La Biblioteca Fantastica

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Six art and culture personalities – coming from the mother countries of the six largest communities of immigrants in Sardinia – collaborated with middle school kids from six small towns in the Sulcis region (South-West of Sardinia) to help them re-imagine their local libraries.

The project began with a series of focus groups where the artists initially surveyed the children’s needs and desires, which formed the basis of the project.

Marcos Lora Read from the Dominican Republic, Yassine Balbzioui from Morocco, Kilap Gueye and Pape Thiam from Senegal, André Raatsch from Hungary, Daniella Isamit Morales from Venezuela, then worked directly with the children of the towns of Masainas, Villaperuccio, Santadi, Piscinas, Giba and Perdaxius, in their respective libraries during 24 workshops, which started in November 2012 and ended in February 2013.

Their work resulted in the production of four short movies, which were subsequently shown in different parts of the Sulcis on different occasions.

‘La Biblioteca Fantastica’ [The Fantastic Library] was the winner of the ‘2011 Library and Social Cohesion’ competition and was realized with the financial support of Fondazione Vodafone Italia and Fondazione CON IL SUD. Its aim was to promote and improve the role of libraries as sites of encounters and as instruments of social inclusion and cohesion.