After the opening event with the activity of itinerant painting on Friday morning, accompanied by the exuberant group of children from the “Cidade mãe” Foundation, the opening of the library continued during the afternoon of Friday the 30th and all day Saturday the 31st of July. As planned, Friday’s events were numerous and meaningful:
– the exposition, in the rooms of the Institute, of the works of the great Leonardo da Vinci. About 50 reproductions were shown: the designs for the famous machines of Da Vinci, his studies of human and animal anatomy and his most famous paintings, from the Mona Lisa to the Last Supper to the series of Madonnas, etc. At the same time, three video screens projected three different documentaries on the life of Leonardo, accompanied by appropriate musical backgrounds.
– a presentation by the Little Theater Company of the ICBIE (Meg, Paulo, Romario, Josemar, Camilla, Jade): a recital consisting of the declamation of six Brazilian poems.
– the solemn ceremony for the inauguration, with ICBIE president Pietro Gallina, the librarians Ana Paula dos Anjos and Gislene Dias, the representative from the Foundation of Museums Ana Coelho, the Italian Consul Giovanni Pisano, the under secretary of culture from the city of Salvador Eleiezer Cruiz. Pietro told the story of the Library, of how the books arrived in Salvador, the choice of the name of the library and his desire to make this scholastic and multimedia resource available to the community, to incite people to read and to spread culture. It was a big success, with many old and new friends and supporters of the ICBIE present.
– prizes were awarded for the four best drawings on the theme of Leonardo (the prizes were obviously books)
– a recitation of some significant articles of the Brazilian Constitution, by the Little Theater Company of the ICBIE.
As a salutation and an invitation for the next day’s appointments, a fine cocktail was offered, complete with snacks and good wine!
Saturday was just as busy:
– during the morning, a street painting on the theme of Leonardo and an invitation to reading was painted on a wall nearby the the institute: a great way to communicate the library’s opening. Working on the wall were: Julio, Bigode, Sank and ….
Following that, an original exhibition of hapkido on the theme of an invitation to reading, again a performance by the Little Theater Company of the ICBIE, and the long awaited raffle of books of the basic basket of books (like the basic basket of food that is distributed to the poor, but here, food for the mind), and then a performance by the Palafitas Band, an interesting presentation of the book Novos Algados by José Eduardo Ferreira Santos with the presence of Gino Tapparelli (professor of sociology at the UFBA), Ana Cecilia de Sousa Bastos, professor at the UFBA, Father Joâo Carlos Petrini and the moving testimony of Dona Tiburcia, one of the first residents of the favela Novos Alagados, constructed on stilts in the outlying Suburbio Ferroviario of Salvador. As a culmination to the book’s presentation, a showing of pictures of the area by the Italian photographer Marco Illuminati.
And finally, for the indomitable, a projection of the film Fahrenheit 451.
A big hand once again for the whole ICBIE team, for Pietro’s artistic direction and above all, with the hopes that our Library can finally be assiduously frequented by a vast public. Among the other activities that are planned, there is now the effort of realize activities in collaboration with the schools of the Itapagipe peninsula and with the universities, especially where music, art and cinematography are studied.
Special thanks go to those who, from the beginning of this year, have assiduously carried forward and finally concluded the big job of cataloging and organizing the library: Amanda Estrela, Erivã Barbosa, Caterina Chiossi, Lìva Rocha, Rosângela Gomes and Gleice Boaventura.
