Asiatica Encounteres |
| Similarly like in the past editions also this
year we have the opportunity during the
Asiaticafilmmediale to learn about authors
and books from Asia or about Asia – not
forgotten is the meeting in 2005 with
Mahasweta Devi and the discovery of the
films and poetic work of Forough Farrokhzad
of last year.
This year we want to pay homage to two
precursor figures of the knowledge of Asia:
the main Dutch writer Multatuli (1820-1887),
of whom the publishing house Iperborea
reprints his anticolonialist novel Max
Havelaar, and Fosco Maraini, of whom the
publishing house Mondadori has just published
his Pellegrino in Asia (Pilgrim in Asia)
in the Meridiani series.
Both these figures were “threshold men”,
able to hover between different cultures and
to regard the native culture with the eyes of
the other, providing an example of relation to
Asia which was unspoiled by prejudice or
aprioristic infatuation for the exotic, and as
such they stand in our opinion for the true
spirit of the Asiaticafilmmediale.
Multatuli represents, with his pyrotechnic
seminal ideas that introduces his autobiographic
novel, an exemplar case of mutual
anthropology. In those statements of his –
formulated through his bewilderment of a
Dutchman grown up in Indonesia – we find
the core of all topics of the upcoming culture
anthropology.
Multatuli practiced what Fosco Maraini called
reverted exoticism.
“The esocosmos is the world outside” –
stated Maraini in an interview – “the endocosmos
is the reconstruction of world outside
in our world inside. Travelling means to
broaden the endocosmos feeding it with the
esocosmos.”
This intense statement depicts properly
the journey of the knowledge by means
of the filmic imagery Asiaticafilmmediale aims
to offer.
Multatuli’s work will be presented by Goffredo Fofi after the screening of the film Max
Havelaar by Fons Rademakers of 1976.
During the homage to Fosco Maraini,
in presence of his daughter Dacia Maraini,
Franco Marcoaldi, the book editor, Giorgio
Amitrano, yamatologist and the tibetologist
Giacomella Orofino, we’ll show some of his
videos thanks to the collaboration of the
Department Vieusseux and the Museum of
Cultures of Lugano.
Besides that, we’ll give place to three recently
published books on present topics with matter
with three controversial sceneries: Burma
first of all, with the presentation during the
Burma Day of Cecilia Brighi’s book Il Pavone
ed i generali (The Peacock and the Generals)
published by Baldini Castaldi Dalai.
Cambodia, with the book-interview by Aki Ra
and Anais Ginori Non calpestate le farfalle,
published by Sperling & Kupfer, which will presented
after the screening of the documentary
in competition Aki Ra’s boys by Lynn Lee and
James Leong (Singapore)
Finally Carlo Buldrini will present his book
Lontano dal Tibet, storie da una nazione in
esilio (A Long Way From Tibet), published by
Lindau. The book, which has been published
at first in Italy, has soon become a best seller
in India. Carlo Laurenti HOMAGE TO MULTATULI Presentation of the book “Max Havelaar” by Multatuli (Edouard Douwes Dekker) ) published by Iperborea 2007 HOMAGE TO FOSCO MARAINI Presentation of the book “Pellegrino in Asia” by Fosco Maraini published byMondadori 2007 Presentation of the book “Il Pavone e i generali” by Cecilia Brighi published by Baldini Castoldi Dalai 2007 Presentation of the book “Non calpestate le farfalle” by Aki Ra e Anais Ginori published by Sperling & Kupfer 2007 Presentation of the book “Lontano dal Tibet” by Carlo Buldrini published by Lindau 2007 |