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TRANSLATING PORTUGUESE-WRITING AFRICA INTO
ITALIAN: SKETCHING A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
T aduciendo Á ica del po ugués al i aliano: esbozando un ambien e hos il
Ma co BUCAIONI
School o A s and Humani ies/CLEPUL/Uni e si y o Lisbon
[email protected]
ABSTRACT: The I alian li e a y space has p o ed o be e y cu ious abou ansla ing and publishing wo ks om Po -
uguese-W i ing A ica, wi h he highes numbe o ansla ions among he a ious wes e n language-a eas. Howe e , i s
s uc u e – wi h a deep in e connec ion be ween schola s/ ansla o s and small p esses in he ield o Po uguese – and he
conse a i eness o he public and o ce ain academic sec o s cas doub s on he ac ual each o hese publica ions. The
I alian ecep ion o Pos colonial S udies is peculia : many sou ces e e a delay, a agmen a ion and e en open hos ili y o
i s pene a ion in o he I alian cul u al ield. The bulk o I alianis s in I aly exp ess hei ea s abou pe cei ed h ea s agains
he I alian li e a y canon.
Keywo ds: A ican li e a u es; ansla ion; I alian language; li e a y canon; pos colonialism
1. WHAT HAS BEEN DONE: THE ITALIAN TRANSLATIONS FROM PORTUGUESE-WRITING AFRICA
The publishing sys em in I alian language has p o en o be he mos ecep i e o he A ican li e a y
p oduc ion o iginally w i en in Po uguese, wi h 89 published ansla ions. Figu es o published ans-
la ions om he same li e a y space in o F ench numbe 68, in o Spanish 52, in o English 38 and in o
Ge man 30. These ansla ions a e empo ally dis ibu ed in his way: 1960s: 5; 1970s: 0; 1980s: 2; 1990s:
10; 2000s: 35; 2010s: 38. The i e ansla ions o he1960s we e clea ly published ollowing he in e es
ha he s uggle o independence o he A ican Po uguese colonies had awoken in he I alian le -
wing cul u e: he e y ansla o o wo o hem (Joyce Lussu) was he sel a pa isan who had ough
agains he Fascis egime in I aly. A e his decade, he e was a silence s e ching o mo e han 20
yea s. I is jus a he end o he 1980s ha new ansla ions appea : Pepe ela's La i ol a della casa degli
idoli, by Bulzoni b eaks his silence. In he ollowing yea s new i les we e published, bo h by au ho s
linked o he an i-colonial s uggle (Luandino Viei a, Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa and José C a ei inha) and
by younge au ho s, such as Mia Cou o o José Edua do Agualusa, ma king a shi o in e es by he
I alian publishing sys em o mo e con empo a y ins ances. A he end o he 1990s, he s eady and
con inuous in e es showed bo h by ce ain publishing houses (Edizioni La o o in Rome and
AIEP/Gua aldi in San Ma ino/Rimini) and by some ansla o s (Vincenzo Ba ca and Li ia Apa)
demons a es how a pa o he I alian agen s o ansla ion and publica ion had begun paying mo e
a en ion o his speci ic ield o li e a y p oduc ion. Two ac s a e ema kable in he decade o 2000s:
he p esence o Po ugal a he Salone del Lib o in Tu in in 2006, and he beginning o wo p esses
specialized pa ially o o ally in ansla ion om Po uguese: La Nuo a F on ie a and Ca allo di Fe o,
bo h in Rome. The i s ac is o be no ed because he Po uguese public agen s in cha ge o he dis-
semina ion o he na ional language and li e a u e ab oad (Ins i u o Camões, and DGLB, Minis y o
Cul u e) included A ican au ho s alongside Po uguese ones bo h in he suppo p og amme o ans-
la ion and in he unding o au ho s' mobili y, gua an eeing he physical p esence o Mia Cou o,
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Agualusa and Paulina Chiziane in Tu in. T ansla ions om Po uguese-W i ing A ica in o I alian
peaked a ound 2006 (4 i les published in 2005, 9 in 2006 and 5 in 2007). This shows how impo an is
he ole played by public pa onage agen s in he ci cula ion o ansla ed li e a u e and he ele an ole
s ill played by he old colonial powe in he ci cula ion o he A ican li e a y p oduc ion. The publishing
house La Nuo a F on ie a, ounded in 1999, began a e y close collabo a ion wi h he Lusi anis Gio -
gio De Ma chis in 2003, which c ea ed he i s case in which an academician om he a ea o Lusi-
anis ics di ec ed a book se ies dedica ed almos exclusi ely o he A ican p oduc ion. La Nuo a F on-
ie a published 12 i les om A ica be ween 2003 and 2015, among which 4 i les by Agualusa, 3 by
Paulina Chiziane and o he i les by Ge mano Almeida and Manuel Rui. Ca allo di Fe o, ounded in
2004 wi h he mission o ansla ing and publishing exclusi ely Po uguese-W i en li e a u e, was he
i s example o such a specialized p ess in I aly, ollowing a pa e n ha was al eady consolida ed o
o he language a eas. The only i le his p ess published om A ica was L'isola an as ica by Ge mano
Almeida in 2006. The 2010s con i m he con inuing in e es he I alian publishing sys em has shown.
In his decade, he connec ion be ween academia, ansla ion and publishing deepens: in 2009 I ounded
Edizioni dell'U ogallo, a publishing house o ally dedica ed o he ansla ion o li e a y wo ks om he
Po uguese, wi h a special a en ion o he A ican and pos colonial p oduc ion, c ys allized in he book
se ies U ogallo. F on ie e pe du e, hos ing exclusi ely i les om A ica and Eas Timo . Wi h 20 i les
published (18 o hem om A ica) a he end o 2018, his book se ies is he la ges publishing space
dedica ed o hese li e a u es ou side he Po uguese-Speaking a ea. In his se ies, 5 i les by Agualusa,
3 by João Melo, 3 by João Paulo Bo ges Coelho, 2 by Ana Paula Ta a es, 1 each by A ménio Viei a,
Paulina Chiziane, Mia Cou o, Abdulai Sila and Ge mano Almeida we e published. The in ol emen o
younge Lusi anis s in he ield o ansla ing and publishing is con i med as a endency by he ac ha
wo mo e small p esses we e ounded by young people ha g adua ed in I alian uni e si ies in he dis-
cipline o Po uguese Li e a u e: Vi o ia Iguazú Edi o a in Legho n and Tuga Edizioni in B acciano.
Bo h o hese small p esses esemble Edizioni dell'U ogallo in hei independen o ganisa ion and in
hei dimension, bu a e no exclusi ely specialized in he ansla ion om Po uguese. Bo h publishing
houses published i les om he Po uguese-Speaking A ica, as is he case o Ho a di Bai by Manuel
Fe ei a (VIE) in 2012 and I p eda o i by Pepe ela (Tuga) in 2013. Ou o he 89 i les conside ed o ou
esea ch, 12 we e ansla ed by Vincenzo Ba ca, 8 by Gio gio de Ma chis, 7 by Ma co Bucaioni, 6 by
Li ia Apa and 4 by Daniele Pe uccioli, con i ming he special in e es ha some ansla o s ha e dedi-
ca ed o he A ican li e a y p oduc ion. Only 6 o hese ansla ions ha e been published by p esses
ha can be conside ed “big” (wi h a na ional dis ibu ion sys em and a ela i ely la ge powe o dissem-
ina ion: 4 by Guanda and 2 by Selle io). The es has been published by a cons ella ion o medium o
small publishing houses wi h no signi ican powe o dissemina ion and dis ibu ion. The abo e men-
ioned endency ha some younge Lusi anis s ha e shown mo e ecen ly o s a small p esses in o de
o hos li e a y ansla ions om Po uguese con ibu es o exaspe a e his si ua ion, and a he same
ime is a sign ha medium and bigge -sized publishing houses do no seem o be e y open o he
publica ion o li e a y ansla ions om Po uguese. Academia may play a undamen al ole in he ans-
la ing and publishing o a ce ain li e a y co pus in a ce ain coun y (Venu i, 1998): The I alian s uc u e
o ansla ion and publishing om he Po uguese seems o be an ex eme example o his, conside ing
ha academicians a e playing some imes no only he ole o publishing counsello s o book se ies
di ec o s, bu di ec ly ha o publishe s. 49 ansla ions ha e been co- unded by ei he DGLAB o
Ins i u o Camões – mo e han 50% o hei o al numbe –, con i ming he u mos impo ance o he
public pa onage sys em o ansla ion (Le e e e 1992) and he cen al ole played by he Po uguese
li e a y space and i s agen s in he es ablishmen o an A ican li e a y canon in Po uguese and o i s
in e na ionalisa ion.
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TRANSLATING PORTUGUESE-WRITING AFRICA INTO ITALIAN…
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2. ITALIAN POSTCOLONIAL PECULIARITIES: LATENESS, FRAGMENTATION, AMBIGUITY, HOSTILITY
Mos schola s and commen a o s con e ge in s a ing ha I aly did no app op ia e Pos colonial
Theo ies and pos colonial li e a y ma e ial om A ica un il e y la e and in a e y agmen ed way.
De obe is, in oducing he olume Fuo i cen o. Pe co si pos coloniali nella le e a u a i aliana, edi ed in 2010
and dedica ed o pos colonial li e a y p oduc ion in I alian, s ill mus jus i y his en u e: “Ma pe ché
con on a si, in I alia e nel campo della le e a u a i aliana, con gli s udi pos coloniali?” (De obe is 2010,
10).
In he answe o his seminal ques ion we ind some ecu en elemen s abou pos colonialism in
I aly:
In p imo luogo i è la conside azione ma ginale in cui sono anco a enu i gli s udi sul colonialismo i aliano
— imozione e so os ima del colonialismo e impe ialismo i aliani, associazione di e a e quasi esclusi a del colonialismo al
en ennio ascis a, so o alu azione del colonialismo come s umen o dell’Uni à nazionale — sop a u o dal
pun o di is a cul u ale e le e a io. Quindi i è in I alia un’a enzione anco a sca sa e piu os o diso dina a nei
con on i di quelle sc i u e in i aliano p odo e da sogge i in ansi o […]. A ques o si aggiunge che i è una
sca so in e esse al modo in cui il es o le e a io […] a icola le ques ioni di classe, gene e e azza non sol an o nella
con empo anei à. In ine, si è iscon a a la necessi à di non abbandona e la ques ione dell’“iden i à i aliana” a
s e ili diba i i neo- adizionalis i e all’incalzan e celeb azione ac i ica del cen ocinquan ena io dell’Uni icazione i aliana,
ecependo in ece le is anze p o enien i dalle (pu ambi alen i) a gomen azioni mul icul u alis e; del es o
le mig azioni — le emig azioni i aliane all’es e o, quelle dal Sud al No d e le immig azioni — sono enomeni
che hanno espos o l’“i aliani à” ad una i iducibile mol eplici à (De obe is 2010, 10-11 [i alics a e mine]).
This i s elemen is he claim ha I aly has somehow e ased i s own colonial memo y, in his way
denying any eal impo ance o he colonial expe ience in shaping he con empo a y si ua ion o he
na ion. This would explain why many I alians seem o ma ginalise he colonial and pos colonial dimen-
sion o o he li e a y spaces, gi en ha hey somehow don' pay he necessa y a en ion o “ hei own”
li e a y and cul u al p oduc ion a ound colonialism and i s consequences. The second elemen is he
claim ha no subs an ial a en ion is paid by I alian c i ics and schola s o « ace, gende and class ques-
ions» as a icula ed in he li e a y ex , «no only in he con empo a y ield». The hi d and ou h im-
po an elemen s a e he men ion o «neo- adi ionalis s» and «ac i ic celeb a ion o he Na ional uni y»,
because hey ake in o accoun ecen de elopmen s on he deba e on na ional iden i y in I aly, appa -
en ly passing h ough a wa e o ac i ic neo-na ionalism, and because hey ul ima ely speak abou mig a-
ions, unde lying he only aspec ha seems o ha e igge ed any consis en a en ion o he pos colonial
mindse s. Recen mig a ions and cu en xenophobia a e cons an ly ecalled, as he e:
Tu a ia, nell’oscillazione a memo ia e oblio, qualcosa de e esse e anda o pe du o, al imen i non si spie-
ghe ebbe pe ché, nel disco so con empo aneo […], si e i i sis ema icamen e il ico so alla s o ia coloniale
(anco a così ecen e) pe spiega e la elazione di a azione mo bosa e insieme di i iu o xeno obico nei
con on i dei e delle mig an i che a a e sano il p esen e i aliano (De obe is 2010, 14-15).
De obe is con inues men ioning one o he i s “ eally pos colonial” publica ions in I aly, he 2004
issue o Quade ni del '900 (Ponzanesi 2004), which:
a e a p o a o a ene e insieme l’analisi s o ica, le e a ia e sociologica delle mig azioni con quella del colo-
nialismo, con una p e alenza di in e en i che ace ano di e o i e imen o alla le e a u a c i ica di p o e-
nienza anglo ona. Non a caso sono s a i gli s udi di anglis ica i p imi ad in odu e in I alia gli s udi pos coloniali, con
g ande ‘ i a do’ ispe o allo s iluppo di ques i s udi nel mondo anglo ono e non senza e icenze. Del es o, a non a e
a o i con i con la s o ia del colonialismo i aliano, con il des ino delle ex colonie e in gene ale con le
dinamiche poli iche, sociali, economiche e cul u ali della globalizzazione, sono s a i u i gli s udi le e a i nell’ac-
cademia i aliana, non solo quelli di i alianis ica. Ques ’ul ima, ido a o mai a deposi a ia museale delle p esun e e an ichissime
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adizioni “i aliane” della le e a u a “nazionale”, è s a a in assolu o la più os ile a con on a si con la complessa casse a
degli a ezzi degli s udi pos coloniali.
Di on e al di uso sce icismo nei con on i di ques i s udi, accusa i di esse e un al o ca allo di T oia della
p esun a dilagan e egemonia cul u ale anglo-ame icana, occo e egis a e alcuni elemen i u ili al diba i o
(De obe is 2010, 23-25 [i alics a e mine]).
This pic u e o I alian I alianis ics and academia in gene al is dismal: De obe is s a es ha no li e a y
discipline in I aly has e e aken in o accoun he «poli ical, social, economical and cul u al dynamics o
globalisa ion». Le alone he I alian S udies Depa men s, ha a e conside ed he mos hos ile o a pos-
sible con on a ion wi h a pos colonial mindse , seeing hemsel es as «museal deposi a ies o he Na-
ional li e a u e». The ac ha De obe is s a es ha such heo e ical mindse as he pos colonial ones
a e seen as a T ojan ho se by he (hegemonic) Anglophone wo ld is symp oma ic o he s a e o he
a ai s. Claudia Gual ie i, in he a icle «Voci dell'A ica, dall'A ica in I alia» ies o ace he ecep ion
o A ican li e a u es in I aly. She egis e s he same delay denounced by De obe is in he impo a ion
o his pos colonial appa a us:
Nella genealogia degli s udi pos coloniali in I alia, si no a come l'uso del e mine "pos coloniale" e l'in e esse
pe le le u e eo iche […], siano pa i i con un no e ole i a do ispe o, pe esempio, ai paesi di lingua
inglese e ancese. (Gual ie i 2015)
One possible explana ion o his delay would be he di ision o he I alian academic sys em:
Il en a i o di in accia e il pe co so e olu i o degli s udi pos coloniali sull'A ica nell'anglis ica i aliana
[…] incon a un p imo os acolo nella igida di isione disciplina e e nella sepa azione degli ambi i di ice ca
che ca a e izzano l'a icanis ica in I alia (Gual ie i 2015).
Gual ie i poin s ou an impo an ac : he di ision s ill s anding oday in I alian academics be ween
he a ious “na ional” languages and li e a u es.
Colo o i quali e ano sensibili alle nuo e oci dall'A ica si scon a ano con un canone le e a io igido e immobile, e
con lo sce icismo che os acola a l'ape u a delle uni e si à e so p oduzioni cul u ali is e come asg essi e dell'o dine es e ico
e ideologico dominan i. Manca a un collegamen o in e nazionale con il diba i o eo ico in elle uale
pos coloniale e manca a quella o mazione c i ica e me odologica che si sa ebbe po u a conc e izza e
solamen e ce cando di ecupe a e il empo pe du o (Gual ie i 2015, i alics a e mine).
We ind i impo an o s ess wha Gual ie i sees as hos ili y by a igid and immobile li e a y canon,
and as scep ic eac ions by academics agains cul u al p oduc ions seen as ansg essi e owa ds he
aes he ic and ideological dominan o de . A any a e, she concludes ha he e is no in I aly an aes he ic
educa ion o he as e o he spoken wo d coming om A ica: “Rima cando come non ci sia, in I alia,
un'educazione es e ica al gus o della pa ola pa la a che iene dall'A ica” (Gual ie i 2015).
In hei mos ecen book (Lomba di-Diop 2012), Lomba di-Diop and Romeo y o ace he pa h
o Pos colonialism in I aly, as De obe is does in his in oduc ion, beginning wi h he ac ha “Unlike
B i ain, F ance, and he Ne he lands, I aly did no expe ience la ge-scale spon aneous immig a ion om
i s o me colonies a e decoloniza ion” (Lomba di-Diop 2012, 6).
A e highligh ing he same delay poin ed ou by he o he schola s, and ying o explain i s o igins
in a simila way, hey insis on he ques ion o I alianness (inside and ou side he li e a y ield):
The wo k o w i e s such as Pap Khouma and Igiaba Scego […] exposes he sense o uneasiness gene a ed
o (whi e) I alians by he associa ion o blackness wi h I alianness. These e ms a e o en concei ed as
incompa ible and he e o e as mu ually exclusi e […]. As we see in he wo k o i s - and second-gene a ion
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w i e s, i aliani à seems una ainable o black I alians p ecisely because na ional belonging is gene ally un-
de s ood in e ms o speci ic ai s (bo h cul u al and biological) ha canno be simply acqui ed by a pe ec
mas e y o he language and o he I alian way o li e […]. Pos colonial w i ing in I aly is o en haun ed by
he denial o poli ical and cul u al ci izenship (Lomba di-Diop 2012, 10).
I is e iden ha pos colonial li e a y w i ing in I alian o he i s ime a ouses many ques ions
abou he na ional iden i y ha , in he I alian case, emained no only unanswe ed, bu mainly unasked,
gi en he absence o a la ge-scale pos colonial mig a ion in o he coun y. I his si ua ion o he i s
ime imposes hese ques ions, he ocus shi s immedia ely o he I alian li e a y and cul u al canon and
o he ole o li e a u e as a social ins i u ion in he coun y: “The eassessmen o he p ojec o i aliani à
in ligh o a pos colonial consciousness unde lines he need o a eassessmen o he I alian cul u al and
li e a y canon” (Lomba di-Diop 2012, 10).
A e a ousing hese ques ions, Lomba di-Diop con inues wi h a e isi ing o he s a e o he a
abou pos colonialism in I aly, wi h s a emen s e y simila o bo h De obe is's and Gual ie i's, abou
he delay o he pos colonial amewo k's ecep ion and highligh ing once mo e he “anglo-saxoni y” o
such heo ies in he I alian pe cep ion:
he heo e ical amewo k de eloped in he B i ish con ex did no “ ansla e” o he I alian one. Fo he
mos pa , c i ical wo ks on pos colonial heo y and li e a u e emained limi ed o Anglophone w i e s and
au ho s. As a esul , he idea ha a pos colonial discou se had no eason o de elop ou side an Anglophone
en i onmen was ein o ced, by implying ha in I aly he e was no pos colonial condi ion o speak o
(Lomba di-Diop 2012, 11).
I ala Vi an, a e y impo an igu e in he ansla ion, p omo ion and publica ion o A ican li e a-
u e in I aly, in 2013 ies o e iew he s a e o he a o he ecep ion o A ican li e a u e in I aly in
“Legge e l’A ica in I alia”. She also s a es wi hou doub ha he e is no a su icien aes he ic educa ion
in o de o p ope ly ecei e A ican li e a y p oduc s:
Na u almen e oggi nessuno più a ebbe il co aggio di nega e l’esis enza di un’impo an issima adizione
a icana di pa ola d’a e, e u a ia in I alia manca l’educazione del gus o necessa ia a un au en ico incon o
in ques o se o e (Vi an 2013, 3).
Vi an also s a es ha he e is a s ubbo n esis ance agains any canonical e ision in I aly: “Il a o e
di base di ale si uazione, u a ia, è la pe icace insis enza a non ole i ede e il canone le e a io in
senso gene ale” (Vi an 2013, 3).
She con inues wi h a close analysis o he publishing his o y o he A ican li e a y wo d in I alian
ansla ion, highligh ing s eng hs and eebleness o he a ious momen s and g oups ha ha e dedi-
ca ed hemsel es o o ha e neglec ed A ican li e a u e. E en so, he pic u e ha Vi an d aws o I alian
publishing and A ica is no so pessimis ic, and i is domina ed by a mode a e op imism o he u u e:
o example, speaking abou he ecep ion o pos colonialism, she says ha , e en i agains a ce ain
hos ili y, some a en ion has been paid o A ican li e a u e, especially by younge schola s. Almos a
he end o he pape , Vi an add esses some aes he ic ques ions ha can ha e a g ea ele ance o he
ci cula ion o A ican li e a u e in I aly, o o he lack he eo :
Insomma, c’è una as a a ie à di si uazioni che possono in lui e sulla o mazione e il modo di esse e di
uno sc i o e a icano, p oducendo una sc i u a assai insoli a o addi i u a os ica pe un le o e i aliano. Senza
con a e che l’es e ica implici a delle cul u e a icane può sugge i e ema iche e s ili lon ani dal gus o i aliano co en e. Ci
sono quindi mol e p obabili à che uno sc i o e a icano che abbia anche successo in pa ia possa non
incon a e il gus o del me ca o i aliano (Vi an 2013, 18 [i alics a e mine]).

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In o he wo ds, he eassessmen o he I alian li e a y canon and epe oi e is o be made no only
in he academic sphe e, bu should be b ough o an educa ional and p ima y and high-school le el, i
we wan o c ea e a possible public o A ican li e a u es in I aly. The pic u e ha eme ges om he
collec ion and jux aposi ion o hese schola ly oices on he ecep ion o pos coloniali y and o he
A ican li e a y p oduc ion is he ep esen a ion o a coun y ha , i s o all, has jus ecen ly begun o
engage wi h pos colonial heo y. In doing so, some mo e hos ile academic sec o s iden i ied pos colo-
nialism (and o he heo e ical “no el ies”) wi h an Anglo-Saxon hegemony ha should be ough agains
in he name o na ional au onomy. The ac ha pos colonialism was i s app op ia ed by English
Li e a u e Cen es is on he one hand possibly una oidable, on he o he hand dange ous o ein o ce
hese alse con ic ions. I was jus a e 2004 ha some schola s ied o apply such heo ies o li e a y
p oduc ion in I alian, and hey did so wi h a p oduc ion by subjec s hough as o he s (immig an s) and
no on he na ional canon, as i has been p oposed elsewhe e. The coun y has ecei ed A ican li e a u e
i s ly in he 1960s and 1970s ollowing pa e ns o solida i y wi h he hi d wo ld o he s uggling
gue illas o he global sou h and has ecei ed some A ican li e a y ma e ial because o in e na ionally
unques ionable consec a ing ins i u ions (Nobel P ize, c . Vi an, 2013). Fo he es , i la gely o he wise
igno es and ma ginalises he A ican p oduc ion because i has a publishing sys em incapable o alo -
ising i , and he coun y may be c i ically incapable o ecei ing i because o a lack o educa ion owa ds
he supposedly peculia A ican li e a y as e. Finally, mos o I aly does s ill conside his p oduc ion as
subal e n and essen ially i ele an .
3. ITALY: LITERARY CANON, LITERARY STANDARD, IDEOLOGY. PERCEIVED THREATS AND
REACTIONS
The schola ly wo k o Ma eo Di Gesù ocuses p ecisely on canonical and heo e ical p eoccupa ion
inside he discipline o I alian I alianis ics, gi ing us a i id image o he cu en si ua ion. In Palinses i
del mode no, (2005) he ies o ace he s a e o he a o pos mode n li e a u e in I aly. His conclusions
a e essen ially ha I aly has p oduced li e a y o ms and ma e ial ha can be conside ed pos -mode n
li e a u e, bu a he same ime i has e used o ecei e a pos mode n heo e ical mindse . These con-
clusions esemble e y nea ly wha we ha e jus collec ed on pos colonialism. In ac , Di Gesù does no
limi his esea ch on pos mode nis posi ions, bu enla ges his iew conside ing Cul u al S udies in gen-
e al, Gende S udies, Subal e n S udies and Pos colonial S udies. In his opinion, he bulk o I alian
I alinis s ha e dismissed all he abo e men ioned heo e ical amewo ks conside ing hem i ele an o
he I alian landscape. In a ce ain way, i is exac ly wha Lomba di-Diop s a es ha has happened wi h
pos colonialism: hey simply “didn' ansla e”. Ano he ex by Di Gesù – «L'a idabili à di un ma chio
ga an i o: “le e a u a i aliana” since 1871» (2011) – echoes wha has been sugges ed be o e by pos -
colonial schola s, abou he h ea pe cei ed by many conse a i e schola s. Di Gesù, a e ci ing, among
o he i les, La le e a che muo e by Gab iele F asca, Dopo la ine by Giulio Fe oni and Ascesa e cadu a della
g ande le e a u a i aliana by Cesa e De Michelis (wi h e y explici i les), con inues:
Nondimeno, cala e nel con es o i aliano e calib a e sullo speci ico nazionale […], ques e analisi semb ano
adu si in un senso comune ago e gene ico, quando non in pose in elle uali piu os o as i iche e
imp odu i e. Così, se da e o anche la le e a u a i aliana […] ischia di dis a si, le agioni che
legi ime ebbe o ali alla mi engono spesso declama e quasi come in una lamen azione li u gica, come in
una li ania: c isi della c i ica le e a ia, abdicazione degli in elle uali dalla lo o unzione ci ile, p ocessi di
globalizzazione e egionalizzazione, dominio dell'imma e iale, della e e e del digi ale, e sop a u o coesione
nazionale a ischio. […] A ogni modo l'habi us dell'umanis a, dell'i alianis a p e ede che ci si lagni dei cupi
empi che ci a endono, […]. Co olla io di ques a a gomen azione ce imoniosa è l'in ocazione i uale della
MARCO BUCAIONI
TRANSLATING PORTUGUESE-WRITING AFRICA INTO ITALIAN…
Ediciones Uni e sidad de Salamanca / CC BY NC ND T aducción y sos enibilidad cul u al, pp. 101-108
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u ela di ques a an ica is i uzione, onus a di secoli di glo ia, imp escindibile collan e pe l'uni à della pa ia,
an o e ono e della nazione (Di Gesù 2013, 148-149 [i alics a e mine]).
And, below:
Pe quan o con o e olmen e i uale, pe an o, se e da e o a poco in ona e commossi e malinconici
epicedi pe la len a e ineso abile agonia, o e o p o a e a man ene e piccole posizioni di e ogua dia,
in oca e la u ela del pa imonio e del ma chio ga an i o e a idabile (e in in dei con i domes ico e assicu an e)
della “Le e a u a i aliana” e del suo insegnamen o, o maga i accon en a si nel ede la ido a a o pello da
ca olina insieme al Colosseo e a So ia Lo en, alla Gioconda e alla nazionale di calcio. […] nulla ci induce a
c ede e che la le e a u a i aliana, a comincia e dalle in e p e azioni o zose del suo canone, non possa
o na e a esse e u ilizza a come s umen o ideologico in unzione nazionalis a, xeno oba, seg egazionis a
(Di Gesù 2013, 148-149 [i alics a e mine]).
The e ms “domes ic” and “ eassu ing” a e key-concep s in his way o seeing li e a u e, as i he
I alian li e a y specialis el ha any hing undomes ic would h ea en his s abili y and needed hus o be
eassu ed om such a dange ous e en . Di Gesù's p eoccupa ion ha he na ional canon, in his way
igidly embalmed, could be used as an ideological ins umen o na ionalis , xenophobic and seg ega-
ionis pu poses echoes clea ly Lomba di-Diop's p eoccupa ions abou I alianness and he li e a y p o-
duc ion in I alian by non-na i es. The bulk o I alian I alianis ics seems o be in a c usade o conse a-
i eness agains : changes, openings, and ma ginal p oduc ion ying o sub e he canon. And agains
ecen heo e ical ad ancemen s, eeling hem as an a ack om he English-Speaking wo ld and Aca-
demia agains domes ic sound heo ies and good p ac ises ( his explains why Gual ie i complains abou
depa men s ecei ing A ican li e a u es “wi h adi ional li e a y-c i ics mindse ”). They seem o ha e
in es ed in he wo k o sanc i ying he na ional li e a u e. They seem o eel na ional li e a u e h ea ened
by o egnising endencies ha would “diminish” he na ional li e a y g andeu . Indeed, i doesn' seem
o be easy o con ince hese people o hei pupils and ollowe s ha any A ican li e a y p oduc ion is
wo h eading.
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