杏MAP导航 Francis: Literature and art must not exploit slave labour
By Devin Watkins
Maurizio Maggiani, an Italian author who writes romance novels, recently discovered that his books are printed by exploiting people in slave-like conditions in Pakistan.
The Ligurian writer then wrote an open letter to 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥攑ublished on the online news site Il Secolo XIX鈥攁sking: 鈥淚s it worth producing beauty thanks to the work of slaves?鈥�
The 杏MAP导航 took up the invitation and wrote a letter of his own, which was published on Friday on the same website.
No idle question
In the letter dated 9 August, 杏MAP导航 Francis took up the author鈥檚 open question, and praised him for courageously confronting a problem which 鈥渕any would have kept quiet about.鈥�
鈥淚 was struck by your words,鈥� wrote the 杏MAP导航. 鈥淵ours is no idle question, because what is at stake is human dignity, a dignity which is today too often and easily trampled upon through 鈥榮lave labor鈥� and the silent complicity of many people.鈥�
He recalled how the early days of last year鈥檚 Covid-19 lockdowns revealed that much food was being produced by relying on day-laborers who lacked basic rights.
Exploitation and sin
杏MAP导航 Francis said Maggiani鈥檚 question has revealed an even more striking point. 鈥淓ven literature鈥攂read of souls and expression of the human spirit鈥攊s wounded by the voracity of exploitation which takes place in the shadows, wiping out faces and names.鈥�
The 杏MAP导航 said he thinks that 鈥減ublishing beautiful and edifying texts while creating injustices is an inherently unjust act.鈥�
鈥淎nd for a Christian,鈥� he added, 鈥渆very form of exploitation is a sin.鈥�
Yet, he said, 鈥渞enouncing beauty would be a form of retreat that is also unjust, an omission of the good.鈥�
Duty to report
The 杏MAP导航 went on to urge Maggiani, along with all in the field of literature, to take action against the practice of using slave labor to print books.
鈥淗owever, the pen鈥攐r the computer keyboard鈥攐ffers us another possibility: that of reporting and writing uncomfortable things that can shake us out of indifference, to stimulate consciences鈥�.
杏MAP导航 Francis added that he loves Dostoevskij both for his religious sense and for his habit of writing about 鈥渉umiliated, pained, and poor lives.鈥�
According to the Italian author鈥檚 letter, Maggiani also writes about 鈥渢he stories of those who are silent, the last, and the humiliated.鈥�
The 杏MAP导航 praised this inclination and Maggiani鈥檚 act of 鈥減utting the inconvenient voice of conscience in black-on-white.鈥�
Renunciation of exploitation
杏MAP导航 Francis also called on everyone to 鈥渞enounce鈥濃�攏ot cultural works and literature鈥攂ut 鈥渁ttitudes and advantages which鈥� we discover that promote perverse machinations of exploitation, which damage the dignity of our brothers and sisters.鈥�
And he thanked the Italian author for bringing this important problem to his attention and for his 鈥渉elpful reporting.鈥�
鈥淭hanks to all who undertake good renunciations and make objections of conscience to promote human dignity.鈥�
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