Today I am talking to you about a not-for-profit organization that fights for safer road infrastructure in the Sardinia region: #AdessoBasta.
We are a group of friends who, one month after the Christmas of 2017 that took away Matteo and Francesco Pintor, came together to change the meaning of a tragedy into positive change, necessary for everyone, starting from a spontaneous cry that can sensitize each one of us.
In these years, I have observed and seen this group of young people grow. I went from being considered one of the “little ones” to being an active part of adessobasta from the very beginning. I was a high school student and now I have recently completed my first university degree.
We have all grown, we have all embarked on a path of progress, and the keyword that has always accompanied us in our projects is perseverance.
The underlying concept through which we were able to give voice to the issue of road safety has always been fun: through trap music, basketball, and modern art, we, the young people of the association, have created musical, artistic, and sports performances under the label “NEPÒ” (from Sardinian, meaning “nephew,” a fraternal way of calling ourselves among friends), in which we have brought together thousands of young and not-so-young people, under the same objective.
A pain that transforms into pure energy, more than a memorial, more than an annual event.
From the first nepò, in which we brought Mambolosco and Nashley to Nuoro, to the second in which Side and Massimo Pericolo shouted “adesso basta” (enough is enough) with us, passing through VIS – social impact evaluation – in which we involved 14 local artists, to the last concert with guest Paky in San Teodoro.
In the vivid memory of two friends, two sons, two brothers, #AdessoBasta has challenged the public administration, political figures, and ANAS officials, urging them to rebuild the infamous “curve of death.”
It doesn’t even seem so far away the day when we started by launching a petition and subsequently collecting 15 thousand signatures from citizens, and yet 5 years have already passed, made up of countless discussions, events, sometimes fights, but today they reveal to us that the rectification works, from kilometer 63 to 64 of SS129, will be completed by September 2023 (maybe).
It took months of work, the time of many wonderful people who dedicated themselves with heart and soul, the support of as many private companies and the help of public institutions; it took months to earn the respect of politics and above all the reputation of guardians of the bureaucratic processes concerning that stretch of road, and meanwhile, we have never stopped.
Our “success” can be measured in terms of appreciation and participation in our initiatives, the overall increase in awareness and sensitivity towards the precarious state of Sardinian roads, and especially with respect to the cultural movement that has been created, starting from the initial scenario.
The added value of #AdessoBasta is the young people who make it up and those who, who knows, will become part of it.
The future is uncertain, but we certainly expect new “battles,” new pages to be written, for sustainable development of the Island.
Article by: Salvatore Podda
