On Saviano-Angela. Raising awareness of Naples culture is one way to combat degradation

This editorial is signed “Editorial Board” because it is collectively prepared and because it expresses the position of the entire editorial board.

It is true: there is no golden Naples, a Naples of wonders where problems do not exist. And it is true that the sparkling Naples of ancient treasures, museums, galleries, music and theater is constantly threatened by its cracks: crime, decay, neglect. However, the “golden” Naples of Stanotte a, while not being contrasted with the Naples of problems and cracks, can safely be described and told even without necessarily having to talk about the Camorra and crime. It is possible to talk about Naples without mentioning in the introduction that the city’s beauties are at risk due to the presence of criminal activities in the area (something that, in any case, the Stanotte a program well reminded us of at the beginning of the broadcast): and this is because even making the history and culture of a city known is a way to consolidate and grow the civic sense of those who live in it, those who visit it and those who love it. So is doing expository broadcasts where problems are explored in depth. Art-historical disclosure and social reporting are not in competition. Both contribute to the same goal: to make the public aware.

So, does he commit a serious omission who reports Naples without also talking about crime? Does he provide a distorted reading of the territory who recounts Naples without also talking about the Camorra? If so, moreover, we should ask these questions whenever we speak, alas, of so many cities in our country, from north to south, that are not immune from presences linked to organized crime, be they called mafia, ’ndrangheta, camorra, sacra corona unita, and so on.

We strongly believe that all criminal organizations in our territory should be fought relentlessly, that this commitment should not be delegated only to the forces of law and order, and that we should make the most of all the opportunities that are offered to us to speak out and denounce in order to create an increasingly strong civil conscience determined not to be corrupted by the mentalities of criminal organizations. Television in this offers a great opportunity for in-depth coverage because it allows you to reach millions of viewers, being careful about what you offer and what you propose, and especially being careful about underestimating viewers, especially those who are interested in certain programs. If anything, perhaps more space should be devoted on television to programs of denunciation, and while waiting for a drama in the style of Commissario Montalbano to arrive in Campania as well (where crime is denounced, where the good guys always win, and where at the same time, between investigations the beauties of the territory are shown), we should let popularizers do popularizers, art historians do art historians, economists do economists, virologists do virologists, comedians do comedians, and so on. The desire to talk about everything appeals to many but is not for everyone.

Naples is not yet an ideal city, but neither is it an open-air sewer. And if Alberto Angela told its more glittering side, Roberto Saviano’s Gomorra certainly told its darker and more violent side. Two successful products that tell two sides of the same coin. Indeed, of one and the same city.

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