WASTE CRISIS: did you know that Neapolitans are dirty people? That they do not have any attitude for the separate collection? that they are so selfish not to allow us to build new dumps in the area? Do you want to bet that, even this time, the North will be given the unfair burden to sort out the new scandalously astonishing problem of the South? Essentially, it is above all the Southerners’ fault if such bad rumors – and photos – are circulating about Italy, isn’t it? If these thoughts crossed your mind recently, there is no need worry: it is one of the several collateral effects of the usual media-feeding frenzy. Notwithstanding being a highly cloudy situation, still pending clarification, what you might have superficially come to know about is likely to be factious. In fact, at stake is an important and thorny question of silence and policing narratives.

The Nobel Prize for literature Toni Morrison wrote in one of her most famous book Playing in the Dark: ‘Silence from and about the subject was the order of the day. Some of the silences were broken and some maintained by authors who lived with and within the policing narrative. I am interested in the strategies for maintaining the silence and for breaking it.’ Unfortunately, this is even more true for a country, such as Italy, where a sort of great ‘videocracy’ is in force and which has been confirmed to be a ‘partly free” country by the ‘Freedom of the Press 2011 Survey Release’ provided by the international NGO Freedom of the Press.

You may be surprised to learn that the news of the day is that Naples’ “rubbish emergency” – threatening population with a wave of cholera similar to that of 1973 – has suddenly returned.  Thanks to the prompt government intervention, however, it will be solved in a very short time. On another note, it is an incontrovertible fact that in such a “crisis” is anything but unexpected. In fact, since 1994, an integrated waste management has always missed the area. In Campania dump sites are increasingly overflowing. For the last twenty year, heaps of rubbish have started to pile up along the road, with extremely detrimental effects on public health. The result? The smell is unbearable, all windows are closed, and when exasperation hits the limit, untold trash fires erupt, making the dioxin level in the air rocket in a quite disquieting way.

It might seem the distressing scenario of a so-called third world country, yet it is actually the hard reality of a marvelous Italian region like Campania. It has literally been reduced to black fetid powder because of a diabolic connivance of political, industrial and criminal interests, which appear alarmingly determined in keeping the refuse crisis alive. It needs to be pointed out that garbage is always a business, either in the case you create an emergency or you are at pains to smooth things over. Moreover, it shouldn’t be neglected that included in the tons of rubbish invading the insufficient dumps of Campania, there is, above all, industrial waste, which big firms of Northern Italy and parts of Europe quickly and inexpensively disposed off thanks to organized crime.

We decided to discuss these issues with Salvatore C. He was born in Naples in 1984, but soon emigrated to Bologna, where he will graduate in Cinema, television and multimedia productions. Hugely talented and a bit reserved, Salvatore has agreed to share his opinions about Neapolitans, media and refusal crisis in English for the Toonari news public:

In your opinion is there any kernel of truth in the common places (criminality, trash…) circulating about Neapolitans?

Well, it is difficult to reply: of course, they are generalizations and it is very convenient to think that we have such problems because of genetics. But it is absurd. Politics and history have always played a key role. If you read a capital book such as ‘The southern question’ by Gramsci, you will find a lot of answers.

What did that book teach you regarding our topic?

That the northern bourgeois class has subdued the South, reducing it in a real golden colony: despite of this fact, the main ideology tries to make us believe that the Southerners are almost lazy barbarians, maybe because of the hot climate.

According to you, Italy still has forms of communication capable of telling the complex story of your region. How?

Unquestionably television has always been the worst narrator, because of clear reasons dealing with political propaganda. On the contrary, many good books keeps on giving me interesting and honest perspective of the facts, for example Saviano’s ‘Gomorra’. Maybe I could also reply that at the cinema nowadays you can find lots of independent and original movies about the South, such as ‘Passione,’ the recent movie by John Turturro. I found it really really gorgeous: Naples is a city where, in spite of all, people keep on singing: indeed, where singing is the only truthful form of expression.

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The local elections’ second ballot in Italy confirmed the victory of the left-wing coalition in most of the cities and towns called to vote. Since the first round the voters’ trend has been very clear. Many of the strongholds of Silvio Berlusconi and his right-wing party Pdl fell into the hands of the opposition party, embittering strongly the clash between the parties.

The hottest challenges were those of Milan and Naples concluded both at the second ballot with a crushing victory of the Left – Milan 55.1% and Naples 65.4% -. The first is Berlusconi’s home and has been ruled by the Right during the last 20 years, the second was considered as his ” tour de force” in regard of the infinite empty promises he made both during the electoral campaign in 2008 and these 3 years of his government.

Over the last weeks of electoral campaign, fought as a real war with no holds barred, Italians have been witnesses to a set of incredible tricks and events as slanders, fake assaults, electoral posters disparaging and libelous, attempts of votes’ sale, clashes between supporters, tension, and much more.

Berlusconi characterized these elections as a personal struggle against the Left and his supporters. As usual he used unfortunate appellations in referring to his opponents and their supporters, for example, communist, terrorist, extremist, and brainless. He also tried to hit them pushing on subjects as Islam, gypsies, homosexuality, criminality, communism and immorality.

The candidates of his party accused their adversaries during TV shows or through the media of having committed objectionable or criminal acts, of being tied to criminals, Muslims, or Romani groups, inciting indirectly to racism, intolerance, and fanaticism, and also trying to strike terror into people.

This wrong strategy contributed in leading to this heavy defeat. Italians have the will to change and have gotten to a saturation point maybe. The results of these local elections are a clear sign of a need of alternative, a sign of general weariness and of mistrust towards a ruling party and their leaders who has failed on all fronts, and who is very far away from the problems of the country and the people.

The Left celebrates this victory proud of the crushing defeat inflicted to Berlusconi. After a long absence of an actual opposition and of an alternative, the left-wing coalition seems to be gaining ground and to be reconstructing a strong political group with the support of new parties as SEL, Nichi Vendola’s party which many of the new mayors elected belong to, as for example the mayor of Milan Giuliano Pisapia.

In Naples the election of the ex-magistrate Luigi De Magistris has a great symbolic value in reference to the justice theme and the attacks of Berlusconi to magistracy.

The geography of Italy has changed, from North to South a high percentage of local administrations are in the Left’s hands now, but the country is still ruled by Berlusconi and his coalition. He has a strong majority which enables him to operate over important political and economic questions.

In spite of scandals, strong clashes between institutions, laws and personal abuse of power, and conflict of interest over the last 17 years Berlusconi has been elected four times as Prime Minister and has deeply changed Italian politics and the structure of the country. Has he had his day?  It is yet to be seen.

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Naples is an ancient city in Italy, one of the oldest in the world, famous for its history, its beauties, its art and its gastronomical specialities. Born as a Greek colony 2,800 years ago during its all history was the scene of many events that left their mark , characterizing the Italian history playing an important role in promoting the unification of the country and the Italian culture spread all over the world.

The beautiful gulf, the view of the volcano Vesuvius, the architectural and artistic treasures are the characteristics that make Naples the wonderful city that Italians know and foreigners dream.

Its historical center, which is the largest of Europe, has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995 thanks to its immense artistic and cultural value.

Nowadays all these beauties are in a real grip of garbage. The latest news reported that currently almost 2,000 tons of garbage lie on the streets of the city.

Residents say the smell is unbearable. In many cases it is even difficult for them going out from their houses because the waste bags are left outside the doors and sometime the piles reach the windows of buildings first floors.

A situation almost unimaginable in a big city of a Western European country, but that for Naples residents is the sad and not new reality.

In fact the garbage issue is a recurring issue for Naples. Since the middle of 1990 the city and its surroundings have suffered from waste management problems. The incapacity of the local administration and the infiltration of the Camorra – the local mafia organization that import waste from all over Europe – in the municipal garbage disposal business have led to the strong crisis which broke out in 2008, and still weigh heavily on this area.

The solution of the crisis promised by the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi since starting his mandate – that was also the point on which he built up his electoral campaign – didn’t solve the problem.

The center of the city and some other area were cleaned, but this situation of apparent calm lasted just for a while. In 2010 the government proposed to open new landfills in the region to face the problem – for example inside the Vesuvius National Park – but in the residents of the designed areas tried to block this action.

Cashes with the police, garbage trucks blocked by people stuck in the middle of the streets, rubbish skip committed to the flames, real scenes of urban guerrilla warfare that made Naples famous all over the world not for its beauties but for its garbage.

Until now all the government’s measures turned out totally useless and definitely not appropriate, and the emergency goes on.

Meanwhile the worries about the population’s health rise. Leukemia, throat cancer, and respiratory illnesses rates are higher day after day due to air and water pollution. A very high price to pay for the residents which watch with impotence the decay of their city and risk to compromise their state of health.

There is still a possibility for Naples to be free from the garbage and to be famous just for its beauties again?

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