ITALIA NIGHTS

Thursday 13th December 7pm£5 Donation THE OPEN VEINS OF AFRICA - WATER, CULTURE, SURVIVAL - We all have this dream... Buying a second-hand four-wheel drive and blasting off into the unknown, crossing a whole continent from coast to coast... Back in 1999, Paolo Novelli did exactly that. A motor sports television producer, Paolo drove from Morocco all the way to Cape Town - with his camera at the ready. It was the first of his several documentaries about Africa. His latest is "A Journey Among the Water People" (In viaggio tra i popoli dell'acqua, 2006). Thirty minute long, this work treats water as its recurring theme as it examines the varied geography- human as well as physical - of Ethiopia. This is not another African travelogue dishing out panoramic vistas spiced up with "exotic" details. Paolo's documentary is a reflection, at once lyrical and thoughtful, on how water is a precious resource - in more ways than one - for the people of every African nation and culture. In the West, we take water for granted and consume it without thinking. In Africa, water is the absolute pre-condition for life - and is revered as such. Access to water, its allocation, uses, and preservation, are crucial issues all over the African continent. It is not a mere matter of economics: water is crucial to the very identity of local cultures, and to their survival. Paolo Novelli will attend the screening in person, give a first-hand account of his travels through Ethiopia and Africa, and share the reflections these travels have inspired. This African-themed evening organized by Italian Nights in collaboration with Perspectives will combine the screening of Paolo's documentary with a discussion and Q&A - to be followed by refreshments. The event will be in English.