Varese - “Guess who’s coming to dinner”, a meeting between cultures against prejudices in Varese - Varese Laghi - Varese News

Younger people may not remember it, but “ Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” is the title of a film that marked the history of cinema and contributed to the spread of a culture of civil rights for African-Americans in the United States. Released in 1967 , it was the first Hollywood film to openly address the issue of mixed marriages between blacks and whites . Director Stanley Kramer , with an exceptional cast including Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Cecil Kellaway and Katharine Houghton, broke a taboo and brought the issue into public debate. The film received eleven Oscar nominations, winning three, as well as three David di Donatello Awards.

His legacy has inspired numerous projects over the years focused on the encounter between different cultures , on hospitality and on food as a tool for relationships. This spirit inspired the initiative “Guess who’s coming to dinner”, which took place on Saturday 19 May at the Cooperativa Belforte in Varese, on the same day that a far-right summit was held in Gallarate, a few kilometres away. The event was organised by the cultural association 100venti, committed to promoting intercultural dialogue and inclusion, led by president Yao Amani Jacques .

“Meeting each other over dinner in homes of Peruvian, Chinese, Egyptian, Moroccan, Tunisian, Somali, Cameroonian, Indonesian, Sri Lankan and other cultures around the world is important,” says Yao Amani Jacques, “because food, a totemic element of our society, becomes a pretext for bringing people and stories together, breaking down borders and prejudices, sitting down together at the table.”

This is not a gastronomic project , but a relational initiative: food is the means that allows us to create bonds, overcome cultural barriers and promote conviviality. At the Belforte Cooperative, numerous participants shared life stories and cultural traditions, tasting dishes such as Cameroonian couscous and Indonesian Batagor. Among those present were the mayor Davide Galimberti , the provincial secretary of the Cgil Stefania Filetti , the provincial secretary of the PD Alice Bernardoni and the president of the provincial Acli Filippo Cardaci.