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Manu Scribere is an interesting Italian festival devoted to italic
handwriting. It is organised by AGI, the Italian Graphology Association, in
collaboration with Istituto Grafologico Internazionale “G. Moretti” ", the
Campaign for the right to write by hand and OSSMED. The festival takes place
in Bologna, it has concluded its third edition and it's planning the 2025
festival. Each edition is devoted to a
specific theme and has a vibrant programme, with the participation of
language experts, writers, scientists, artists and many workshops for children
and adults. The 2024 edition, from the 27th to the 29th of September, was a great success.
Handwriting is part of our identity, an important ability we lose
if we don’t rediscover and practice it. Have you ever realised that years ago in
your mailbox you were used to finding postcards and letters, while today all you
can get are bills, fines and unwanted advertising flyers? Nobody is writing by
hand anymore, and that’s a pity. When you write a letter you devote your time
to another person, and it’s a way to show how you care. And what about the lost charm of love letters and messages in a bottle?
Last summer I re-read my grandmother's letters. I felt so nostalgic that I promised to send postcards and letters again for special occasions. I
had lost my ability to write by hand; when I started to handwrite again, I realised I couldn't write in italics any more. My handwriting was a mix of capital and small letters. I didn’t remember how to trace the signs and had to train my hand because it was extremely clumsy and it even hurt.
I had to brush up on old books and watch tutorials about italic handwriting. In
September my oldest son started primary school and soon became enthusiastic
about learning how to write. As a coincidence, scrolling through the news, I came across Manu Scribere festival and I thought it was a sign. I decided to know more about this
project.
Mr Guglielmo Incerti Caselli, President of AGI (Italian Graphology
Association), the association that organises Manu Scribere festival, told me about the aim of this
project, which is to protect and promote the ability of italic handwriting and
also help people find a balance between technology and handwriting. Several scientific
pieces of evidence prove that handwriting, especially italic handwriting,
activates different areas of the brain and has positive effects on
concentration and memory. In particular, the last edition of the festival also focused
on “Swedish Education”. Sweden, together with the US and Norway, recently gave priority
to handwriting in schools, after having noticed the negative effects of the exclusive
use of digital writing.
According to MIM (ex MIUR), the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit, dysgraphia diagnoses
tripled in the last seven years, due to the lack of handwriting teaching at school. In
many preschools and primary schools, handwriting is not taught, for several different
reasons. That’s why AGI promotes several ventures to inform people about the
benefits of handwriting and reintroducing handwriting in schools.
Thanks to AGI, the law that introduces the Italian Week of Handwriting, which will take place on the 15th of January every year, is under approval.
Moreover, AGI is part of the newborn Parliamentary Intergroup that will suggest and
promote new laws, including the one that will reintroduce the teaching of handwriting, together with a professional graphologist, an important figure for the School Orientation and Graphic Gesture Education, in schools.
Finally, AGI is also promoting at Unesco the acknowledgement of the italic handwriting as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity.
Technology is a huge help in many different aspects of our lives. Even if overuse is damaging our ability to write, read and count the right
balance is still possible. As testified by Manu Scribere festival, the interest in
handwriting is increasingly growing.
"Handwriting is more connected to the movement of the heart."
What do you think? Are you still writing in italics? Let me know in the comments!
To be updated about Manu Scribere, follow:
More about the festival Manu Scribere on YouTube
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