National mourning for the pope, but where is the cultural disaster? Almost everywhere is business as usual

Meanwhile, what does the dpcm that decreed the five days of national mourning provide (totally unprecedented: in recent history, there had been no national mourning until John XXIII, then one day for Paul VI and John Paul I, and three days for John Paul II): the decree calls for flags on public buildings to be flown at half-mast during the period of mourning, a minute’s silence at 10 a.m. on the day of the funeral in schools and public offices, and calls for “all public events to be conducted in a sober manner appropriate to the circumstance” and for “deferring sports or entertainment events scheduled for the day of the funeral.” Translated: the authority does not include any obligation for anyone other than for public offices to lower their flags and observe the minute’s silence. And since the government’s is a recommendation and not a provision, these five days are passing almost everywhere under the banner of business as usual. There are no reports of hundreds of demonstrations, concerts, or canceled events. There are no notices of barred doors spreading like wildfire, no reports of closures announced at the last minute.

Why then is the idea spreading on social media that the entire world of culture and entertainment is closed in mourning? There had actually been news the day before yesterday that seemed to portend widespread closures, but these would only affect the State Archives: it had happened that the General Directorate of Archives of the Ministry of Culture had sent a letter to all its institutes asking for the postponement of these days’ events as a sign of condolence, then promptly clarified half a day later: no closures, all events scheduled as per the calendar, but without “grand openings.” Not that one normally imagines going to the State Archives to do toy trains and discosamba, but the fact is that even where a situation of widespread postponements had been foreshadowed, everything was actually confirmed. The same goes for exhibitions and cultural venues. These days anyone will be able to visit exhibitions and museums: the only one closed, we imagine for security reasons, is Castel Sant’Angelo, on tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Planned openings in private galleries will be held as planned. Instead, sport has decided to stop on April 26, but otherwise everything is business as usual (and fortunately, after the questionable idea of canceling soccer games out of the blue last week). Almost all sports: the Federciclismo, for example, has already let it be known that it will suspend racing only from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, during the two hours of the pope’s funeral: during the remaining course of the day, racing will be allowed. Even the discos, at least here in Versilia, have confirmed all their events; there is not one that has postponed a party.

Of course, you happen to come across some cancellation news. I read, for example, that the musical celebration at the Circus Maximus, scheduled for Saturday, 26, of the Teenagers’ Jubilee held from the 25th to the 27th, has been cancelled: I imagine that the tens of thousands of teens arriving from halfway around the world will not have given up their trip because of the impossibility of dancing at the Circus Maximus. Otherwise, in the vast majority of cases we are talking about events of local scope. Then, among the cancelled events I read, for example, that in Codogno there will be no band playing in the streets on April 25, that in Lastra a Signa a folk concert scheduled for today has been cancelled, that in Ascoli Piceno the presentation of a book on 15th-century Ascoli has been postponed, that in Piacenza there will be no evening of ballroom dancing in the square, that some municipalities have ordered a ban on music during April 25 events. In short, one can discuss the pettiness of many small local administrators annoyed by processions chanting “Bella ciao” and therefore immediately ready to seize the ball to try to prevent chants in the public square, but it is still too little to talk about widespread cancellations.

Even on the concert front regular openings almost everywhere. The main music event these days, the Frontiers Rock Festival, is unchanged, none of the metal bands arriving from all over the world have been sent home. Tonight there will be regular concerts by Umberto Tozzi (in Assisi) and Jovanotti (in Rome: he has six dates this week and has merely moved his concert on the 26th to the next day). Tomorrow, however, all regular again for Umberto Tozzi (Ancona), and then for Fiorella Mannoia (Milan), Claudio Baglioni (Como), Inhaler (Milan). And just to mention the most well-known names. Music magazine Billboard confirms that the only exceptions to the rule are the cancellations of concerts by Osaka Flu (in Città di Castello) and Punkreas (in Legnano). At the moment the only international artists known to have been canceled are Ofenbach, who were to perform in Reggio Emilia as part of the Fotografia Europea festival: their concert has been postponed, their DJ set on Saturday night has been canceled, the lectures scheduled at the time of the pope’s funeral have had their schedules shifted, and otherwise everything is confirmed.

This, in summary, is the scenario. Where are the dozens, if not hundreds, of inaugurations canceled, where are the myriad parties postponed, where are the international stars returned to sender? Of course, there is no question that some people will be devastated by the idea of not being able to hear the town band play during the April 25 concert, sorry for those who were planning to see Jovanotti tomorrow night and will have to stay an extra day in Rome, or for those who last night were already imagining themselves in the square in Reggio Emilia dancing with Ofenbach. But perhaps it is a little too little to cry disaster for the culture sector. More seriousness is needed. Of course it is then disreputable to call for sobriety on April 25. Of course it is reprehensible to cancel conventions, conferences (if there have been such measures) and even concerts that have to do with April 25. But the issue at this point is no longer cultural, it becomes political.

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