The melody of wood: art, memory, and inclusion in a unique event in Ragusa

At 6:00 PM on March 25, the Don Bosco Theater (Salesians, via Cagini 97) will host a highly impactful artistic event, capable of intertwining languages, emotions, and narratives of humanity. It is “The Melody of Wood”, a multidisciplinary exhibition with free admission promoted by the Filotea Social Cooperative with the sponsorship of the Free Municipal Consortium of Ragusa, the Municipality of Ragusa, and the Municipality of Comiso.

The focus of the evening is the contribution of the Ro' La Formichina Social Cooperative of the Community of Pope John XXIII Association from Santa Venerina, which will provide unique musical instruments, handcrafted from wood recovered from migrant boats.

From those shipwrecks of travel, voices arise that can transform pain and hope into sound, beauty, and shared memory.

The string concert will be performed by the students of the “G. Verga” Dance and Music High School in Modica and will be enriched by choreographic and narrative interventions.

The performance will interact with the photographic exhibition by Antonio Raciti and the sculptures by Franco Baglieri, for an immersive and multisensory experience.

To conclude, there will be a multicultural buffet, a concrete sign of encounter, participation, and community.

Highlighting the social value of the initiative is the councilor for Inclusion Policies, Elvira Adamo: “The Melody of Wood is much more than a cultural event: it is a collective act of responsibility and humanity. In every note resonates a story, in every artistic gesture opens a space for mutual recognition. This project demonstrates how it is possible to build an authentic community when institutions, schools, social realities, and citizens choose to walk together. It is precisely in the network that change is generated: a network that does not merely connect, but welcomes, supports, and transforms. Art becomes a universal language capable of transcending borders, fears, and differences, restoring dignity to stories and creating new possibilities for encounter. Events like this remind us that inclusion is not an abstract concept, but a living practice, made of listening, participation, and courage. It is in sharing, in the contamination between experiences, and in the beauty that arises from dialogue that we can build a fairer, more aware, and profoundly human society.”

“This event arises from a challenge – says Mariateresa Spadaro, president of the Cooperativa Filotea – to intertwine hospitality and integration by going beyond, crossing invisible thresholds to also celebrate those lives that were unable to reach our shores. Only art could perform such magic.”

“No one will hear my voice anymore, but you will be able to hear my sweet song of freedom through the strings of a violin.”