KILL PIL* : here is the OASI project

Decolonizing imagination, de-economizing minds: an Orientale initiative on Communication, Ethics, Conservation

Everything-is-market: such is the prior message all over the planet. Actually, the message is our planet. Changing route? It is not undoubtedly possible, and yet what is certain is that the race for consumerism must come to an end.
And it is no easy task, either. Decolonizing imagination. De-economizing minds: honestly, what else should we need to change direction?
KILL PIL: arousing reasoning, inflaming questions, exciting souls, awakening dignity. KILL PIL is the name of a series of actions L'Orientale is proposing within the OASI project by the end of October 2010.
The initiative is promoted by The University of Studies of Naples “L'Orientale” under the patronage of the European Union, the Region of Campania, the Provincial Administration of Naples and the city of Procida, each of them interested in the elaboration of strategies to analyse, understand and undermine the communication system through which our world is gradually deteriorating. The three main areas the project is going to deal with are: Communication, Ethics, Conservation.
L'Orientale has promoted OASI also owing to Italy’s delay in environmental policy issues compared to other European areas, where Conservation is the prime concern even in the political campaigns held by leaders such as Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron.
Figures are highly significant: the data presented by Legambiente's annual report show how seriously stalled and problematic the country is as far as mobility, legality and waste are concerned. Although the situation is by no means positive, we can change things, and this possibility must turn into a necessity.
The possibility and necessity of transformation: this can only be attained by challenging habits, behaviours and ideas, and as a consequence it requires a firm intervention in order to achieve practical and immediate responses. This transformation has to be perceived as a relationship with current affairs, and that is the only way it should be conceived. An urgency, therefore, a non-deferrable urgency. The very awareness of this makes the comparison with appropriate philosophical issues necessary, to explain what actualities really are in the light of the events of the past few years. A new explanation, or better an appeal to reasons which take into account what we have said before: nothing happens outside communicational dynamics, meant as preliminary and pre-orienting.
OASI includes a series of meetings ending in October 2011. The second of the three modules will take place from October 27th to 30th with the participation of Aldo Masullo, emeritus Professor of Moral philosophy, Enrico Di Salvo, director of the Interacademic Centre of Bioethical Research, Ugo Leone, president of the National Park of Vesuvius, Sergio Sciarelli, full Professor of Economics and Business management.
In the closing evening, Edoardo Bennato will exceptionally hold a concert in Procida. A series of initiatives which is worth entering our agenda and being closely followed.

* “PIL” (the Italian acronym for Prodotto Interno Lordo) stands for the English “GDP” (Gross Domestic Product): we chose not to translate it in order to keep the pun with the film Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino (T.N.).

Chiara Pasquinucci, Azzurra Mancini, Traduzione di Luisa Lupoli