(19 July 2017) The Dante Alighieri Society has always been committed to promoting Italian language and culture abroad with 401 chapters spread across the globe, in 60 different countries, managing more than 8,000 language and culture courses to which more than 195,000 students are registered. The Society's President, Andrea Riccardi, visited the Johannesburg Chapter last week, where he met with the Italian-South African community. The Johannesburg chapter, which this year celebrates its 90th anniversary, has awarded Riccardi with a commemorative medal. Riccardi appreciated his voluntary work carried out by the members and the leadership of the Johannesburg Dante Society. Beside the work of other Dante offices in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, and Pietermaritzburg), the Johannesburg Chapter's commitment supports the spread of the Italian language, not only among the descendants of the Italian community but also among non-Italians. Italian has become a core subject in schools for thousands of South African children and sets itself as a vehicle for enhancing trade and diffusion of Made in Italy products. Riccardi also met with several institutional representatives including the Italian Ambassador to Pretoria, Pietro Giovanni Donnici, the President and Vice-President of Com.It.Es. of Johannesburg and Inter-Com.It.Es. South Africa, Salvatore Cristaudi and Giorgio Devalle, the School Coordinator and the Primary Secretary of the Italian Consulate General in Johannesburg, Enrico Trabattoni and Marisa Liserre. During the meeting, the opportunity offered to disseminate Italian language through the presence of Italian entrepreneurs in South Africa, especially in the fields of mechanics, cars, and machinery. The Dante Society of Johannesburg took the opportunity to expand the educational offer through specific courses designed for employees of Italian companies. (Red)

PROTECTING AND DEFENDING ITALIAN

Article 1 of the Dante Society's Statute clearly points out the mission founded in 1889 by a group of intellectuals led by Giosuè Carducci and established a charitable trust in 1893 to reunite emigrants with their motherland, therefore, intensifying and maintaining their cultural, humanistic, and linguistic ties with Italy even if far away. Over the years, the Dante Alighieri Society has expanded its institutional horizons, in keeping with the times and, above all, making the most of the new technologies that have marked a real turning point in communication and world trade at any level. Today, the "Dante" Society is one of the most important institutions in promoting and spreading our language and culture. In Italy there are 95 branches, one in almost each province. Abroad, the Society has 423 headquarters spread across more than 60 countries and carries out about 5,900 Italian language and culture courses with more than 200,000 students The Dante Alighieri Society is also committed to ensuring the presence of Italian literature throughout the world through the establishment and upgrade of over 300 libraries spread across the globe featuring over 500,000 titles in various genres.