On 14 October 2024, the Italian Embassy in Bahrain, in collaboration with the Royal University for Women (Ruw) and the 'Grazia Deledda' Centre for Italian Language and Culture, celebrated the 24th edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World, this year with the theme 'Italian and the Book: the World between the Lines'. Highlighting the role of the book as a vehicle for Italy's cultural heritage and identity, and emphasising Italy's contribution and its renowned prestige in the publishing sector, the Italian Ambassador to Bahrain, Andrea Catalano, retraced the long history and majestic literary prestige enjoyed by the Italian language. Known for its musicality and expressiveness, from Dante to Machiavelli, the ambassador emphasised how the Italian language is now synonymous with creativity, a veritable key to accessing the rich and intricate cultural heritage that our country boasts and of which the language is but an external manifestation, together with literature. The event, which was a huge success among the students of the Royal University for Women and the Grazia Deledda Centre, once again contributed to the dissemination of Italian culture and heritage in Bahrain, presenting an Italian perspective on the theme of women. "The role of literature as a vehicle of Italian culture and identity heritage" was the title of the lecture given by Marilina Pellegrini, lecturer of Italian language at the Grazia Deledda Centre for Italian Language and Culture. The lecture focused precisely on Grazia Deledda, Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1926, confirming the indelible mark left by the long Italian literary tradition on the global scene, serving as a real key to understanding our prestigious cultural heritage. "Our literary heritage indeed encapsulates a unique worldview, in which every word carries a story and every sentence resonates with cultural significance, transcending mere communication to become a powerful vehicle of emotions, thoughts and narratives that unite us across time and space, breaking down all cultural barriers and promoting deep and mutual understanding," said Italian Ambassador Andrea Catalano. The ambassador also took the opportunity to emphasise the excellence of the Italian publishing industry, recalling Italy's participation as Guest of Honour at the International Book Fairs in Tunis, Warsaw and Frankfurt, which distinguished the country's large publishing sector as the country's leading creative industry with an annual turnover of more than €3.3 billion.
It was certainly a significant goal," the ambassador went on to say, "one to which we hope to contribute today by embarking on a journey through literature thanks to the work of Marilina Pellegrini and the staff of the Royal University for Women, which has always been committed to promoting Italian and preserving a vital part of our culture here in the Kingdom of Bahrain, creating links and new connections that can transcend all borders, further strengthening bilateral cultural relations between the two countries.
The XXIV Italian Language Week opened in Bahrain with the presentation of the book "Taste & See Italian Food" by the young author Ghalya Dheya Alasfoor at the Bahrain Bayan School, in a handover towards the IXth Cooking Week next November. The Week ends with 'Italian European Language' as part of the European Languages Day in Manama today.
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