L’Asilo
The mutualisation and sharing of means of production is one of the founding values of the Neapolitan (and not only) experience of the commons. Since its birth, the ex Asilo Filangieri has dedicated its space to material and immaterial productions related to art and the performing arts, brought together in the ” Armoury ” project. “What would happen if the wolves made a pack with the lambs? If Pinocchio made peace with the guards and the cats went out in the evening with the rats for a drink? But then, is it true that wolves and lambs are at war? Or is it just something we have been told in bad faith? Perhaps wolves and lambs are simply complementary to each other, and work together to preserve the harmonious wonder we call life. Sharing one’s means of production and knowledge with others, abandoning the logic of narcissistic competition, generates an environment where almost anything is possible’.
Although it is a space mainly dedicated to artistic and cultural production, l’Asilo also hosts other social and mutualistic activities.
Scugnizzo Liberato
The Scugnizzo Liberato, a commons that defines itself as a “mutual aid workshop”, has been hosting since its opening various social and/or training activities for the inhabitants of their neighbourhood and the city’s migrant communities. In the Scugnizzo there are, for example, the Nablus Italian language school for migrants, the Nessuno Escluso association, which organises a solidarity canteen and the distribution of clothes for people in economic difficulty or who are homeless, the Bottega di Amma, a space for mutual aid for families, and the intercultural workshop in English “Liberate your English across cultures!”. A particular mutual activity carried out in the Scugnizzo Liberato concerns the creation of artisan workshops and shared work spaces.
Villa Medusa
Numerous recreational and leisure initiatives have taken place at Villa Medusa, to simplify and not make it too long we will focus only on the most significant ones. We will focus on the important events and those that can be associated with the achievement of the idea of Casa del Popolo, also as a transversal centre between different subjects. That transversality was pursued by involving the elderly and children, politically exposed subjects and civil society.
The commons in the face of the pandemic
Starting from March 2020, with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy and the declaration of the first lockdown, various commons, occupied spaces and Neapolitan social movements organised themselves, both individually and as a network, to face the health emergency and the consequent social and economic crisis with various initiatives of support and mutual aid for people and families in difficulty.
Mutual Aid Napoli
Between 2016 and 2018, several social activities related to mutualism, assistance and grassroots unionism carried out within the Neapolitan commons were coordinated within the network MSN – Mutuo Soccorso Napoli.