Round Table ‘Tradition and innovation of contemporary Lucanian masks: the Teana Carnival’

On Saturday 1st March 2025, the Sala Marino in Teana (PZ) hosted the Round Table ‘Tradition and innovation of contemporary Lucanian masks: the Teana Carnival’, organised by the Pro Loco of Teana with the patronage of the Municipality of Teana and the Department for Humanistic, Scientific and Social Innovation of the University of Basilicata.
The initiative was moderated by Vita Santoro, anthropologist at the University of Basilicata and, after the institutional greetings of the Mayor, Vincenzo Marino, it included speeches by: Vincenzo Salvo, president of the Pro Loco of Teana; Leonardo Montemurro, president of the National Confederation of Crafts of Matera; Antonella D'Auria, anthropologist and research fellow in the European MASKS Project.
During the round table both the speeches and the interesting debate that followed with the audience concerned the Teana Carnival and its masks, especially the one considered the most representative and emblematic, that of the Bear. This mask is, in fact, considered not only a symbol of identity for the local community, but also a real resource, capable of involving individuals, groups and associations during the days of the Carnival festival. The objective of the reflections that emerged was to highlight the knowledge and skills connected to the creation of the masks as future structured and sustainable forms of craftsmanship, since Teana's masks are not conceived as mere products or objects, but as processes, in which tradition and innovation coexist, survival and new uses, a past revitalised in the contemporary world and which has now become cultural heritage. 
The round table ended with the viewing of an audiovisual document on the making of the mask of the Urs during the Teano Carnival, produced by the research group of the University of Basilicata with technical support from the company RWM Broadcast of Matera.