ASBESTOS WITHOUT BORDERS

starring Giustina Testa
Author and Director: Sabrina Morena

in collaboration with Teatrobàndus

Giustina Testa

As part of a series of initiatives particularly for young people which EARA (European Asbestos Risks Association) is carrying on, one of these concerns “Asbestos without borders”, a light performance with an actress to be represented both in theaters and schools, in seats of associations, outdoor sites, and in the context of meetings and conferences. The text, which is currently only in Italian and Slovenian, broadly outlines the history of asbestos production in Europe, the lethal effects on workers in quarries, factories, construction sites and the population living in the adjacent areas. It will highlight the shameful blindness and silence of all those who have pretended not to see tragic reality when compared with the negative data from the analysis of asbestos pollution. With irony and sarcasm it will describe the cynicism of those who, despite all evidence of toxicity of the substance, continued to produce and distribute this product, regardless of polluting the environment. Battles will be carried on for health and correct information, together as all those possible struggles still to be done. The story will focus on areas and situations dealing with associations who are members of EARA. The protagonists are Veneto, Slovenia and Croatia, and of course Friuli Venezia Giulia with its capital city, Trieste, its citizens, its employees, its associations that are fighting for the protection of the environment. It should be emphasized that asbestos problem and related illnesses are a matter of international concern, the crucial link between adjacent zones: environment has no borders, but should be respected by all those who inhabit it; that sickness and suffering are not property of a population rather than another, that common experiences have to be shared so that victories of some can also become a lesson and an achievement for others.