The International Public History Festival Returns with its 7th Edition
Dedicated to “People on the Move”
The 7th edition of the International Public History Festival, titled “People on the Move: Emigration Yesterday and Today,” took place in Lecce from November 25th to 27th, 2024. As in previous years, the Festival was organized by CESRAM (Center for Atlantic-Mediterranean Studies), and explored the theme of migration by examining both historical experiences and contemporary dynamics. The program featured a blend of seminars, presentations, and educational activities.
“People on the Move” represents the concrete and symbolic realization of the Erasmus+ project “Voices of Migration,” born from a collaboration with Casa do Professor (Portugal) and Art+Inn (Lithuania). The festival highlighted the very essence of migration as a life journey and a meeting between cultures.
The choice of the name underscores the journey many migrants undertake, a voyage that is not only geographic but also cultural and emotional. “Voices of Migration” has collected their stories, and this edition of the Festival provided them with a platform to speak in an open context, where the audience could listen to and learn from the experiences of men and women, but especially from students of all educational levels, breaking stereotypes and prejudices.
Furthermore, “People on the Move” became an occasion for celebration and cultural exchange, blending traditions, food, music, and words in a spirit of sharing. This year, the Festival not only celebrated diversity but also aimed to build bridges between migrants and host communities, raising awareness of the values of integration and mutual understanding.
Public history plays a crucial role in helping people understand migration phenomena and promote integration, as it takes history out of academic circles and makes it accessible to a broad and diverse audience. Through exhibitions, documentaries, games, books, concerts, and testimonies, the Festival allowed the migration experiences to be told in a direct and engaging way, giving voice to their stories and revealing the complexities of migratory paths. This approach not only facilitated a better understanding of the challenges and resources that migrants bring with them but also helped build empathy and human connections. It is important to remember that, in addition to scholars, the Festival also targets students from all educational levels, making it, this year more than ever, a socially useful initiative.
Moreover, by bringing together the past and present, the Festival contributed to showing how migration is an integral part of our collective history. This awareness fosters a more inclusive view of society, reducing prejudices and helping to lay the foundation for true cultural and social integration.
Among the many experiences highlighted by scholars, students, citizens, and enthusiasts, two particularly moved the audience. The first was from the ICS “Peppino Impastato” school in Veglie (Lecce), which created a project with students called “My Home Has No Walls.” Through the construction of a model, students, families, and teachers illustrated the homes of families with a migration background, where spaces and furnishings tell the story of a life in two tones—origins mixed with the host country. The second was from the IC “De Giorgi” school in Lizzanello-Merine (Lecce), which, through the comic “The Story of John, Rahma, and Bayrem,” narrated the journey of some classmates who arrived in Italy, facing the dangers of the Mediterranean. What struck the audience the most was when the AI used by the teachers to create the comic book panels chose to depict Rahma, a Tunisian student, wearing a veil. Rahma disagreed: she does not wear the veil and refuses to, “fighting” with the artificial intelligence. Her story became a “national case,” proving that the only true intelligence… is human.



