Mesolcina Val (Italian Grisons - CH) - A young teacher and writer Val Mesolcina asked about the present and the future of their valley, offering broad reflections that affect not only the topics that are usually - the culture of the school and the world - but also policy and religion: Professor in the interview that follows. Gerry Mottis (1) is able to grasp the root of the issues raised because, especially as a writer, is making headway with his own hands and with a sensitivity that allows him to identify the positive side of every situation. From the words of Mottis we understand very well the importance of promoting cultural activities in various towns of the Val and Val Calanca Mesolcina, and their responsabilità che devono assumersi le autorità politiche, le quali, come afferma lo scrittore di Lostallo, “ dovrebbero capire il “valore” di un artista locale che potrebbe bene rappresentare il territorio e veicolare tramite la propria arte un riconoscimento che travalica il rendiconto economico. L’immagine del Comune o della Valle ne guadagnerebbe certamente. Basti pensare quali eredità ha lasciato Alberto Giacometti – in termine di immagine, e non solo – al paesino di Stampa ”.
Prof. Mottis, come si possono descrivere i caratteri dell'identità dei mesolcinesi ?
La Mesolcina si presenta, a mio avviso, come identità comunitaria solo "On paper". The recognition of identity has led us from the outside, especially by the media which label the territories and populations for convenience - the Ticino, the grigionitaliani, Italian-speaking Switzerland, the young moesani etc.. -, Standardizing and trivializing everything and everyone. I recognize, however, that there is a territorial and cultural attachment especially in the upper valley, while the southern end - Roveredo and surroundings - is slowly opening up to the phenomenon of 'immigration' Ticino and Italian, which penetrates more and more toward the north, in less noisy and more green valleys. In this sense, the Mesolcina is suffering the repercussions of globalization of people moving and bring with them ideas and habits, which are then to undermine the unity of identity at issue. In sports are slowly finding synergies between the high and low valley, while in the cultural division is now more pronounced as in the past, unfortunately. The cultural offerings appear as sectoral initiatives, although of good quality, and do not represent the entire valley.
Gerry Mottis
In his view, the current politico-administrative class of the two valleys is able to significantly promote and protect the culture and local identity ?
The politico-administrative class as everywhere else is willing to invest in interesting projects that also make up a plan of image and economic return. Just move in defense and in favor of fancier volunteers who daily strive to offer cultural activities for people of our valleys. Apply in particular to actions of the country, local authorities supported by a small territory (see for example the Soazza Library), rather than a shared vision of cultural achievement on a larger scale. Even the section of the PGI moesana (Pro Italian Grisons, ed), which is committed for decades in this sense, we see more and more to cut the funds to invest in cultural projects. Dedicated to theater and writing of literary works, I found good support in its early stages, while a little more interest now that I would need. An artist - poet, writer, sculptor, photographer, actors, director, etc.. it may be - on our territory remains a misunderstood loner, and for this reason he has to constantly promote themselves with large investment of energy (and money) to create a niche interest. Political authorities should understand the "value" of a local artist who may well represent the territory and convey through his art a recognition that goes beyond the income statement. The image of the City or the Valley would gain course. Just think about what legacy he left Alberto Giacometti – in termine di immagine, e non solo – al paesino di Stampa”.
Dal suo punto di vista, le parrocchie delle due Valli svolgono ancora – sotto il profilo socio-culturale – delle attività rilevanti ?
Ritengo che le parrocchie si dovrebbero interrogare con serietà sul ruolo che vogliono e possono ancora svolgere all’interno delle nostre comunità. È indubbio che il centro dell’interesse della gente comune – che anticamente trovava nella Chiesa un luogo di ritrovo e un solido punto spirituale di riferimento – sia venuto piano piano a decadere quasi completamente. I giovani si interessano poco di spiritualità, e conoscono poco anche le Scritture, la vita di Gesù, così importanti per “decodificare” e “dare un senso” ad esempio a molti testi letterari – pensiamo solo alla “Divina Commedia” – o alle opere d’arte (ad esempio il “Giudizio universale” di Michelangelo). Questo scarso interesse verso la religione e la religiosità impoverisce i ragazzi e le ragazze anche sotto il profilo prettamente culturale, nonché umano. Un dilagante agnosticismo – o addirittura ateismo – non dovrebbe però scoraggiare gli ecclesiastici. Il veicolo privilegiato rimane l’incontro, il dialogo, la condivisione di esperienze. Quello che forse manca è un progetto didattico puntuale e interessato da parte della Chiesa for young people, which is suitable to the times.
What should be - in her view - the guidelines to develop a project capable of revitalizing the cultural activities of Mesolcina and Calanca ?
If by "guidelines" means a joint going to touch all Mesolcina and Calanca, I believe that only by joining the intent and the forces we can achieve this goal. For now, I think, still missing a key element around which to build a cultural moesana, except perhaps the Library of Soazza (but "confined" in the upper valley). As previously reported, the GIP plays and will always play a key role in cementing this union, but without the political and financial support of all the municipalities concerned, the regional government and other secondary institutions, it can not work miracles. In my opinion, should form a kind of supra-cultural apparatus that groups such as a representative of each of the valley cultural association (association of artisans, theatrical, singing, sports etc..) And unify efforts to create events that have broad resonance and beyond our two valleys.
About depopulation of Calanca, she perceives this as a problem ?
note with pleasure that many children and young people are still attached to their home valley, the Val Calanca. Our school has several students every morning they get up at 5.30 to reach the lower valley. Boys and girls, for example, from the Bragg Landarenca or early morning are still relying on the cable car to reach the bus stop that will lead up to Roveredo, with a further double-exchange medium, even during the winter. For these young people to stay in the future (or return) to work in its valley is necessary that the political and geographical area has to offer their plea for recognition. Fulcrum around which everything should remain the turn apprenticeships or work interesting and fairly well paid, but that does not fossilizzino only on labor, but also going to offer opportunities for future engineers, teachers and so on. The added value of a side valley, like that of Calanca remains the goodness of the alpine environment, fresh air and stunning landscapes that come back to be increasingly appreciated the people in general. But the investment in the work (and cultural offerings attached) remains central.
Don Marco Flecchia mesolcinesi believes that young people thirst for the Absolute "and show interest in" old things ...
share the first part of the observation, when the good priest says that young people have mesolcinesi "yearning for the Absolute" in the sense that by definition young people (teenagers) are "absolutist" in everything they do and in respect of all who believe in friendship, in love, in the struggle, in their opinion, sports, spiritual quest. The need to win a new personal identity leads them with some exaggeration to proclaim to the world that they belong to, their right to join and be accepted. We finally found compared with the real problems of life "adult": work, bills, insurance, accidents, fights of thought, love and so disappointed. Known, however, in these children, bewildered by a pervasive and incessant incitement technology, a morbid desire to the new, different, just the technology, and little attention to those "old things" that still speaks to his father Mark. Art, music copyright, poetry, fiction ancient, seem not to collect a lot more interest in these young cyber. I think the taste has been replaced by a utilitarian style, where the pleasure is replaced precisely practical benefit that answers the simple question: "What is it?". This dangerous trend must be fought so that we can entrust the future to young "thinkers" and not to young unscrupulous entrepreneurs.
What is the Italian-speaking Swiss author that today we do to offer young people of her valley ?
First I ask myself if there is an Italian-speaking Swiss author who can serve as a model and guide our young people. As regard to community identity, the identity of literature of our region is a very large and should be addressed soon. Writers grigionitaliani Ticino and follow a path, in my view, in itself, independent of the territorial lines of thought. Each artist (or writer who is) seems to be driven primarily by a personal feeling, from a personal view of things, the surrounding reality of the world. Sporadic initiatives anthologies and magazines that tend to combine this "way of feeling things" are attempts destinati a mio avviso al fallimento, benché iniziative lodevolissime. Leggo con piacere il poeta ticinese Fabio Pusterla, professore di lingua e letteratura italiana presso il liceo di Lugano 1. La sua poeticità dirompente e schietta stupisce per i modi narrativi, descrittivi e ipermetrici. Una scrittura poetica che può interessare ai nostri giovani, lontana da uno stilismo letterario esasperato, che non fa che diminuire l’interesse verso l’opera poetica. È un autore che mi sentirei di proporre.
La scrittrice Anna Felder – rispondendo a una domanda di Gian Paolo Giudicetti – ha detto di non credere che la letteratura debba avere primariamente un impegno politico diretto. Qual è la sua opinione ?
I agree. The artist - sculptor, painter, poet, dramatist - must first present a vision of personal self and the world, and then letting the reader (or viewer) the choice of whether to identify creative in his speech or reject it, if benefit , relief, stimulus for reflection, role model, or remain indifferent to the voice of the artist. The art must pass directly but not forced. If we think of many civil and political incisive texts are allegorical or literary fictions that conceal the grotesque civic, political and ethical author. Is not a matter of direct political engagement. Just think the work of Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita, "or the" bad hours "by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Is due to the careful reader to get the message from these works involved, and act according to personal preference. The artist is the servant of the people, it can incite revolt, but in my view, without necessarily being bombastic and direct in his statements.
Last question: has a new book in the pipeline? Can you give us a preview ?
Together with a sculptor friend I have just published a booklet for the holidays poetic charities ("Thoughts and mists," MiArt Editions, 2009) to needy children in Togo (Africa). To pick up the first speech, I believe that in addition to political commitment indirectly, an artist must also make themselves available to those who have no voice, the weak, the marginalized. I warmly welcome the chance to write for charitable activities that certainly resurface in the future. Still, two are in the pipeline my new literary ...
That?
The first is a collection of short stories titled "The Crossing", already approved by a publishing house Ticino booster, which will appear in the spring of 2010. In this work I collect a dozen long and short stories that deal with different topics: smuggling between Mesolcina and Chiavenna, the Nazi persecution, the rediscovery of the value of books and reading, the journeys of hope, the desire for freedom and knowledge, spirituality. Just delivered the final draft, I will concentrate on my second major project: to complete and refine my third poetry collection that I plan to propose to a publisher or Italian Ticino during the year 2010. (Edited by Charles Silvano )
____________________ (1) GERRY Mottis (Lostallo, 1975). He finished his studies in Italian Literature at the University of Freiburg in 2001. He first published poetry in 2000 ("The Guiding Rights", Libroitaliano, Ragusa) in 2003 and his second ("A destiny nostalgia," Olive, Balerna) with a preface by prof. Jean-Jacques Marchand (Lausanne). In 2005 he founded the theater company "Siparios" in Lostallo, where he is director and screenwriter. In 2006 he published his first collection of short stories: "The Executioner and the rainbow" (Olive, Balerna) with a preface by prof. Guido Pedrojetta (Freiburg), and in 2007 was released to the press in the comedy "Deus Ex" (Olive, Balerna), which was staged for the first time June 16, 2007. In 2008 he published his second comedy "In the beginning (and end ...) there was the Word," staged for the first time October 25, 2008. He teaches Italian for Secondary Schools Roveredo (GR) and editor for the "School Bulletin" of the Grisons. It takes care of children's literature. More information can be found in Gerry Mottis http://www.gmottis.ch/
