Twin shores on the Strait. Shaping new connections between Santa Teresa Gallura and Bonifacio

ongoing

The proposal aims to develop a twinning project between the municipalities of Santa Teresa Gallura, Italy, and Bonifacio, France. The two towns are just 9 nautical miles apart, separated by the Strait of Bonifacio, which moreover traces a national border: the one between Italy and France. The administrative division is counterbalanced by deep-rooted relations and a common cultural and linguistic substratum, as well as geographical and morphological characteristics (both cities are in fact located on two islands). At present, the two cities are connected by a daily ferry service; moreover some meetings have been carried out over the past years, in particular about cultural aspects and the promotion of typical local products, even if this partnership has never been formally established. Nevertheless, on August 12th, 2024, a ‘Friendship Pact’ was signed by the respective mayors as a precursor to a future twinning pact. Through a series of public events, including workshops, the intertwining of the local and insular dimension that characterises the two cities and European citizenship in a globalised context will be discussed. In this perspective, linguistic identity and the space for literary creation in minor languages will be at the centre of the activities carried out. Relying on the organisational skills of the two municipalities and the participation of a number of local associations, it will be possible to reelaborate the epistemological perspective around the concept of ‘European citizenship’ in order to question the insular and maritime border, the relations existing between the two communities, and above all insularity and minority as forms of life and positioning in the broader European and global context.