Even Sanremo in Latin, panic among the singers
The news that caused the most discussion this week was the announcement of the return of Latin from the seventh grade. I believe that the Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, 64 years old, professor of Roman Law, was far too tender in presenting his proposal for school reform.
If the goal is to make our thirsty roots sprout again, the ancient language should be introduced from nursery school. But the true test of fortitude (courage) would be to impose Latin already from this Sanremo Festival: after the disappointments of the national football team, it is in fact the only common occasion that makes us-Italians-all reflect on our lost traditions.
And so Mahmood could have sung “Pecunia”
Other than Carlo Conti conducting: wouldn’t a Carolus Rationes on stage be more elegans (cool)? And if we had already tried in the past, even those Carthaginians Mahmood (in the photo below, on the right, at the Sanremo Festival 2024) and Ghali, although born in the very Latin Mediolanum, could have sung us Pecunia, Horripilationes (in duet with Candidus), Vestis aurea and Domus mea. Too bad I didn’t think of it before. When Amadeus was there. The contemporary presenter, of course, not the lover of God.
Why waste students’ and teachers’ time with additional hours of teaching a first and second foreign language? Rome will once again be the capital of the world. Let the American, Chinese and Garamantes barbarians learn our speech. Until the next invasion. But then why persist in providing boys and girls with those extra rudiments of the universal language that constitute information technology, mathematics and science? No current digital diaboli ars (devilry) is in fact the result of Made in Italy. Sorry, about the factum in Italy. So why invest in it? Although, not being a Latinist, I confess to having abused the barbaric SermoGpt, to obtain the rough translations disseminated in this article. If there are errors, it is the fault of Open AI or, as Cicero would say, Aperta Intelligentia Artificialis.
The 3 points on which Minister Valditara is right
There will be endless reasons for discussion. We are not in ancient Rome, but in bipolar Italy Giorgia Meloni-Elly Schlein (let’s forget about the translation of surnames). However, there are at least three points and ideas on which Minister Valditara, in my opinion, should be supported:
1 – the study of Latin in middle school would only be optional and would serve to better prepare students who want to continue the classical courses: let’s hope the lessons are really about Latin culture-literature and not a mere mnemonic teaching of grammatical rules, as unfortunately happens in many high schools;
2 – more space will be given to literature, including childhood literature, grammar and music. The teaching of literature from the first grade, in an age-appropriate manner, explains the minister in an interview with the newspapermust ensure that students enjoy reading and learn to write well. Against the simplification of social media, any defense of “long” reading and writing is today welcome;
3 – the culture of the rule begins from the study of grammar, order and clarity of communication: “Clarity must be presented – these are always the words of the minister – as a form of self-control and also of a dutiful commitment towards others ”. It would be a privilege for everyone.
Where the plan can fail: the risk of fueling maranza-city
On other aspects, Giuseppe Valditara’s proposal (in the photo above, on the right, with the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella) would instead, in my opinion, be counterproductive. Abolishing the broad discipline of geohistory – a science that studies the characteristics of a territory and their evolution in relation to the populations who lived there – is equivalent to giving up understanding why almost 10 percent of the Italian population, and perhaps a good part of the classmates, descend from families that do not have an Italian origin.
Limiting teaching to the history of Italy, Europe and the West also means generating ignorance on the understanding of today’s world, the borders and conflicts that cross it. But, at the same time, exclude (ex-claudĕre, shut out) that part of the school population that needs to know and make us aware of its origins in order to be understood, accepted and included. A very beautiful 2008 film set in Paris, “The Class” by Laurent Cantet, addresses this identical theme. We have arrived at the same crossroads that France encountered two decades ago. And he’s not over it yet.
What Minister Valditara’s reform proposal establishes – by Daniele Tempera
The discussion on the minister’s important proposal should in fact take into account the consequences of programs that are too exclusive. And the risk of feeding the disturbing maranza-city with new inhabitants: the population of male students, of Arab but also Italian origin, who abandoned school years ago and today are the protagonists of violence, aggression and robberies. Precisely to make studying more interesting for everyone, why don’t we introduce classical Arabic as an optional option from the seventh grade in addition to Latin? At least in some schools that need it most. And perhaps we abolish compulsory Latin in scientific high schools, to support it with a second foreign language and the teaching of the most widespread programming languages. And again, why not bring forward the appointment of chairs to June, so that school really starts on September 12th in all subjects. Not three months later. Italian agricultural tradition itself should warn us about these dilemmas: when the roots are exposed too much, in the end the tree dies.
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