The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

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A book on the Italian cultural legacy in the Dominican Republic had been awaited for years. In 2001, one

of the great intellectuals of the Dominican Republic, Marcio Veloz Maggiolo,

wrote an article titled “Ital-

ianos en la vida dominicana” (Italians in Dominican life) in which he states the following:

There is no research work on the Italian presence in Dominican life. The migrants of the beginning

of the century, those of the sugar mill, the English of the islands, the Arabs and the Chinese, have

perhaps been treated as a subject on a much larger scale than the Italians. This article, then, is a simple

guide and is not intended in any way but to draw attention to a community that has been fundamen-

tal to what was Dominican life, its history, and its national makeup.

The logical thing would be for a researcher to initiate in-depth studies of the Italian community on

the island of Santo Domingo from the same colony, where the presence, in one way or another, of

Italians is already appreciable

We should reflect on the fact that it took twenty years to respond to Marcio Veloz Maggiolo’s invitation

to present a book on the Italian community in the Dominican Republic, despite the strong presence of Ital-

ian cultural roots and also of a community so influential economically, but also in terms of culture, and in

the various areas that are highlighted in this book. I think it is still interesting to see that the impetus for this

project was initiated by the embassy, and therefore from Italy (and not from the Italian community itself, as

might seem natural), given the simultaneous need to foreground an important and living past and to present

a renewed image of Italy.

I believe that this ambitious public diplomacy project will take the relations between Italy and the Do-

minican Republic to a new level. I am convinced that an enhanced appreciation of the Italian cultural legacy

in this country, which can be achieved by showcasing the exemplary and iconic stories of famous Italians

who have changed the history of the Dominican Republic by helping to foster modernization and establish

essential institutions for its future, represents a moment of pride for our community, which encompasses

both the earlier and more recent waves of immigration. Both can identify themselves in the extensive and

meaningful, lasting yet ongoing Italian contributions to development of the country, which should lead to

even more robust relations between the two components of the Italian community and between Italy and

the Dominican Republic.

Strips extracted

from the comic

book “Italians in the

Dominican Republic -

Stories and adventures

of old friends”,

published by the

Embassy of Italy in

Santo Domingo.