The annual Italian Cultural Week celebration was launched in Accra last Tuesday with the main event scheduled to take place from October 21 to October 26.

The event organised by the Italian Embassy in Ghana is to celebrate the richness of Italian culture and music with the people of Ghana and create a platform for networking among business magnates.

Launching the cultural week, the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, HE Laura Carpini said Ghana and Italy have had cordial bilateral relations in various fields over a long period adding that this cultural week will deepen the relationship Ghana and Italy has.

She said there are about 50,000 Ghanaians living in Italy and about 800 Italians residing in Ghana with 500 registered with the embassy.

“The cultural week will deepen the interest towards Italy in every aspect while providing an occasion for the numerous Italian citizens residing in Ghana to feel a taste of home’, she said.

The event will be marked with activities such as lectures, symposium, photo exhibition, concerts, movies puppet shows among others

According to HE Carpini, The College of Physicians in Accra will host a public lecture on the theme Creative Empathy and Vernacular Innovation to kick-start the celebration on Monday, October 21.

This will be followed by a concert, Non Solo Verdi in the evening. The concert will feature flutist Francesca Canali and pianist Sebastiana Ierna.

A film, Cosmonaut, directed by Susana Nicchiarelli will be shown at Goethe Institut on Tuesday, October 22. The following day, NAFTI will host another film The Second Wedding Night directed by Pupi Avati. Both films will have English subtitles.

On both Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, Alliance Francaise and the Residence of Italian Ambassador will host a puppet show dubbed Gone With The Feet respectively.

“In an increasing interdependent and globalised world, it is necessary to widen our perspectives and I am sure that the Italian artistes that are coming to Ghana for this year’s programme will greatly benefit from interacting with their Ghanaian counterparts and audiences,” Ambassador Carpini said.

The event is sponsored by Casa Trasacco, Micheletti & Co Ltd, Alitalia, De Simone Group and Consar Limited with support from other corporate institutions.