L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano A conversation with IIC Director Valeria Rumori Valeria Rumori took office as n e w d i r e c t o r o f t h e I t a l i a n Cultural Institute of Los Angeles a few months ago. With a strong determination to build upon the l e g a c y o f h e r p r e d e c e s s o r A l b e r t o D i M a u r o a n d h i s d e p u t i e s M a s s i m o S a r t i a n d Michela Magrì, she has firmly grabbed the reins of many events yet and is constantly working to include more interesting initia- tives in her program. On the occasion of our first meeting, she kindly addressed the newspaper with words of a p p r e c i a t i o n : " R e t u r n i n g t o California after 6 years, I was v e r y g l a d t o f i n d L ' I t a l o - Americano still alive and kick- ing. I used to collaborate with the newspaper during my previ- ous mandate at the IIC of San Francisco, and I consider it as a benchmark in terms of constancy and professionalism. While simi- lar initiatives elsewhere have failed, its work to preserve the I t a l i a n c u l t u r e a n d l a n g u a g e remains unchanged and praise- worthy." Dr. Rumori, can you please tell us more about your experi- ence with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before com- ing to L.A.? California is like home to me. My first mandate abroad with the Italian Government was at the IIC of San Francisco from 2003 to 2009, in the very heart of the Silicon Valley, where m a n y b r i l l i a n t I t a l i a n m i n d s w o r k . T h e l o c a l I I C u s e d t o cooperate with universities the likes of Berkeley and Stanford on a lot of interesting projects, relating not only to science and technology but also to cinema, art, and other fields of the Italian culture. Compared to San Francisco, Los Angeles looks very differ- ent. Despite a strong multicultur- al flair, in my opinion, it is more vibrant in terms of academic and cultural opportunities. Of course, the strategic position of the IIC almost inside the UCLA campus represents a great asset, creating a natural connection with the University and its activities. The interest for the Italian culture is deep and genuine, as I can tell from the numerous offers of col- laboration received during these first few months, and I'm very pleased to be here, helping pro- mote the Italian culture in a country that I'm familiar with and sincerely appreciate. After San Francisco, I was entrusted the direction of the IIC of Marseille, in southern France. The Italian community there is mainly made up of second-gen- eration immigrants, who don't speak the language and wish to reconnect with their parents' ori- gins. I worked closely with the local Consulate and Chamber of Commerce, but also with the M i g r a t i o n M u s e u m a n d t h e bilingual magazine Radici, an original project developed by R o c c o F e m i a . T o g e t h e r , w e o r g a n i z e d a c u l t u r a l t o u r o f southern France dedicated to the history of Italian immigration, including a stage show. The pro- motion of the Italian language has always been a central goal in my job. While working at the M i n i s t r y ' s h e a d q u a r t e r s i n Rome, I focused on the interna- tionalization of the Italian uni- versity for it to attract more for- eign students, mainly from the U.S., by adapting the AP to the American high school programs. I was also involved in the selec- tion of candidate students and p r o f e s s o r s f o r t h e F u l b r i g h t Commission. A s y o u c e r t a i n l y k n o w , s o m e I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l Institutes both in Europe and the U.S. have been recently closed, due to budget cuts. Do you think it makes sense to maintain these Institutions in the framework of a global and easier access to cultural infor- m a t i o n a n d , i n p a r t i c u l a r , within the European Union? T h e M a r s e i l l e e x p e r i e n c e THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 4 SILVIA SIMONETTI proved to me that the IIC still has a significant impact even in Europe. Besides offering classes of Italian language and culture, creating connections and arous- ing interest towards Italy both at a cultural and commercial level, the IIC becomes the main refer- ence point in countries where the Italian Trade Agency and T o u r i s m B o a r d d o n ' t h a v e office. In addition, compared with school programs, the great- est potential of the IIC is its ability to show contemporary Italy that most people don't know, for example now on the occasion of Expo Milan 2015. I understand the need to strength- e n o u r c u l t u r a l p r e s e n c e i n emerging markets, but I don't think we should lose it in the closer ones either. So in the U.S., and particu- larly in Los Angeles, what is the best strategy to promote the Italian language and cul- ture? Certainly, we can rely on the fame of Italian classics, from Dante Alighieri - whose 750th anniversary will be soon cele- brated - to the Renaissance, but equally important is to display different aspects of contempo- rary Italy, from art to literature, cinema, and even less explored sectors. The mission of the IIC is to promote these through cultur- al events that the public couldn't find elsewhere, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce, the Consulate, and other Italian institutions, as well as with local organizations. For example, ISS- NAF can become a strategic partner in science and technolo- gy, which aren't yet as strong in L . A . a s t h e y a r e i n S a n Francisco. It takes time to visit all the venues and speak to all the interlocutors, but I can really see a huge potential. S h o u l d t h e I I C r e g u l a r s expect any radical change or will you follow in your prede- cessors' footsteps? And what is y o u r p l a n t o e n g a g e t h e younger generations more? The activities carried out by the IIC of L.A. over the last few years have been appreciated and supported by many guests and friends. Therefore, my intention is to continue in the same direc- tion, trying to identify the areas w h e r e t h e r e ' s s t i l l r o o m f o r improvement. A vast metropolis like Los Angeles and its jurisdic- tion make it quite difficult for the reduced IIC staff to manage all events going on, but we do our best thanks to a very good reputation and growing network. As far as the young genera- tions are concerned, I'd like to develop new initiatives in col- laboration with schools and uni- versities, such as book clubs or lectures on the Italian diet relat- ing to Expo Milan 2015, in order to establish contacts with poten- t i a l l o c a l u s e r s w h o a r e n o t familiar with Italy yet. We need to enter the academic world and reach our future audience. If I may ask you a personal question, which is the aspect of the Italian culture that you love the most? I'd say, cinema, and not only because of Los Angeles. In other c i t i e s a s w e l l , c i n e m a i s a n incredible force of attraction and we must capitalize on it. Valeria Rumori, director of the Italian Cultural Institute T he ar ticle L 'Italo- Americano Annual Fundraising Gala celebrated Valentine's Day in the 02/12 edition was authored by Valerio Viale ERRATUM

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