One thing is for sure. The fight against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic’s spread by implementing incredibly strict lockdown measures has brought Italians together in a way that not even The Beautiful Game has been able to do!
Citizens countrywide are talking about the beautiful things happening as people pull together to fight this terrible disease and one thread runs through all the commentary.
A feeling of immense pride in being Italian.
Social Media Saves the Day
It is just before 6 pm as one Italian starts making her way up the stairs leading to the roof of her building. When she reaches the roof, she is rewarded with an expansive view of her neighbourhood in Rome.
A hashtag has been blowing up social media platforms all day, #sonicflashmob, spreading the word far and wide that something big is going to happen when the clock strikes six. The Flashmob Sonoro started in Rome when an 18-piece street music band, Fanfaroma, found themselves without an income or any ability to generate one.
It’s then that she sees her neighbours emerging from their homes, appearing at balconies and windows, from apartments they’ve been languishing in alone under governmental orders. It’s all to help stop the worst outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19 strain in all of Europe which, at its height, was killing 200+ a day in overwhelmed Italian hospitals.
Songs of Resistance
It was then that everyone started stirring, putting away their desktops, smartphones, and tablets where they had been chatting to friends and family, playing online Bingo NZ, and keeping up with celebrity gossip.
People started waving to one another, reports our Italian, calling Ciao, Ciao, and then the tambourines and maracas began. As noisy as it was in the beginning, someone brings order to the chaos when they start singing Bella Ciao.
Soon this splendid folk song of resistance gets taken up by the entire street, its haunting minor melody spreading from one balcony to the next, boosting flagging spirits as it does.
Hope Spread Across Italy
In a scene repeated everywhere from Naples to Siena, Italians have once again turned to cultural expression and the power of music to survive a time of emergency.
The lockdown, prohibiting people from leaving their homes for all but the most essential errands, may have seen an upsurge in loneliness and desolation, but it’s also caused a creative flowering that’s helped many to hold on during this desperate time.
Italians have adapted to their new space beautifully, with balcony performances and live streams from smartphones and laptop cameras to socialise, help them fight off boredom, and generally keep their spirits up as they come together to stop the virus spreading.
A Great Example
Italy is showing us all how democracies can achieve compliance from the public with severe quarantine measures without the sweeping powers, total surveillance, and terrifying manpower available to authoritarian states like China. Its grassroots movement has inspired voluntary public consent by encouraging solidarity and a sense of commonality among its citizens.