Naples Federico II University on
Monday opened a medicine faculty in the crime-ridden district of
Scampia which has been a symbol of the local Camorra mafia but
is fighting to throw off the shackles of the Mob.
The area's iconic Vele (Sails) housing project was recently
demolished in a sign that Scampia is getting away from its
'Gomorra' image and establishing a new civic, business and
cultural identity.
The Federico II has now set up its health professions section in
Scampia.
"This is a very important initiative not only for the city of
Naples but also as a strong signal of how much an institution
like a university can do for its local area and the whole
country," said outgoing Universities Minister Maria Cristina
Messa at the inauguration.
"We hope there will be a strong interaction with the local
community," she added, stressing that she was happy that her
last outing as minister had been to the former biggest open-aid
drugs market in Europe.
Naples Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said "this is a victory over
prejudice" and said "the local community has never given up
pressing institutions to change the paradigm here".
Naples Archbishop monsignor Domenico Battaglia said "young
people used to find death here, but now they will find their
dreams come true.
"They will come here to engender hope by helping the sick and
the weak".
City councillor Maria Muscarà cautioned, however, that the
faculty "risks being a cathedral in the desert because of the
lack of proper links to take back fully a zone that for too many
tears was abandoned, an area where the Camorra has never
stopped".
The demolition of the last four of the notorious Vele (Sails)
buildings in the drug-ridden Naples district was interrupted by
the COVID emergency but was finally completed two years ago.
A 'restyling' of the area, which is trying to make a civic
comeback after years of being identified with the Camorra mafia
and drug pushing, then began.
The Sails were an iconic backdrop in the hit Camorra TV show
Gomorra (Gomorrah), based on Roberto Saviano's expose' of the
same name which earned the anti-mafia writer death threats that
forced him into a police protection programme.
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