Against the backdrop of a packed Book Fair that, despite the torrential rain that had descended on Turin, drew record attendance, Malindikenya.net director Freddie del Curatolo brought a bit of Kenyan sunshine to the Orange Room, in the presence of writers, men of culture and entertainment, and politicians.
He did so by receiving the 'Volterrani - Narrare il mondo' (Volterrani - Narrating the world) award, presented by Piedmont Region Vice-President Daniele Valle for his latest publication 'Nairobi', published by OgZero.
A satisfaction not only because it talks about Kenya's capital city, which is a bit of a litmus test for the country, with its perspectives and paradoxes, but also for the motivation of the jury, chaired by Massimo Giusio, who fully grasped the sense of the book.
"A deserved award for having created a novel portrait of one of the world's most stimulating urban realities between skyscrapers and savannah without the deforming lenses of tourist conformism, with a peculiar photographic outfit edited by Leni Frau, sketching a fascinating description of an African capital with unique characteristics and a melting pot of heterogeneous and contradictory humanity, but which overcomes, with descriptive skill, the superficiality and stereotypes of the western gaze".
During his speech, Freddie remarked on the blindness of 'western neo-colonialism' towards sub-Saharan Africa and especially towards those developing countries that are still seen exclusively as a danger due to immigration or as a drift of solidarity 'with blinkers on', but almost never as an opportunity for shared growth, which for Italy for example in trade could mean a lot, bringing competence and professionalism of our companies. This is what should happen in tourism in recovery, breaking down the usual clichés and showing a country that, with its inevitable contrasts and paradoxes, is a sampler of wonder and interesting things.
The journalist thanked publishers Adriano Boano and Chiara Biano of OgZero, who with Angelo Ferrari created the series 'The Visible City' precisely with the aim of proposing a different view of some of the world's great and significant metropolises. "It is no coincidence that three of the volumes already released concern three African capitals," Freddie concluded, "Nairobi, Lusaka in Zambia and Freetown in Sierra Leone.