Repubblica Celebrates 50 Years: A Night of Reflection and Laughter
The Auditorium Parco della Musica’s Sinopoli room was filled with emotion and nostalgia as Repubblica, one of Italy’s leading newspapers, celebrated its 50th anniversary. The evening event, hosted by Mario Orfeo, featured a series of speeches, performances, and reflections from the newspaper’s historic directors, journalists, and notable figures. Ezio Mauro, a former director, admitted to feeling an unexpected emotional response as the anniversary approached, highlighting the significance of this milestone.
A Family Celebration
Orfeo described the celebration as “a family celebration,” bringing together readers, journalists, and friends to commemorate the newspaper’s rich history. The event began with a reading of Eugenio Scalfari’s initial promise, which emphasized the newspaper’s commitment to taking a clear stance, rather than pretending to be neutral. This set the tone for the evening, which featured a mix of lighthearted moments and heartfelt reflections.
Notable figures, including Corrado Augias, Geppi Cucciari, and Michele Serra, took the stage to share their thoughts and experiences. Augias expressed his concern about the potential sale of Repubblica to the Greek Antenna group, while Cucciari jokingly asked Orfeo if he could change his name to “Marios.” Serra, meanwhile, presented a humorous monologue about the future of the newspaper, imagining a scenario where the publication returns to its mimeograph roots.
Music and Memories
The evening also featured a special performance by Giorgia, who sang a selection of her hit songs, including “Gocce di memoria” and “Tu mi porta su.” Gino Castaldo, a journalist and music critic, reminisced about the time he was asked to write a piece explaining Giorgia’s victory at the 1995 Sanremo Festival. Giorgia herself laughed and replied, “In fact, we were all asking ourselves that.”
Other notable speakers included Massimo Giannini, who reflected on the newspaper’s “many enemies” and the lesson that “power is increasingly ephemeral, leadership tends to fade away more and more quickly, enemies pass away and Repubblica remains.” Lorenzo Cherubini, aka Jovanotti, talked about his relationship with the press and the impact of a tender piece written by Castaldo early in his career.
A Call to Action
Roberto Benigni launched an appeal, asking if anyone had a copy of issue zero of Repubblica, which featured a page about him. The evening concluded with a sense of nostalgia and a renewed commitment to the newspaper’s core values. As Orfeo stated, “Let everyone know that the Republic will never give up its independence and its freedom. We will defend them until the last minute of the last day.”
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