In Calabria the Rai will also speak arbëreshë. This is provided for in the new service contract for the five-year period 2023-2028, definitively approved by the board of directors of the radio and television company, chaired by Marinella Soldi.
The text, shared with the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy following the amendments proposed by the Parliamentary Commission for the general direction and supervision of radio and television services, will now have to be examined by the Council of Ministers, before publication in the Official Journal , “but already now – specifies the regional councilor for agriculture with responsibility for linguistic minorities, Gianluca Gallo – a fact can be said to have been acquired, as anticipated a few months ago by the FI group leader in the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri: in Calabria the future programming of the regional headquarters, led by Massimo Fedele, will also be based on new spaces, entirely dedicated to the protection and promotion of the language and culture of Arbëria”.
“It is – adds Gallo -, as is clear, a historic result, the result of teamwork which involved the Region, movements, associations and mayors and which was finally rewarded with success thanks to the tenacity and sensitivity of Gasparri, capable of translating into concreteness in the parliamentary forum, with interventions and proposals and a long preparatory work, the dream cradled by many and among these, precisely in the radio and television sector, by the former director of the Rai Calabria headquarters, Demetrio Crucitti”.
“We will continue on the path undertaken, which means the defense of a heritage of inestimable value, but also the creation of new opportunities: in fulfillment of the Service Contract, for example, Rai – concludes councilor Gallo – will now ensure not only production and distribution of ad hoc radio and television broadcasts, but also the creation of audiovisual content and digitization of all the archives of the programs produced, with the aim of preserving them and making them universally usable. In short, an additional tool to look to the future with confidence.”