involving many migrant groups, both large and small. It means

Choosing a diary as a vehicle for an intercultural message means entrusting to its pages the reflections that emerged from a dialogue involving many migrant groups, both large and small. It means sharing these reflections with those who will turn these pages in the course of the year. And that’s how the first intercultural diary, entitled “Choose the Piece”, came into being in 2010. “Choose the Piece” was the parallel project, run by Modena’s Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, which involved groups of migrants, students at the Centro Territoriale Permanente, Modena. The new Modenese citizens were invited to “adopt” a Museum object that could symbolise the idea of shared cultural heritage, as part of the wider community, called on to conserve, curate and cherish. The 2012 diary and the parallel exhibition are the fruits of a second project, this time devoted to a specific theme: the Land. In this case, the Museum, as custodian of territorial memory, and the Casa delle Culture, a showcase for “other lands”, brought together migrants from eleven different nations. They responded to the challenge of working on a project which they knew would have positive repercussions in terms of social harmony and intercultural dialogue. Inspiration came from objects conserved and exhibited in the museum; these included farm implements in use for millennia and mementoes of rural life in the Folk Museum at Villa Sorra. Personal recollections emerged of experiences that each of the participants conserves in their own memory: the land that divides, the land that forges or reinforces ties; the land as a page on which countless stories have been written; the land of hard work and extraordinary fruits; the land that welcomes, represents and records the passing of time. What emerges is a multifaceted narrative, formed of stories told by its lead players, who set their own priorities from among

the many themes that regard the land – that huge reservoir of memory and aspiration. Naturally, given the scope of the issues involved, none of these testimonies can claim to be exhaustive, but they do offer a personal glimpse, and this is what makes the account unique. Whoever turns the pages of this diary will find a store of real-life stories that came to light when members of the group sat down and shared their memories. These are what now unite Modena and the land around it with Argentina, the Congo, Albania, Ghana, Morocco, Colombia, Nigeria, Rumania, Iran, Turkey, the Ukraine. Objects from the museum’s collection, themselves mementoes of the land, provide a touching counterpoint. It is no mere coincidence that the project’s title is taken from a song written in 1940 by Woody Guthrie. In the course of time, the lines of this song have become a musical manifesto for tolerance and social solidarity, going way beyond the context in which they were first written. In the course of time, other verses were also added, and it is likely that others will be added in future. Taking over the baton in a relay of ideals, we in turn add our voice to the chorus, writing another verse with the pages of this diary.

Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology SiCklE made of bronze and dEEr AntlEr, from the terramare, Modena (1550 - 1150 B.C.)

PuMPkin with SwEEt Corn from a burial site in central Peru (5th century)

Folk Museum, Villa Sorra, hArVESting hook (msôra), Modena area, (early 20th century)

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2011lunedì monday

martedìtuesday

mercoledìwednesday

giovedìthursday

venerdìfriday

sabatosaturday

domenicasunday note

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2012

Project giorgio Cervetti ilaria Pulini Cristiana Zanasi Civic Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Modena Marco Coltellacci Association “Casa delle Culture”, Modena Milena Bertacchini gino Satta University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE)

w ithMustafà Altin (Turkey) idris Bakkari (Morocco) wilfred Eke (Nigeria) Cécile kashetu kyenge (Dem. Rep. of the Congo) Anton lesaj (Albania) thomas Mc Carthy (Ghana) germain nzinga (Dem. Rep. of the Congo) iryna Polishchuk (Ukraine) irma romero (Colombia) Mona Seddighi (Iran) nora Sigman (Argentina) Anca totolici (Rumania)

with the collaboration of Adil laamane (Morocco) halyna hevko lidia Polishchuk (Ukraine) Anthony o.Eke gilbert idahosa reginald ihebom Esther nwogwugwu Jeffrey ochiama Francis ogbonna okonkwo (Nigeria)

with the participation of Maurizio Bettelli

direction ilaria Pulini Coordination Cristiana Zanasi realization giorgio Cervetti Cristiana Zanasi Exhibition design Aldina Progetti Fausto Ferri design assistance from Maria Elena righi graphic design Filippo Partesotti partesotti.com translationsPaul henry AngusExhibition panels printed by Eidos Printing nuova grafica interviews and films giorgio Cervetti Andrea Comastri Photographs of participants and museum exhibits Andrea Comastri Paolo terzi Audiovisual plant lorri Media Service Sound technician Claudio Costanzini web sitegiorgio Cervetti with the collaboration of Marketing and CommunicationsOffice, Modena City Council Press officegiulia BondiModena City Council organization and secretarial Camilla Benedetti Maria grazia lucchi Annalisa lusetti Milvia Servadei Mediagroup

thanks for their help to“A. delfini” Civic library “Estense” university library giuseppe Panini Photomuseum Museo della Civiltà Contadina Bastiglia (MO) Museo Cervi Gattatico (RE)

Sincere thanks to gianni and gabriella Zanasi for their warm welcome at Villa Cavazza roksolana Movchan who made the didukh (augural haystack) and Sonia Bonetti from Happyflor for so helpfully supplying materials Eddagni Zineb and Marika Minghetti for demonstrating the use of henna kyenge kikoko tribal chief of Kyenge village (Congo) for the interview he gave kwaw Pentsir and Fussein ibrahim King and spokesman of Gomoa Simbrofo village whoaccepted our invitation to present the prayer from Ghana igwe John okafor-Agilo King of Nimo in the State of Anambra (Nigeria), lead player in the film on the yam festivity nora guthrie and Anna Canoni Woody Guthrie Foundation Paola Varesi Director of the Museo Cervi di Gattatico (RE) for the documentation on the tractor of theCervi Brothers

And also gabriele Beccantini, Francesca and Emmanuele Coltellacci, Francesca guandalini, la lanterna di diogene, Paula Francisca nolff herrera, Alessia Pelillo, Bianca rubino, Enrico Vignali

Cardboard display Structures aldinagozzi.it