Pistoia’s renowned anthropology festival Dialoghi Sull’Uomo (Dialogues on Man) will soon enter its 9th edition, with the 2018 theme announced as “Breaking the rules: creativity and change”. Held from May 25 to 27, the festival will comprise 26 events, including talks, performances and a photo exhibition, with the participation of anthropologists, philosophers, historians, writers and intellectuals from both Italy and abroad.
Ph. Laura Pietra
Reflections on what makes human civilization evolve, on the forces that push humans toward change and the necessity of breaking the rules in order to effect change are key concepts at this year’s edition. Highlights will include “Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury: a creative revolution,” a talk by Nadia Fusini about the norm-defying English literary Bloomsbury group to which Woolf belonged; Laura Boella’s timely lecture, titled “Where is empathy in a society dominated by the fear of the other?”; and Giovanni De Luna’s examination of the revolutionary year of 1968, through the lens of the 50 years that have since passed.
The festival will also bring the return of the Dialogues on Man International Award, given to a figure in the cultural sector whose example demonstrates the importance of dialogue in the development of human relations. This year’s recipient is Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka, 1986 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. On the evening of May 26, in piazza del Duomo, Soyinka will hold a dialogue with anthropologist Marco discussing the necessity of reciprocal recognition.
For the full program, see www.dialoghisulluomo.it.
