Sardinia's voice resonates once again in the Gennargentu mountains. In Tonara, the birthplace of Peppino Mereu, the poet whose verses shaped the island's most authentic identity, the event "Peppinu Mereu, 153 Years of Poetry, Music, and Culture" returns this year.
An entire weekend — Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th November — to celebrate Sardinian culture through music, choral singing and poetry, with two historical festivals, “Canti e musiche popolari” (27th edition) and “Cori Internazionali” (11th edition), and with the prestigious “Po' Peppinu” poetry prize in the Sardinian language.
Organized by the Tonara Female Polyphonic Choir, directed by Giovanna Demurtas, with the support of the Municipality of Tonara, the BIM Taloro, the Pro Loco, the Sardinia Region, and other local entities, the event unites music and literature in an embrace of memory and rebirth. Special guests also include representatives of the Sardinian choirs "Peppino Mereu" of Siena and "Dimonios" of Abruzzo and Molise.
"Every year," explains Caterina Carboni, president of the choir, "we want to honor Mereu's memory and, at the same time, keep our traditions alive. Despite the difficulties, we continue to believe in the power of culture as a link between generations and peoples."
The program opens on Saturday at 6 pm in the gym of the Technical Institute on Via Gallura, with performances by the Canarjos Choir of Nuoro (directed by Paola Puggioni), the tenor Santu Bachis of Bolotana, the Peppino Mereu Folk Group of Tonara, the singer Maria Giovanna Cherchi and, of course, the Tonara Polyphonic Female Choir.
On Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m., the awards ceremony for the "Po' Peppinu" competition will be held in the same space. Each year, the competition welcomes hundreds of compositions in all variations of Sardinian, with sections dedicated to young people and schools. In the afternoon, at 4:00 p.m., the Pro Loco will host a screening of the documentary film "Terra de Musas," directed by Gianni Atzeni and Pier Luigi La Croce, dedicated to the poet's life.
Born in 1872, Peppino Mereu was a poet who transformed the Sardinian language into a vehicle for protest and beauty. With "Nanneddu Meu," set to music in 1974 by the Rubanu group, he gave voice to the pain and pride of an entire people. The competition named after him, promoted by the Tonarese women's choir since 2017, is now among the most important poetry prizes in the Sardinian language.
"Each edition," emphasizes Giovanna Demurtas, "is an invitation to never forget who we are. Mereu's words remind us that poetry can still speak to the hearts of our people."
