It is an oral and written collection of "Life Stories" from those who live or have lived in Sardinia, obtained through formal and informal methods, through the organization of meetings with the population and with the involvement of the Dumas (Department of Humanities and Social Sciences) of the University of Sassari thanks to Dr. Andrea D'Urso.
This collection involves all layers of the population; everyone can contribute. It aims to be a snapshot of how we "feel" the present, an important testimony of intangible culture, a sort of "popular epic" of our island, inserted in the Mediterranean context, democratic, and accessible.
This project aims to have both an anthropological and artistic/literary significance. Through organized gatherings throughout the region, structured with the collaboration of certain public entities such as the University and private entities such as bookstores, cultural associations, and businesses, it seeks to involve the local population in the artistic project and narrative process through participatory procedures. This allows artists and residents to come together, creating symbolic and real cultural connections both within and beyond the island.
The project originates from a collaboration with the French writer Francois Beaune and the Association Histoires Vraies de Méditerranée (HVM https://histoiresvraies.org/fr/), based in Marseille, which advocates for and spreads the project's idea along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, delving into its most complex truths.
The writer has published two books, also translated into Italian by the publishing house Astarte (Pisa), which detail, the first, the Lebanese experience, and the second, the collection of accounts gathered in various countries of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The project will continue for some time, and the collected material will always be available for consultation and continuously updated.
An important part of the project is the writing workshop based on the collection of "True Stories of Sardinia," which will be held at the University of Sassari within the course of French literature taught by Professor Andrea D'Urso and involving students of Dumas. True Stories of Sardinia will contribute to the interdisciplinary research project: DM 737/2021: "The governance of linguistic and cultural heritage for the sustainable development of destinations." Scientific coordinator: Prof. Federico Rotondo, funded by the NextGenerationEU program.
The contributions in question will be included in a university publication. What will be collected, in addition to having value in itself related to the collection and preservation of intangible cultural and identity heritage, will be the subject of various elaborations, including the creation of a podcast, literary walks (curated by M. Luisa Mura) designed as collective moments of perception and narration of the place, which should induce the public to narrate the territory following a sensory experience of sight, emotions, and memory, and a literary publication (curated by F. Beaune).
The idea of creating and advancing this project in Sardinia as well arose, after a discussion with Francois Beaune, from the belief that the need to tell, listen, and share stories is a real and profound human need. By narrating ourselves, something that belongs to us, we grasp something important about collective feelings, about living in this particular historical moment. Because individual and collective are two interconnected dimensions, which intersect and influence each other, and today in particular, there is a great need to understand where we are and where we are going. There is a great need for real and symbolic spaces of conceptual, intellectual, and emotional expression and sharing.
dr.ssa Maria Alessia Sini
