Anime migranti in musica: la visione mediterranea di Almamegretta e Piero Pelù

Abstract

This paper presents a study of songs written by the Neapolitan dub band Almamegretta and by the Florentine rocker Piero Pelù of the band Litfiba. The songs here analysed address the Mediterranean Sea as a cultural space representing a fluid means of transport for melodies as well as people. To better convey this stance, the lyrics are written in Italian, Neapolitan, English, French, and Arabic, and the hybrid sound of the tunes is a mix of genres ranging from Western rock to African, Eastern, and Jamaican contaminations. Among the themes covered by the songwriters are the similar conditions of African and Southern Italian immigrants, the notorious crossings of the Mediterranean Sea by migrants reaching the Italian shores, and the musicians’ wish for a peaceful coexistence of peoples
and cultures.