BASILICATË

The Project

Starting in 2023, the Federation of Circles and Associations of Lucanians in Piemonte, with the scientific coordination of the Center of Lucanians in the World Nino Calice of the Basilicata Region, began building the ambitious project “BASILICATË, a Celebration of Lucanian Culture in the World.”

The strength of this project lies in its method of research and work. The curators chosen by the Federation to structure the project imagined that, in order to build an exhibition and a contemporary document on Lucanian identity in the World, the support of the communities and people of all ages and generations had to be sought.

Thus, from the outset and with the precious support and work of the Lucanian Associations and Federations in New York (Federation of Lucanians in America and the Craco Society), Buenos Aires (Federation of Basilicata in Argentina and the Sociedad Mutual Pescopaganesa), and Montevideo (Federation of Lucanians in Uruguay and the Sportello Basilicata Uruguay), a collective self-portrait of the three Lucanian communities abroad was built together.

Through a widespread network based on human connections, community meetings, and social media contests, Lucanians from the first to the fourth generation shared their knowledge and testimonies of themselves through their voices, as reflected in the words of Rocco Scotellaro, their gestures, by preparing a Lucanian recipe brought overseas, the spaces of their homes with a surprisingly Lucanian flavor, and the religious rituals still celebrated, years later, to remember their origins.

The presentation of the collected materials was made possible thanks to the collaboration in New York, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Basilicata, with artists, videographers, and professional photographers—some of them of Lucanian origin—who captured the beauty of the process and presented this beautiful self-portrait through the exhibition BASILICATË.

The entire process involved hundreds of people, groups of artists, and professionals supporting the project, thirty-seven associations and federations of Lucanians in Italy, the United States, Argentina, and Uruguay. The project received recognition and partnerships from the Ministries, Italian and Foreign Embassies and Consulates, recognizing in this contemporary approach a new lens for interpreting a phenomenon that has always existed.

All this immense work was presented through an exhibition and publication, telling a “bottom-up” story and placing the voices of the Lucanian communities in the United States, Argentina, and Uruguay at the center of the narrative, creating an unprecedented collective self-portrait. The image returned is a colorful one of migration that answers the question “what happened since we stayed?” rather than “why did we leave?”

The Exhibition

The challenge of building an exhibition that, in three months, from August to October, would cross the ocean and an entire meridian—from New York to Montevideo—and then return home to be told, was quite arduous. The four exhibitions, in New York, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Turin, culminating in the story in Genoa, required a device that could construct the space simply and lightly, and that could be set up and taken down without too much difficulty.

The brilliant idea of the curators was to use cardboard boxes as the base for all the setups.

At first glance, a simple, affordable, and easy-to-find container, whether in Italy, Germany, or France, but on a deeper look, it becomes much more: it is a profound symbol. It’s as if each box tells a story of lives in motion, filled with the memories and objects that emigrants brought with them on their journey.

These boxes enclose emotions and memories, as if they could speak of every move as an adventure, full of farewells and new beginnings. In this moving process reflects a universal experience: leaving something dear behind and bringing pieces of ourselves to an elsewhere. Not just for those who left their homeland, but for anyone who has ever said goodbye to a place that held a part of their life.

The boxes used for the five installations numbered 864 in total.

The Locations

The Publication

BASILICATË, a Celebration of Lucanian Culture in the World, is also a publication written in three languages and published by Lettera Ventidue in Siracusa. The publication is curated by Fabio Ciaravella and Mimi Coviello with the graphic design of EGO55.

BASILICATË is a narrative that explores contemporary Lucanian culture as a bridge between Basilicata and the Lucanian communities abroad, particularly in the United States, Argentina, and Uruguay. This publication gathers the voices of scholars, researchers, and members of the Lucanian emigrant communities who discuss the ongoing evolution of Lucanian identities through the dialogue between original traditions and local cultures.

The book paints a picture of the dynamics of Lucanian emigration, presenting it as a phenomenon capable of transforming and enriching the Lucanian cultural heritage. Emigration is not just a memory of a distant past, but a living process that, through contact with other realities, has been able to renew and adapt, creating new identities. The testimonies of those who experienced the separation from their homeland, who crossed oceans and borders, intertwine with studies that analyze the impact of migration on Lucanian cultural heritage. These life stories speak of challenges and hopes, but also of an unbreakable bond with Basilicata, which, despite the distance, has always remained present in the hearts of emigrants.

These stories and the contributions collected in the publication, along with the studies and research and the exhibition, make BASILICATË a multifaceted portrait of the Lucanian community abroad. A portrait that not only preserves the past but transforms it, enriches it, and projects it into the future. It is a journey that celebrates roots but also looks to the new generations, to the identities that arise from cultural exchange and blending. Basilicata, though distant, continues to live and grow through its connections with the world, maintaining its spirit intact, adaptable, and thriving in global contexts.

The Future of BASILICATË

The BASILICATË project, initiated with the support of the Basilicata Region from New York, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo, after having built the network of institutions that made this ambitious project possible, is a method of inquiry, an exportable model that in the future will likely lead to other investigations and projects in collaboration with the numerous Lucanian communities in Italy and worldwide.

Partners and Collaborations

The BASILICATË project has been made possible thanks to the synergy, patronage, and collaboration of numerous public and private entities to whom we extend our sincere thanks:

Basilicata Region, Centro dei Lucani nel Mondo Nino Calice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian Embassy in Buenos Aires, Italian Consulate General in Buenos Aires, Italian Embassy in Montevideo, Ministry of Culture of Uruguay, Italian Cultural Institute of New York, Italian Cultural Institute of Montevideo, Federation of Lucanian Circles and Associations in Piemonte, Architecture of Shame, Ego 55, MEI – Museum of Italian Emigration, MUMA – Museum of the Sea, Ellis Island Foundation, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, MUNTREF – Museum of Immigration, UNTREF – Universidad Tres de Febrero, MuMi – Museum of Migrations Muralla Abierta, Intendencia de Montevideo, Federation of Lucanians of America, The Craco Society, St. Rocco Society of Potenza, Bernaldesi d’America Association, San Rocco Montescaglioso Mutual Aid Society, The San Felese Society of New Jersey, Federation of Basilicata Associations in Argentina, Sociedad Mutual Pescopaganesa, Sociedad de Socorro Mutuo Tricaricese, Comites Loma e Zamora, Comites Buenos Aires, Sportello Basilicata Uruguay, Federation of Lucanians of Uruguay, Colectividad Satrianese “San Rocco”, Circolo Lucano del Uruguay, Vietrese di Potenza Association in Uruguay, Asociacion Lauria Uruguay Polo Bibliotecario of Potenza, Superintendence of Archives and Bibliography of Basilicata, University of Basilicata, Municipality of Avigliano, International Dialectology Center, PO Operational Program, APT Basilicata, Italea, Appennino Foundation, Municipality of Montemurro, Paesi e Radici ETS, Appennino Foundation, Via del Miskiglio, Fucina Madre, Pescopagano 2020, Lucani in Genoa Association, EATALY, Carlo’s Bakery, Basilicata Media, Il Globo TV, Gattopardo Production, Scuola Pizzaioli, Garage Gourmet, Enoteca Lucana.