TUNISI (TUNISIA) (ITALPRESS) – Seventy years of history, of the Italian language, of shared memory, and of dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean. The Corriere di Tunisi, the historic newspaper edited by Silvia Finzi and the only Italian-language publication in North Africa, celebrated its seventieth anniversary today with an event hosted in the Santa Croce complex, in the heart of the Medina of Tunis, attended by institutional representatives, cultural figures, and the Italian and Tunisian communities.
The anniversary was further enhanced by a message from the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who recognized the Corriere di Tunisi as “a privileged space for dialogue and encounter” for the Italian community in Tunisia and for the many Italian-speaking and Italophile Tunisians. In his message, the President emphasized how the newspaper has preserved and enhanced a human and cultural heritage rooted in centuries of shared history in the Mediterranean, significantly contributing to the strengthening of the friendship between the Italian and Tunisian people. Mattarella also highlighted the strong symbolic value of the coincidence of the newspaper’s seventieth anniversary, that of the Tunisian Republic, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Rome and Tunis, calling the newspaper an authoritative voice on the ties that unite the two countries.
The celebrations were opened by the Italian Ambassador to Tunisia, Alessandro Prunas, who also chose to emphasize the value of the host location: the ancient church of Santa Croce, restored thanks to the contribution of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, which he called “a new symbol of the friendship between Italy and Tunisia” and of a bilateral partnership that today “is developing in all fields.” In his speech, the diplomat warmly welcomed editor Silvia Finzi for the “prestigious milestone” achieved by the newspaper, noting that this anniversary concerns not only the Italian and Tunisian communities, but also the special relationship between the two countries more generally.
Prunas emphasized that the Corriere di Tunisi has accompanied and chronicled this special relationship for 70 years, promoting economic, cultural, and academic exchanges and maintaining the human bonds that, in his view, constitute the true foundation of the Italian-Tunisian partnership. Today, he added, the newspaper is “much more than a newspaper”: it is a stronghold of Italian-speaking culture not only in Tunisia but throughout North Africa. The ambassador also described Tunisia as a country with a strong Italian-speaking presence, citing the historic Italian presence and the role played over time by RAI in spreading the Italian language across the Mediterranean.
In his speech, Prunas then highlighted the current dynamism of cultural relations between Rome and Tunis. He noted that approximately 50,000 Tunisian students currently study Italian and that the number of young people choosing Italian universities is growing. A significant figure, he explained, comes from study visas: approximately 2,500 will be issued in 2024, a number that will double in 2025. The ambassador also announced the creation of “Spazio Italia,” a new hub designed to unite under one roof the Italian Cultural Institute of Tunis, the Tunisian-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the “Terna Innovation Zone,” a startup accelerator supported by the Terna Group. This project is conceived as a place dedicated to culture, innovation, and enterprise, but also as a new window onto Italy and for Italians in Tunisia.
During the ceremony, Sandro Fratini, president of Comites Tunisia, also spoke, paying tribute to the newspaper’s long history, calling it “a daily point of reference for Italians in Tunisia, a cultural stronghold, and a fundamental tool for keeping the Italian language alive.” Fratini recalled the origins of the newspaper, founded in 1956 thanks to the vision of Giuseppe Finzi, and emphasized how the newspaper has accompanied entire generations of the Italian community in the country with authority, passion, and responsibility. A particularly heartfelt passage in his speech was the memory of Elia Finzi, a central figure in Italian-Tunisian cultural and associative life, to whom a moment of silence was dedicated.
The president of the Comites then emphasized the continuity guaranteed today by the work of director Silvia Finzi, thanking her for having given new impetus to a project that is both family and collective, capable of renewing itself without losing its identity. The Corriere di Tunisi, he said, remains an integral part of the identity of the Italian community in Tunisia, a free and competent voice and an instrument.
– photo Italpress –
(ITALPRESS).
