Rome: A former military base in Lampedusa, the tiny Italian island where hundreds of thousands of migrants have landed by sea from North Africa trying to reach Europe in recent years, will become a cultural center focusing on peace, migration flows and interchange between Europe and the Arab world.
The base was run by NATO between 1972 and 1994, and has been unused since. “Transforming a symbol of war like an ex-military base into a symbol of peace, a place of dialogue between the Arab and European worlds — which find a necessary meeting point on our little island — is an initiative of great value,” Mayor Salvatore Martello told a press briefing attended by Arab News for the launch of the Lampedusa Research Center for Peace.
He said he wants to involve in the center “international institutions and associations, volunteer networks, and the world of art and culture. We intend also to host large cultural events, trying to increase the bond between Europe and the Arab world.”
The center will include an auditorium, a museum with a digital archive, and labs and locations where researchers can study and reside.
“The great value of this project isn’t just a symbolic one; it’s also a strategic one,” said Sicily Gov. Nello Musumeci. “Sicily is a natural bridge between Europe, Africa and the Arab world, and we’re enthusiastic about … having this new center in Lampedusa.”