The Italian Embassy in Latvia has, since August of this year, partnered with a number of cultural institutions and festivals in Latvia to organise a series of exciting events at which young people from Latvia and Italy can converse with one another so as to determine shared interests and to explore each other’s cultural diversity. The Caffé Young Italy project will continue until December, with ten different events in all.
Among them are events which involve representatives and professionals from the creative industries in both countries who are active in their fields. The embassy says that the hope is that young people from both countries will find a place and opportunity to discuss challenges and opportunities which they share in their professional life regardless of their different backgrounds. The project involves ten public talks involving young Italian artists and professionals, as well as their counterparts in Latvia who are active in the same areas.
“Young people are not just the heirs of a wealth of traditions,” says Alessandro Monti, Italy’s ambassador to Latvia. “They are also true protagonists of contemporary culture. The Caffé Young Italy events are aimed to share links between young people in both countries so as to create foundations for new forms of collaboration between them.”
The first two Caffé Young Italy events have already taken place. On August 31, in partnership with the Homo Novus international new theatre festival, a conversation was organised on the performing arts. Latvia was represented by Artūrs Čukurs, Beāte Poikāne and Katrīna Dūka from the world of theatre in Latvia, as well as the dancers Agata and Teodora Castellucci from Italy’s Dewey Dell collective. In the days before the conversation, Dewey Dell offered two sold-out performances of its “Le Sacre du Printemps” show at the Hanzas Perons hall. Just before the conversation, they appeared on stage with a performance titled “I’ll do, “I’ll do, I’ll do.”
On September 6, the Latvian Contemporary Art Centre sponsored a discussion involving the Italian-Tunisian artist Monia Ben Hamouda and the Latvian artist Līga Spunde as part of the international Survival Kit festival. The discussion was moderated by the artistic director of Survival Kit, Jussi Koitela. Two artworks by Ben Hamouda were presented at the festival’s central exhibition, “Measurements.”
Each conversation is held in English and lasts for about 40 minutes. Afterward, audience members are welcome to enjoy a cup of coffee or an aperitif. For the first two events, coffee was provided by the Lavazza company in Italy.
The project is supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation as part of an initiative, “Capitals of Italian Creativity Abroad/Festival of Italy.”
The next three events in October will focus on information, literature and fashion. On October 16, as part of the “Rīga Conference,” there will be a discussion about information featuring Silvia Boccardi from Italy and Tomass Pildegovičs from Latvia. A literature-themed session will be held on October 18 at the Tabakas Fabrika outlet of the Latvian Academy of Culture. Appearing on stage will be the young Latvian writer Gusts Ābele and the Italian author and screenwriter Alice Urciuolo. On October 30, as part of Rīga Fashion Week, Caffé Young Italy will offer a conversation between Italian fashion designer Matteo Augello and Latvian designer Laima Jurča at the Latvian Academy of Art.
The full programme of Caffé Young Italy can be found at caffeyoungitaly.it and on Instagram (@caffeyoungitaly). Information is also found on the homepage and social media presence of the Italian Embassy in Latvia. All of these events are free of charge, but advance registration is required at caffeyoungitaly.it.