The Iblean singer Giovanni Caccamo sets sail with 'The Ark of Change'

In the last few hours, "The Ark of Change", not just a project, but a collective act of courage, has set sail. A journey that unites art, nature, and civic engagement, born from the collaboration with the Youth and Future Association – Parola ai giovani APS. On board the ancient Dutch sailing ship Oosterschelde, built in 1918, ten young people from every corner of the world – among them singer-songwriter and composer Giovanni Caccamo – will cross the Atlantic Ocean. A symbolic route that retraces the slave trade and connects two continents that are two lungs of the planet: Africa and South America.

The sailing ship, transformed into a floating work of art thanks to the intervention of master Mimmo Paladino, will carry with it a powerful message: 40 artistic flags, hoisted like a long breath of colors, a Grand Pavese of 80 meters that holds the words of change chosen by the young people. Every sail, an idea. Every color, a possibility.

The journey will be narrated by an exceptional perspective: Oscar-winning director Luc Jacquet, director of The March of the Penguins, who will create a film produced by Masi Film. Alongside him, the poetic lens of photographer Jamie Hawkesworth, ready to capture the light, the faces, the expectations, and the storms of this crossing.

Along with Caccamo, on board are Plestia Alaqad (Palestine), Sean Binder (Ireland), Francesco Cicconetti (Italy), Federico Gambedotti (Italy/Eritrea), Drukmo Gyal (Tibet), Andrew Johnson Raphael (Malawi), Ayumi Kuramae Izioka (Brazil/Japan/Netherlands), Manisha Maharjan (Nepal), and Chris Mansa Laporte (France/Haiti). Ten stories, ten identities, ten perspectives on the world. With them, a small but powerful legacy: seeds that, at the end of the journey, will give life to the Forest of Change, a reforestation project realized with Sylva Foundation and Arte Continua Association.

“In a present that once again chooses war as a trajectory of destruction – wrote Caccamo – we want to firmly repudiate every form of violence in the name of all the new generations of the world. This journey is a metaphor for life and an opportunity to restore value to dreams, peace, and humanity.”

During the crossing, the young people will talk, compare ideas, and write. Inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they will draft a Charter of Values with concrete proposals to address the most urgent challenges of our time: human rights, peaceful coexistence, disarmament, climate crisis, mental health, gender identity, digital world.

The Ark of Change is not just a journey. It is an act of trust. It demonstrates that art can become a compass, that music can be a bridge, that the creativity of young people can transform the world one mile at a time, amidst waves that open up and horizons that expand.

It is an ark that does not flee: it embraces change. And it carries it with it.