Siligo. The Ammajare Festival is nearing its conclusion, after turning Siligo since Friday 21 August into a living workshop of literary meetings, civic theatre, music and shared reflection. On Saturday, the stories of two very different figures kept the audience’s attention high: that of Julia Carta, “the witch of Siligo”, as titled in Antonietta Uras’s successful novel – selected for an important literary contest such as “IoScrittore” – and that of Emilio Lussu, told by Gianluca Medas.
Two Sardinians who lived in different historical periods, yet both resilient and true to themselves. “These are stories that we Sardinians often don’t know,” said Giampaolo Cassitta. To make up for this gap, both novels, like Antonietta Uras’s, and the essays of “storytellers”, as Medas himself calls them, can help. A film was also made from Emilio Lussu’s story, starring Enrico Lo Verso, in which Medas played the founder of the Sardinian Action Party. A film – and a story – that were snubbed at the top levels of Rai, as Medas explained: “These stories interest no one!”, Rai Fiction executives had declared. Luckily it didn’t go quite that way, since once released, the film stayed on screens for weeks, becoming one of the most watched.
A still-relevant topic took center stage: the arrogance of fascist power. What happened in Piazza dei Martiri in Cagliari? Why was Lussu in the fascists’ sights? The answers are in the book “Il cavaliere indomito”, written by Medas and published by Abbà editions.
After the community dinner organized by the Pro Loco, the evening ended with the concert-show “Le streghe son tornate”, with the voices of Rita Casiddu, Mauro Cossiga, Valentina Capasso and an ensemble of musicians paying tribute to Maria Carta and great singer-songwriters, from De André to Mia Martini. At the end, a precious gift offered by an exceptional duo: Rita Casiddu and Caterinangela Fadda – a musician from Siligo – who greeted the audience with a very sweet “Hallelujah”.
Tonight, Ammajare’s final day features a packed program of meetings. It starts at 6:00 pm with the presentation of “Annile” (Il Maestrale), the debut novel by Edoardo Mantega, winner of the Gramsci Prize. At 6:45 pm, space for Francesca Spanu with “Il corpo sbagliato” (Il Maestrale), an intense tale of metamorphosis and a denunciation of body-shaming violence.
At 7:30 pm, a moment of strong civic commitment with the meeting “Sulla nostra pelle. Gaza e dintorni”: testimonies and reflections on peace, social justice and solidarity, with the signing of the “Carta di S’Aspru” by local mayors.
On this occasion two awards will be presented: the Ammajare Prize 2025 to Cinzia Angela Seddone, author of Come una fenice and a witness of courage against violence, and the special prize The future we want to Hiba Alif, councillor of the Municipality of Ravenna, a symbol of civic engagement and inclusion.
After the 9:30 pm dinner, the festival will close with a concert by the group Humaniora, a musical journey weaving words and notes dedicated to female figures in history, literature and Sardinian and universal culture: from Maria Carta to Grazia Deledda, from Antonia Mesina to Maria Lai.
All festival events are free of charge.
The festival is organized by the Municipality of Siligo together with Intrecci Culturali, Fondazione Banco di Sardegna, the Sardinia Region and the Chamber of Commerce of Sassari, with the collaboration of the cultural association CLIP – Collettivo Letterario Informale Performativo. Artistic direction is entrusted to Giampaolo Cassitta.
The full festival program is available on the website www.intrecciculturalisardegna.it
and on the official social pages.
