Resistance and Pride: the Murals of Orgosolo, Sardinia

The small town of Orgosolo in the mountains of Sardinia is known for its murals:hundreds of them in a town of only 5,000 inhabitants. Although murals exist throughoutSardinia, those of Orgosolo are noteworthy because of their political content. This articledescribes the origins of the mural tradition in the events of the late 1960s and early 1970s in the town. The combination of a left-wing council and youth group, as well as the powerful influence of an art teacher, led to the start of a process that continues to this day. The murals are classified into four interrelated themes: war, resistance, ethnic pride and resonance. But most importantly, the relevance of the mural tradition is placed in the context of the rejection by local people of northern Italian stereotypes which display them as backward shepherds and bandits, wedded inexorably to tradition and the rejection of progress.