Fribourg will speak three languages during USI Settimana della Svizzera italiana

After Canton Jura, the project "+ identità: Settimana della Svizzera italiana" makes a final stop for the year 2018 in Fribourg, a bi-lingual Canton with a strong Italian-speaking influence, particularly sensitive to multilingualism issues. From April 23 to the 27 Fribourg will speak three languages. Italian will take mainstage in a rich programme involving all five High Schools of the Canton at the discovery of Southern Switzerland: a journey through the Italian language, music, architecture, and literature.

Supported by the Federal Office of Culture and by the Canton of Fribourg, the “Settimana della Svizzera italiana” involves all Canton High Schools (Collège St-Michel, Collège de Gambach, Collège Ste-Croix, Collège du Sud and Gymnase intercantonal de la Broye), and partners such as the Locarno Cantonal High School, and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the Canton of Ticino.

The opening ceremony will be held in the presence of USI Rector Boas Erez on April 23 at the Collège St-Michel. On that occasion, Vice President of Fribourg State Council Jean-Pierre Siggen will symbolically donate to the Canton of Ticino (represented by the Head of Junior and High School Education Daniele Sartori) an original song to celebrate the presence of the Swiss Italian-speaking region in Fribourg (music by maestro Ivo Antognini and lyrics by prof. Alessandro Martini).

The week will cover a wide range of events: the junior student parliament in the presence of the President of the National Council Dominique de Buman which will discuss how to promote Italian in Switzerland, literary encounters, and conferences with artists and professionals from Southern Switzerland that will be held in Italian, French, and German.

Throughout the week it will be possible to taste typical food from the Swiss Italian-speaking region in the school’s cafeterias, visit an interactive exhibition with works dedicated to Mario Botta and sculptor Alberto Giacometti, and listen to actress Augusta Balla narrate tales from the Grison area researched and translated by students of Collège du Sud.

The Swiss Italian-speaking region from radio to screen: a multimedia journey

The radio programme on stereotypes between Northern and Southern Switzerland produced by students from the Collège de Gambach in cooperation with Radio Gambach is available at this link: https://radiogambach.com/.

To prepare for the event, a group of High School students visited different locations in Southern Switzerland and shot two brief videos in cooperation with JFC production house and the CISA (College for Higher Education in Filmaking). Another class created a multimedia blog to log their journey to the discovery of the architecture of Southern Ticino. (www.scoprirelarchitetturaticinese.wordpress.com)

Student exchange: from Locarno to Fribourg

A student exchange was organised by the Canton of Ticino Department of Education, Culture and Sports in cooperation with Movetia. The classes involved put together several presentations in Italian, French and German of their experience, which will be shown throughout the week.  

A new series of conferences with writers from Southern Switzerland 

As follow up, the Institute of Italian studies will launch a new series of public conferences "Un libro per la vita: Incontro con l'autore" featuring authors from the Swiss Italian-speaking region. The first lecture will see poet and critic Massimo Gezzi discourse with prof. Stefano Prandi, Director of the Institute of Italian studies. The author lives and works in Lugano and wrote several poetry collections: Il mare a destra (2004), L'attimo dopo (2009), Il numero dei vivi (2015, vincitore del Premio svizzero di letteratura) and his latest work Uno, the story of Giovanni Antonelli, poet, published by Casagrande in 2016.

The encounter will be held on Thursday, May 3 at 5pm in room A11 at Università della Svizzera italiana.

The brochure “Settimana della Svizzera italiana” in French and German, with the detailed programme is available at:
https://www.usi.ch/it/8a-settimana-della-svizzera-italiana-nel-canton-friburgo.