Bookstores and publishers unite in support of Ukraine: storefronts dressed in flag colors

The Italian Booksellers Association - Ali invites people to compose the window of all associated Italian bookstores with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, joining the day of peace and reflection on Wednesday, March 2, indicated by Pope Francis.

Paolo Ambrosini, Ali president, launched an online appeal, "We are going through an extremely difficult time for the world and in particular for those peoples who are suffering war. This is why as the booksellers’ association of Confcommercio we have decided to invite all of you to compose your windows with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, putting books from different cultural traditions, because the history of a people, the history of a nation is also built through the ability to grasp what is good in the proposals and ideas, including those of others. Only in this way can progress be made. So the idea is to compose your showcase, perhaps by including within this flag books from the Russian cultural tradition, from that world that at this moment appears to be like the aggressor. Let’s do this in view of March 2, the date when the Pope invited everyone to a moment of prayer."

“Books and reading,” he continued, "have always been bridges between different cultures and histories, and as women and men who love culture we look with great concern at what is happening in these hours and hope that words can prevail over the noise of war."

TheItalian Publishers Association (AIE) also wants to stand by the Ukrainian people. “The war in Europe takes us back to years and historical events that we never wanted to relive,” said AIE President Ricardo Franco Levi. “Peace is the precondition and at the same time the fruit of freedom of thought and expression, values that are at the heart of democracy and the mission of every publisher. Our thoughts are with the women and men of Ukraine, especially our fellow editors and the entire world of culture, committed to keeping alive the consciousness of a people today under bombs.” “Today more than ever,” Levi concludes, "we hope that in every nation the critical voices of intellectuals, writers, men of peace and the world of culture will rise up, so that they will know how to put Europe back on the path of freedom and coexistence.

Bookstores and publishers unite in support of Ukraine: storefronts dressed in flag colors

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