photos (I had got it in exchange for my collection of Tex strips, but that is another story).

The job was not simple, I passed many hours on the desk; when I started I did not use the computer but pencils and an Indian ink pen.

Later on, I prepared an electronic version; smaller. You may find it here :
http://ilmiolibro.kataweb.it/schedalibro.asp?id=128967

As announced from the beginning, this blog should also serve to keep the memory of certain happenings; as I often feel that many are vanishing.
I’ll go backwards to look for some relevant pieces (relevant to me, of course).
I chose to use an alphabetic criteria rather than a chronological one.
I will start today (in a separate entry) with A as ABC Book.