Asso di Monnezza and trafficking are on stage from today at Teatro dell’Orologio

by Letizia Palmisano

Ulderico Pesce is back in Rome (until January, 24th).

“Asso di Monnezza”, the play written and interpreted by Ulderico Pesce – sold out all around Italy – is going to be in Rome at the Teatro dell’Orologio (via dei Filippini) since January 12th to 24th (ticket 10-12 euros). In 70 minuts, Pesce tells the waste trafficking in Italy, both the municipal waste and the industrial waste trafficking, that grip Italy «so that the real trump card is “monnezza” (slang for garbage), that is the illegaly waste disposal offers a big possibility of enrichment to crime», as Pesce himself claims.

Asso di Monnezza is part of Civil Theatre already followed by Ulderico Pesce with “Storie di Scorie: il pericolo nucleare italiano” (Stories of radioactive waste: the Italian nuclear danger). The plot has been written on the base of official documentation of Italian Magistrature and of Eco-mafia Report by the Italian association Legambiente. Many quoted inquiries are still ongoing and the play denounce Camorra clans, which are involed into this fructuous activity, public officers, holders of “false” agricolture composting firms that often and often land toxic waste in abusive landfills and farmland.
The play has many funny moments and serious reflection scenes. The story of characters (see below) is linked with true data of “civil” region of Lombardia, of Rome and town of Malagrotta. Names, places, data. But also concrete solutions, as the domiciliary waste collecting of Colli Aniene that involve the viewers, called to be first of all citizens.

Play’s goals are stressed by Pesce himself (at the end of the show as during all his public speeches). He intends to throw light upon:
- the municipal waste disposal that is often quoted by press and that reveals a South Italy as “incapable to manage its monnezza” because in the hands of crime and corrupt politicians, and a North capable and effective;
- the illegal industrial waste disposal, never quoted by press and that reveals the rich North producing dangerous chemical waste, part of which are landed in South Italy, on farmland, on firms for agricultural fertilizer, on sea, rivers etc. and with chemical laboratories (especially in Tuscany) that are called to give explanations about false certificates that declare that toxic such as chromium, zinc, arsenic and other are let them harmless. All this happens meanwhile every year in Italy a mountain of toxic waste 2,6 meters high and 3 hectares wide disappears.

Ulderico Pesce in Asso di Monnezza underlines the necessity of penal punishment for environmental crimes including into the Italian Penal Code the offence against the environment.
Pesce himself claims: «Nowadays, in Italy, there is a shame: if you kill someone or steal something you commit a crime that will be criminally punished, if you pollute the sea or the land the crime is not criminally punished, but it would be solved with the payment of a fine».
In order that environmental crime will be included in Penal Code, Pesce has created a petition on his website www.uldericopesce.com.