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Ivano Spano: “We should stop believing that others have to be like us”

The intercultural forum in Troina has studied and exemplified the processes whereby clashes between cultures can be replaced by a respectful dialogue, the Italian psychoanalyst Ivano Spano concludes from this encounter.

Interview (17.11.2004)

Question: The Troina forum has presented numerous initiatives and actions designed to further intercultural dialogue in Europe and worldwide. At its closure, do you go away fairly reassured or fairly anxious about the future of this dialogue?

Ivano Spano: Through its workshops and contributions, the Forum has shown the role that culture is capable of performing in order to restore dialogue and social cohesion. During it we saw many projects by young people from different groups and cultures but united by similar goals such as commitment to peace, combating exclusion, and music or the arts. These examples remind us that respect for each person’s identity by no means threatens the existence of others: in this way, the Forum proves that a “culture of otherness” can unite Europeans. But this culture is the outcome of a process at once societal and individual. Respect for otherness also permits resistance to all types of fundamentalism, including the desire that others should be like ourselves.

Question: How can what “works” in a forum like this be turned into a reality all over Europe?

Ivano Spano: Groups of artists and cultural associations operate primarily at the local level, under their own arrangements and I consider this self-reliance more effective than activities imposed by centralised institutions. The vitality of local cultural actions allows a stand to be made against ghetto mentalities and communitarian agendas. Thanks to the variety of its cultures, Europe can become the paradigm for a global society open to all viewpoints. Europe’s structures, which are federal and not centralised, are furthermore well fitted to make intercultural dialogue materialise on its own soil and in the world at large.

Question: You yourself are running an intercultural project in Troina, built around a hospital: what lessons have you learned from this experience?

Ivano Spano: The association “Oasi” (Oasis) brings together a hospital catering for persons in difficulty or suffering from mental disorders, a training centre in agricultural and forestry practice, and a publishing firm. We operate under our own management, and our local work illustrates the role of culture and education in assisting the underprivileged. In addition, “Oasi” is open to the outside world and manages identical projects in African and Brazilian villages.