On 5th December, I had the opportunity to attend the presentation of the Italian film “Biagio”. It is the true story about one, Biagio Conte, from Palermo, Sicily. Biagio, who is of my generation, decided to dedicate his whole life to others. Good Italian films have a great story to tell but as with many of European films, they often lack a market. It is extremely difficult for them to compete in a field dominated by American movies that have been setting and influencing the world agenda.
The producer and the director of the film made it a point to be present for the presentation of their work at the Valletta Campus of our University. It would be a serious omission on my part not to mention Professor Gloria Lauri Lucenti, whose love for film in general and, Italian film in particular, made possible the screening of this interesting film in Malta.
The presentation was followed by an interview with the producer, which I found extremely interesting and stimulating. This is a film about a man in search of God, and like St. Francis of Assisi, ends finding God through helping others. Technically, this film sought to project the beauty of nature. Some of the scenes came again to my mind on viewing the splendid projections held on the Basilica of St. Peter on 8th December to mark the start of the Catholic year of Mercy. Music was only used in specific instances. Instead, the producer decided to reproduce natural sounds or else resorted to short pauses of silence.
But more importantly, it is a film that brings to the fore the malady of consumerism. We have to admit that we cannot live without spending, even uselessly. Biagio Conte is one exception and this explains why his life story deserved being narrated in film. Biagio Conte decided not to touch money any more in his life. At the same time, he succeeded in building three communities; one for helping the homeless; another for abused women and ex-prostitutes (including their children), and the third for immigrants. At the end of the discussion, we also discover that there are Maltese youths, who during their Christmas holidays, go to Palermo to work in Biagio’s community. These life experiences rarely hit the local media.
I don’t know whether one would consider this film as another intellectual portrayal on the end of the Enlightenment period in Europe. Whether we want to accept it or not, there is a widespread academic discussion going around assisting the end of the Enlightenment period. At least, in more than one academic circle, there exists a strong certainty that people in Europe cannot continue advancing materially as they did in previous centuries. Our children have now to accept the social situation that they cannot be better off than their parents.
This situation is bringing about new political realities. The extreme right is reappearing again, despite the fact that it was responsible for the most despicable massacres of the twentieth century. The new secular state is proving to be another “dogmatic” reality and there is an increase of politicians, who are physically behaving like past dictators. I am here only referring to their body gestures and way of talking. I am sure that such behaviour conveys a false assurance, in particular to those in need, that they could be the salvation of their country.
We are beginning to admit that the EU is in crisis and the current political class is not up to the level of its predecessors. Despite wearing elegant and expensive clothes, these politicians lack the gumption to push forward the European agenda.
Norman Lowell, who our society used to laugh at, has now been invited to give his thoughts on Nietzsche at the Valletta Campus of our respectable University. I don’t agree with Lowell but I believe that the University should be a place of lively discussion as long as it is a critical and reflective piece.
More importantly, such an invitation confirms what I had once written, that Nietzsche’s philosophy was partly responsible for the rise in popularity of the extreme right in Europe at the turn of the twentieth century. Nietzsche did not only predict the end of God but was the philosopher who successfully removed God from the political equation. It was at this point that the worst human massacres, without any precedent in history, took place.
The current economic and political situation in Europe is leading to a new political reality. There are those, who like Biagio Conte, go through an existential crisis, which leads to the rediscovery of God through mercy and providence. Then, there are others who find in Nietzsche’s philosophy the justification for the abnegation of the Christian God. Ironically, the extreme right, at the moment, is appealing to the two opposing currents; those who want to remove God from the political equation and those who see the future of the continent only in the Christian heritage of Europe. Though, I have not forgotten that we still have to bear in mind the upcoming Caliphate.
Europe’s democratic credentials are now in existential crisis. Democracy is starting to be conceived as a process through which some individuals can become rich at the expense of others. There should be no problem with people becoming rich. The problem starts to arise when people start to become rich at the expense of others. Even in Malta, we are starting to realize that the middle classes are slowly shrinking down and the extremes are becoming more evident
Our economic model is not much different from that of Italy and the rest of Europe. It is only thanks to our demography, our small size of population that we are being spared from having similar situations that are common with Europe’s big cities. The small size of our island is saving us from having people in the streets. Though we still have homeless cases at times, we can act more concretely with those in need. But statistics are showing that those on the verge of poverty are on the increase. Ironically, those truly in need do not go on television. Many of them are too shy to admit that they need help. In some cases, it is the free riders, who try to make the headlines to continue milking the system.
I sincerely hope that during these days of festivity seasons, Biagio Conte’s story inspires us, and prompts us according to our means to make a kind gesture during Christmas.