My host for the third day of my journey was an organization called "Insieme per Africo" composed of young men and women who cooperate to animate the life of the small village of Africo. They are also in charge of “Rifugio Carrá”, an equipped guesthouse close to the location of Africo Vecchio where the movie of Calopresti Aspromonte - La Terra degli Ultimi was recently made. This area receives a lot of attention also by Gioacchino Criaco, the most rewarded writer of the area who is a great supporter of the efforts of the youth to promote local wellbeing.
Monica, my best friend from Reggio Calabria, came to spend one day with me. Gianfranco e Pietro the two gentle faces of the association spent with us the entire day and we walked for 8 hours to explore the area where I tested the drone in the open air (not with great success but with a lot of fun).
It was a great trail, which included the Tibetan bridge, now part of the Cammino Basiliano. The Rifugio (shelter) where we stayed at is at the core of the National Park of Aspromonte and has a lot of potential to grow thanks to its natural setting and charme of an abandoned village.
Like in Shakespearean tragedy the story of Montecchi and Capuleti belongs also to this land. The people of Africo Vecchio, with Greek ancestors, used to fight with the neighboring village of CasalNuovo, which was instead of Arab origin. Even weddings among people of the two villages were opposed because of the rivalry, who knows if there was ever a Juliet in love with any Romeo...
The two villages were located in the same valley, one in front of the other and shared the same river, not an easy co-living. When the flood came in the 50s’ the people of the two villages were forced to leave, they lost their land and moved to the new location of Africo Nuovo. I now wonder whether the rivalry is finally over and any wedding is finally celebrated.
Overall, it was a great day into nature spent with plenty of stories and jokes. Instead, after dinner, in front of the fireplace, more serious talks took place. If you are a group of young people and you want to make a difference, there is a reaching point to which activism can be effective. Without conducive policies, the real change cannot take place and any effort is eventually ineffective in the long run. If the policymakers do not care about the youth, the only alternative is to leave.
Should, therefore, the young become policymakers and change politics? Yes, but how?
More tips:
- the ghost village of Roghudi
- Mountain Sport Apromonte Wild
- Bova Superiore and the Museo della Lingua Grecanica Gerhard Rohlfs
- Naturaliner trekking and Mediterranean hospitality
Gianni Favasuli is an ecletic artist from Africo. His performance "Sugnu Africotu"is unique and tells the story in the local dialect of the entire community when in 1951 they were forced to leave. Thank you Gianni!
Comments