Tomorrow, May 26, is Africa Day, and the four cultural institutes in Sub-Saharan Africa, including the one in Nairobi, are inviting fans of Italian culture and the African continent to participate in an interesting live streaming virtual conference, a so-called webinar, starting at 6 p.m. (Italian time).
"Italian Literature Compared with the Literature of Africa": this is the theme of Africa Day 2022 that the Italian Cultural Institute of Nairobi will offer together with that of Pretoria in South Africa, Adis Ababa in Ethiopia and Dakar in Senegal, in the webinar (in italian language) in which everyone can participate free of charge by registering at the dedicated web page: https://italianculturalinstitute.co.za/africa-day/ .
Each of the four Sub-Saharan African Institutes involved will address a literary topic that links Italy to its host country, making use of the presence of scholars and experts.
Speaking for Nairobi will be Professor Graziella Acquaviva, researcher and professor of Swahili language and literature at the Department of Humanities, University of Turin, with a dissertation on ecology as a literary topic in Italian and Kenyan literatures entitled "Ecologismi a confronto: issues and perspectives of ecological discourse in Kenya and Italy."
Acquaviva has previously collaborated for the Nairobi IIC in past years, translating writer Gianrico Carofiglio's book "Unaware Witness" (Shahidi asiyekusudiwa) into Kiswahili, among other things, as well as editing the translation of the complete work of Carlo Collodi's "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (Hekaya za Pinokio).
The Addis Ababa IIC will be connected instead with Professor Gianfranco Lusini, from the University of Naples "L'Orientale," who will offer a talk entitled "One Multitude: Italian-Ethiopian literary interweavings between the Middle Ages and the 20th century." Two will be the literary suggestions brought by the Italian Cultural Institute of Pretoria: one on "Pasolini and Africa" curated by Dr. Giovanna Trento, the second on "Dante and the Divine Comedy in South Africa," with the "speech" by Professor Anita Virga, professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Finally, for the IIC of Dakar there will be the presence of Professor Alice Bellagamba, professor of Political Anthropology and Cultures and Societies of Africa at the University of Milano-Bicocca, with a speech on "Intangible Heritage and the Legacy of Slavery in West Africa."
For those who are in Nairobi, the Italian Cultural Institute has also organized a meeting with Italian-Ghanaian writer Djarah Kan at Cheche Bookshop and Café (Intrade Africa Place - Clock B, 30 Kauria Close, Off Muthangari Road, Lavington - Nairobi) on Friday, 27 at 6:30 pm.
Djarah Kan, 29, was born and raised in the province of Caserta. Since her teenage years, she has been interested in writing as a means of expression and resistance. In 2019, she published the short story "My Name" within the collection "Future: tomorrow told by the voices of today." She collaborates with the weekly magazine "L'Espresso" and is also the author of "Teeth Thieves" (People, 2020), which was a considerable critical and public success. Light refreshments will be offered during the evening, which is free admission. Since places are limited, reservations are appreciated at the following link: https://iicnairobi.esteri.it/iic_nairobi/it/gli_eventi/calendario/2022/05/africa-day-2022-incontro-con-la.html
For more information write to iicnairobi@esteri.it  
Created to celebrate the anniversary of the "Africa Unity" organization, the mother of the African Union, founded on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation celebrates Africa Day every year. The anniversary has the dual purpose of reflecting on the importance of collaboration between Italy and Africa and enriching cultural diversity on the continent.