A community for the future: the Moliški Hrvati, the Molise Slavs
- Nadia Dalla Gasperina
- 14 ago 2021
- Tempo di lettura: 4 min
Aggiornamento: 8 ago 2023
When we think of the diaspora movements from the Balkans, our mind immediately goes to the Yugoslavian wars, the period of transition in the ‘90s, the sweepingly high inflation, and the unbearable unemployment rates. That is indeed how many eastern Europeans came to the West, and the migration flows continue, especially of young people looking for better living conditions in the best performing western European states such as Germany, the UK, Sweden, and so on. However, the content of this article will be dedicated to much older, almost ancient diasporas, and especially the one affecting Croatian people that moved from Dalmatia and Istria to the Adriatic coast of Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries escaping Ottoman domination and wars. Most of us know about the existence of the Arbëreshë communities in Southern Italy: they are ethnically Albanian people that escaped their home country for the same reason as the Croats and in the same timeframe. The only difference is that they constitute a larger minority in Italy, of about 100.000 people, and maintain their presence not only through language and traditions, but also through cultural institutions, and they even have a name for their extended territory: Arbëria. Other than the Arbëreshë, there are many more minorities in Italy that go almost unnoticed, and I will here speak of one of them: the Molise Croats. This is not their official name, as they are recognized as simple “Croats” by the Italian government; moreover, they may consider themselves as general Slavs. They live especially in three small municipalities, that is San Felice del Molise (known as San Felice Slavo before fascism), Acquaviva Collecroce, and Montemitro, where there is also a special Croatian consulate since 2004.
The Molise-Croats shape the life of the region in many ways: first of all, linguistically, as they not only speak both a language that is a mix between old Croatian dialects and the dialects spoken in Molise and other southern regions, but as they are recognized as a linguistic minority following the Italian legislature, they also influence the places’ names: all of the three municipalities hold in fact also a Slavic name (Filić, Kruč, and Mundimitar), and have bilingual road signs. Moreover, they liven up the village life with their own celebrations, such as the festivity of Maja, dedicated to wishing good luck for a good harvest, preserve traditional songs in their own language, sometimes wear traditional clothing, are invested in activities such as weaving and agriculture, and both ancient and modern Croatian is taught in schools, although for only a couple of hours per week.
The presence of Slavs from five hundred years ago in Molise has enhanced the possibilities of cooperation between Italy and Croatia, thanks to funds such as the Interreg from the European Union, but also through the personal activities of citizens. The administration of Molise, often in collaboration with the local university, has been very active in promoting exchange between the two coasts of the Adriatic by implementing projects under the label of Interreg. It is particularly engaged in the development, promotion, and conservation of the maritime environment near the coast, which can be exploited and appreciated for many functions: not only it is a source of tourism in a region, Molise, that is often forgotten by both Italians and foreigners, but it can also host small ports with ships going from one coast to the other, and it can be useful for researchers to study how the sea and the environment change in this part of the Mediterranean basin. Coastal cities and towns, institutions, universities, schools, and NGOs are called to take action in each of these projects, guaranteeing a constant exchange of information and cultural practices between the two countries. Lately, projects focus on blue growth, tourism, and the promotion of economic activities. In fact, one of the main problems of Molise is its economy: its unemployment and especially youth unemployment rates are high, while its regional GDP is much smaller than the national average; depopulation is also a big problem, shared with the countryside towns of Croatia. Therefore, the future perspectives of living in Molise are not the brightest.
Although there is little evidence for it until now, the Molise-Croats can represent a source of light for the economic growth in this region, as they can act as a bridge that is not only cultural and historic, but that also promotes new businesses and enterprises based on the vicinity of the inhabitants of Molise and Croatia. In previous years, the HUMP-CROSBU, an association of Croatian SMEs, has partnered with the organization Sviluppo Italia Molise on a roundtable to discuss small business creation and self-employment possibilities; the event was also supervised by OECD and ESBA. More recently, in the context of the project founded by the EU “Tourism4All”, sustainable tourism and culture are promoted between the two Adriatic borders; the Molise region, as one of the lead partners, could implement it along the Framesport initiative to revitalize small ports and coastal communities. In the cultural and linguistic sphere, a vocabulary exploring the Molise-Croatian language was also created (you can find it here for free). All of these initiatives are two-ways, so that even the inhabitants of small villages in Croatia can benefit from them, especially in regard to tourism and infrastructure development, focusing on sustainable practices. The HTZ, Croatian tourism agency, has promoted in 2018 a cooking competition between Croatian and Italian chefs, representing respectively Dalmatian and Molisean cuisine; in this case, gastronomy was only the base for further developments in tourism and in the preservation of the ancient ties that link the two communities.
As for now, I suggest you pay a visit to the lesser known places both in Croatia and in Italy, and discover the gastronomy, traditions, practices, and languages that may be hidden in some villages of 2000 people.
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