Until now it has been the largest meeting of reggae throughout Europe attracting fans from all around the world. Now the Rototom Sunsplash of Osoppo, in Friuli, could become only a mirage. Because the organizers of the festival have received several notices of investigation for alleged breaches of the Fini-Giovanardi law. So, yesterday, people went in the street to demonstrate in the event "do not trial Bob Marley," against the closure of the festival. And the controversies are over the national newspapers.
The festival we are talking about had the official recognition of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, the Province of Udine, the Jamaican tourism agency and the European Community. The area had become, as any place where you find more than 150 thousand visitors mostly young people, a strong call for drug pushers. The numbers speak of 340 arrests for dealing, 18 kilograms of marijuana that have been impounded, 2,400 ecstasy tablets, and yet cocaine, heroin and hashish in the course of several years.
So, finally, there was a complaint from the Attorney of Tolmezzo (Udine) to the President of the association Rototom (organizer of the event), Filippo Giunta, for the hypothesis of the crime of facilitating the use of drugs in public places based on Article 79 of Fini Giovanardi law. "A fragile and paradoxical accusation for this festival that has always cooperated with security forces," countered the organization. The prosecutor, in his notice of entry in the register of suspects, does not stop at charges against the festival and its organizers, but it goes to criminalize "the cultural influences due to Rastafarian ideology that provides the association between reggae music and marijuana."
So if is, therefore, the same reggae culture to be considered outlaw, then this could be a precedent to justify the ban imposed on any concert or festival, or reggae night with friends, because they are all against the law.
But the denounce now is on the way and the Sunsplash will need to find a new destination since the only certainty is that it would not been in Udine next summer.
Losing Rototom Sunsplash Festival does not only mean losing a great concert of reggae music. It means having an "impoverishment on the cultural and ethical issues first" as the mayor of Udine, Furio Honsell, said. Because during the festival are also organized debates and forums on issues of antiracism, anti-prohibitionism of soft drugs, non-violence and anticolonialism. Thus it started the media tom tom and last night it was organized a sort of farewell to the big festival. About two thousand people have overrun Piazza Matteotti in Udine to show their solidarity with the whole organization of the festival. Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Lao Tzu, Nimoller with their thoughts of peace occupied the four corners of the square, while young people were dancing, singing, doing yoga. With them, many artists have wanted to take part at the show, like the Africa Unite, Br Stylers, Mellow Mood, and many others have given their support, among them Vinicio Capossela, Altan and Don Luigi Ciotti.
It was a very important economic event that was making the sold out within a radius of 30 km and that now it will vanish. In favor of the festival have sided Moni Ovadia, Beppino Englaro who said "I do not recognize in this story my land, Friuli, open and tolerant", Giuliano Giuliani, Beppe Grillo (who spoke directly to the event), and again Ignazio Marino, Elisa, Subsonica, Altan, all convinced that Italy is in danger of living a precedent that could jeopardize many other events.
Together, yesterday, for this battle for freedom, fighting for the survival of a festival because saying that "the cultural influences of reggae" would cause the public to use marijuana is not an excuse to blow up a festival. And because young people still have the right to see the sun to splash in the morning, when it squirts out from the sea.
Marianna Lepore
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