Philosophy as the glue for a cultural exchange between Italy and Kenya. This is the interesting programme of a group of Italians from Nairobi called 'Kenya Symposium of Cultures'.
It is a cycle of weekly lectures on history, art, philosophy and literature. It will be held every Saturday, starting tomorrow, 10 September, on the premises of Matteo's restaurant in Karen.
The meetings will alternate between Italian and English and will be led by philosophy lecturer Massimiliano Pilotti.
"We have created the 'Kenya Symposium of Cultures' initiative," explains Pilotti, "with the aim of promoting a cultural exchange between the two countries and enhancing the beauty of our cultures and traditions through the organisation of high-profile events aimed at the Italian and Kenyan communities and all our expatriate friends living in this fantastic country.
It starts on Saturday 10 from 3 to 4 p.m. with a 'philosophical coffee' on the theme 'Beauty and Love', a fascinating journey into the aesthetic philosophy and the principle of futility by Italian philosopher Umberto Galimberti. The meeting will be repeated on Saturday 17 in English. Two more appointments, which we will present later, will take place on 24 September and 1 October, while from 20 September, every Tuesday for five weeks, a philosophy course taught by Pilotti will start. The first part of the course will focus on the philosophers of nature.
Beauty may not save the world, but recognising it and understanding that knowledge, love and ethics can lead to a better aesthetic of living, would already be something.