39 images Created 21 Apr 2017
La Murga in Italy
Amid the serious economic and political upheavals gripping Europe, a great number of social movements have emerged, particularly in Southern Europe from Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy. ‘La Murga’ has began just in this spirit as a social radical movement, born from the dis-affectation of local youths in a town in South of Italy, Battipaglia, on the outskirts of the Triangle of Death, the largest illegal waste dumb in Europe and so called for the large number of cancer related deaths, an area ridden with social and economic problems.
Inspired by the Argentinian Carnival dance, la Murga speaks of freedom from oppression rooted in the only day when slaves were permitted to joke about their bosses and to dance and play music. It is about taking control of the street from corruption, injustice, marginalisation with a positive fun like approach. “From the outside people just see the clowns and the street performances. People come out, laugh and join us. Some children are teenagers now. They have grown with La Murga. We don’t talk about politics but we do politics. We defend human rights and we bring attention to local and international injustices”. The group rehearse their dance and music in targeted inner cities areas struggling with poverty, crimes and high unemployment. In this way, they hope to bring to the attention the issues that those areas face as well as invite the unprivileged to join. “Some children have not had any music lessons in their lives due to the lack of resources in their schools. In very deprived areas some don’t even go to school”. The principle is an economy based on sharing skills, without money. The social centres such as ‘Il Giardino Liberato’ in Naples is an example of this, where different people offer their skills to the community without money involved. It is a commitment to a self-organised struggle as the city under the major Luigi Magistris has taken the direct role in national movements of student protests, anti-was marches, anti-austerity and for general strikes. Pivotal in the idea that young people active in the social centres are less likely to fall in the hands of local organised criminal groups, the city has had almost a blank paper on the occupation of unused spaces. It has become a lifestyle built on unity as a strength, political activism which sees La Murga taking a central part. “We fight for the environment. We go out together and bring attention with our colourful clothes and music.” La Murga has also been very active in the message of embracing multiculturalism by going to refugee centres to invite refugee and asylum seekers to join them. “Many organisations speak about integration but they don’t do much practically. I think we have achieved a lot more by inviting refugees and asylum seekers to play with us. They have become friends.”
Inspired by the Argentinian Carnival dance, la Murga speaks of freedom from oppression rooted in the only day when slaves were permitted to joke about their bosses and to dance and play music. It is about taking control of the street from corruption, injustice, marginalisation with a positive fun like approach. “From the outside people just see the clowns and the street performances. People come out, laugh and join us. Some children are teenagers now. They have grown with La Murga. We don’t talk about politics but we do politics. We defend human rights and we bring attention to local and international injustices”. The group rehearse their dance and music in targeted inner cities areas struggling with poverty, crimes and high unemployment. In this way, they hope to bring to the attention the issues that those areas face as well as invite the unprivileged to join. “Some children have not had any music lessons in their lives due to the lack of resources in their schools. In very deprived areas some don’t even go to school”. The principle is an economy based on sharing skills, without money. The social centres such as ‘Il Giardino Liberato’ in Naples is an example of this, where different people offer their skills to the community without money involved. It is a commitment to a self-organised struggle as the city under the major Luigi Magistris has taken the direct role in national movements of student protests, anti-was marches, anti-austerity and for general strikes. Pivotal in the idea that young people active in the social centres are less likely to fall in the hands of local organised criminal groups, the city has had almost a blank paper on the occupation of unused spaces. It has become a lifestyle built on unity as a strength, political activism which sees La Murga taking a central part. “We fight for the environment. We go out together and bring attention with our colourful clothes and music.” La Murga has also been very active in the message of embracing multiculturalism by going to refugee centres to invite refugee and asylum seekers to join them. “Many organisations speak about integration but they don’t do much practically. I think we have achieved a lot more by inviting refugees and asylum seekers to play with us. They have become friends.”
