Giovanni Oliva, General Secretary of Fondazione Matera-Basilicata 2019 talks about the collaboration between Bahrain and Italy during the year of Celebration of Matera as European Capital of Culture 2019.

A delegation from the Italian city of Matera was welcomed to Bahrain, in conjunction with celebrations on the awarding of the historic city as the 2019 European Capital of Culture in Italy under the banner slogan, “Open Future”. Highlights of the celebration include a full programme of cultural and historical original events and exhibitions for the general public. Matera, located in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata, is a historic Italian city registered in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1993 and maintains historical relations with all cultures, particularly the Arab cultures and civilizations. The Matera delegation, composed of the Foundation ENI Enrico Mattei as Lead Partner; Foundation Matera-Basilicata 2019, University of Basilicata UNIBAS and the Municipality of Tursi working in collaboration with local officials including HE Domenico Bellato, Italian Ambassador in the Kingdom of Bahrain; H.E. Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain International Federation of Business & Professional Women (BPW); and Dr. Hashim Hussein, Head of the UNIDO Investment & Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO – ITPO) Bahrain and Director of the Arab International Center for Entrepreneurship & Investment (AICEI) Bahrain.

A special event was organized under the patronage of H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa; Minister of Foreign Affairs, themed “From Manama to Matera” at Al Andalus Garden in collaboration with the BPW and UNIDOITPO Bahrain that included a photo exhibition, conference, art event, as well as food tastings. The delegation’s itinerary included a number of meetings on the means of promoting cooperation between Matera and Bahrain in various areas, such as developing joint investments towards boosting investment and creativity. The meetings and activities shed light on the ongoing efforts of the Authority in strengthening the cultural relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Italian Republic. In turn, the delegation presented H.E. Shaikha Mai with an official invitation to attend the Closing Ceremony of Matera as the “European Capital of Culture 2019” in December. During one of the sidelines of the delegation’s
itinerary, BEntrepreneur sat down with Giovanni Oliva, General Secretary of Fondazione Basilicata 2019 to talk about Matera as the European Capital of Culture 2019.

1. European Capital of Culture: Can you tell us more about Matera being the European Capital of Culture for 2019 and what are the most creative projects being done there?

Matera was awarded by the European Commission as the European Capital of Culture in 2014. The historic city was singled out from amongst a host of famous towns in Italy: Venice, Ravenna, L’Aquila, Palermo, Perugia, Pisa, Siena, Siracusa and Lecce .

The event provided Italy with a window to the world, which reinforces the event theme ‘Open Future’, a platform to promote successful technologies and business models for the benefit of developing countries and at the same time utilize a medium that mirrors the distinct characteristics of local culture and traditions, including their inherent capabilities towards creativity and innovation.

‘Open Future’ conveys Italy’s welcome gesture to all the people of the world, an openness that embraces diversity and differences among people from all walks of life, whether young or old… rich or poor. Our culture has reached a fullness of form, and we want to seize every opportunity to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of our heritage, such as through education, towards the goal of becoming a better person, living a better life and achieving a better world.

2. Creativity and Innovation: What are the ties between Creativity and Innovation and how does one inform the other?

Italy’s cultural history and its rich glorious past has created a profound influence on global artistic movements throughout history. One of our most important missions is to promote the vital link between the past and the future. It is through the past, that we can move on to a better future. One of the most crucial links between the past and the future is technology, which explains why we have many projects related to models of the future. In this regard, we collaborate with future and tech-oriented companies such as Silicon Valley, NASA, and so on.

3. Challenges: What are the challenges that Creative Entrepreneurs face and how can they overcome such challenges?

The best challenge for us is to create a community wherein every entrepreneur, regardless of the place where they come from, can enjoy equal opportunities in our country. This is the level of ‘openness’ which we want to achieve. The relationship between Italy and Bahrain is confronted by this challenge. Centuries of Arab rule brought Islamic arts and sciences to Italy. Arab influence on Italian art and architecture opened crossroads which had been absorbed and indelibly engraved in Italian culture. We want to connect to this Arabian history. We want to forge a relationship with the Arab people. Through culture we can achieve this goal.On September 2019, when the delegation from Bahrain comes to Italy, we will showcase our capabilities along this mission through a full lineup of activities. We want to build on this potential between Arabian and European people and create a venue wherein they can congregate and discuss future possibilities.
The effort must be mutual and both parties from the Arab and European region must exert generous efforts to pursue this initiative. Collaborating on this internalization project on behalf of Matera-Basilicata Foundation is me as General Secretary, Concetta Sarlo my Assistant and Daniela Talamo who is in charge of International and European Affairs.

4. Tips: What advice can you give to creative entrepreneurs?

Explore business in Matera, where we continue to create new opportunities, competencies and prospects for growth of creative entrepreneurs. We provide entrepreneurs with necessary information, personalized advice and assistance across various economic activities or services and throughout all the phases of a company’s lifecycle. Matera is continuously strengthening its cultural infrastructure, adopting modernization, upgrading and regenerating the urban environment in order to contribute to the convenient flow of business and contribute towards improving people’s lives. There is a bright hope of an entrepreneurial future in Matera.

5. Bahrain: How do you find Bahrain and would Matera be doing projects here?

Bahrain has a distinct character from all other countries in the Arabian region. We have differences but we too have many similarities. We feel at home in Bahrain. The people here are more open and friendly. The degree of openness bridges communication gaps and cultural boundaries. We can converse and understand each other easily, and so it’s easy to promote constructive cooperation between each other. Matera has a strong desire to undertake future projects in Bahrain and contribute further towards enhancing relations between both countries, in terms of promoting culture and investment among craftsmen and cultural entrepreneurs in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Italian city of Matera.

For more information:
www.matera-basilicata2019.it