OEBALUS Cultural Association

The Cultural Association Oebalus was born in 1992 and it assembles professional people, scholars, persons who are inserted in different ways in the productive areas of the island, students and everybody who is close to the problems of the Island of Capri, refusing provincialism and preferring a systematic and scientific analysis of the island and of its problems. The Association gets its name from Virgil's Aeneid's hero, Oebalus, prince of the Island of Capri, who was unsatisfied by the narrow limits of its reign. For those who acknowledges the Association, Oebalus's myth became a symbol of the unsatisfaction for the restricted way-of-thinking which can be seen in much part of the island's life. Since its foundation, the Association has been particularly involved in proposing and promoting meetings in which the history of Capri has been reread in a most attentive and critical way. In october 1992 a meeting about greek and roman Capri was held, in september-october 1993 three days were dedicated to Capri's prehistory, in december 1993 there had been a meeting about epigraphy, in may 1994 a conference about the origin of the name Capri and about the old toponymy of the island was held and in june 95 a conference about trade in the Gulf of Naples in the Bronze Age. The Association is concerned also with the actual problems connected with the political and cultural life of the island, therefore in April 94 it promoted a meeting about "Etics and religion in Capri." In May 1996 started a cycle of conferences dedicated to the studying of the relation between the sacred and the cultural and political life started with a meeting dedicated to prehistoric religion and another dedicated to the classical religion (october 1996; Marisa Tortorelli, Eduardo Federico, Stefania Adamo Muscettola). In May 1997 the Association organized a meeting about general aspects of problems of Southern Italy (Paolo De Marco) and another dedicated to the relation between Capri and the politics of the eighties (Francesco Barbagallo, Ernesto Mazzetti, Mario Massa, Pasquale Calvino).	Between September and October 1997, three meetings have been organized about “Capri and Islam”. These have been occasions both to set an historical local problem, and an opportunity to rouse the attention and discussion on different cultures which are usually subject to intolerance or at least unknown, therefore misunderstood (Giancarlo Lacerenza, Michele Vallaro, Elita Serrao, Giuseppina Igonetti, Carla Capece Minutolo, Giuliana Boccadamo took part in them). In December 1997 it was organized a meeting about “volcanic risk in the Gulf of Naples” with Giovanni Orsi e Lucia Civetta. In January 1998 the Association promoted a public meeting about Hebraic question in Italy with the presence of Paolo De Marco and Vincenzo De Gregorio. In February 1998 a meeting about religious integralism in Christian world was organized, with the partecipation of Adriana Valerio. In March 1998 it was commemorated the Greek poet of Capri, Bleso, with the special presence of Marcello Gigante. In occasion of the 8th Week of Science and Thecnology, the Association organized a meeting about the relation between Science and Media, with the partecipation of Filippo Barattolo and Patrizia Marotta. The Association is particularly interested in social, political and cultural themes which go beyond the bounds of the island and which could help civil and cultural growth of the community: it is involved in stimulating a scientific approach to the cultural and political world. Since 1992 the Association organizes guided tours with experts of the nature and history of the island.