BRESCIA – From Aug 20-27, the 89th Congress of Italian Esperantists was held, the theme of which was peace in the international community.

 Esperanto is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language, created by the Polish ophthalmologist Ludwik Zamenhof in 1887. Its aim was to create a neutral and easy way to learn a language, to be useful for international communication, while not acting as a substitute for other national languages.

 The main topic of the congress was "Peace does not happen by chance: the active role of relations between twin cities in the construction of a European people." The theme discussed was that peace can also be maintained, by raising the awareness of the citizens of twin cities. According to the organisers of the Congress, a common, neutral language, such as Esperanto, favours an understanding between people with different origins.

 Values manifested during the events ​​such as understanding, friendship, equality certainly evoke a sense of peace. The organisers of the Congress have tried to involve citizens and institutions by proposing Esperanto as a modern and effective instrument of peace.

 As a part of the Congress, many events were organised, including seven conferences, a public debate, two seminars, two Esperanto courses and an Italian course for foreigners, the presentation of a dozen new books published in Esperanto, and nine excursions to introduce the Brescia area. The Congress covered the entire city of Brescia with the Esperanto Culture Festival, where concerts and theatre performances were held.

 Of particular interest was the film "Pino: Accidental Life of an Anarchist" talking about Claudia and Silvia Pinelli, daughters of the anarchist Esperantist Giuseppe Pinelli who tragically fell out of a window of the Milan Police Headquarters in the aftermath of the Piazza Fontana massacre. His daughters participated in the film projection during the festival.

 227 members participated in the events in the city, more than half of them from 19 different countries. Most members came from Poland, Germany and France. The congress was organised by the Italian Esperanto Federation and the Brescia Esperanto Group. 

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