Italica: RAI’s Pipe Dream

If there was ever justification for transforming Italy’s government-financed and operated Radio, Televisione Italiana (RAI) into a private institution, it is Italica, the high-tech, high-cost Internet endeavor.

Financed in part by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italica’s concept to expand the Italian language and culture throughout the world
is, according to some experts, so far into cyberspace that it may be
unreachable.

During a recent conference in Naples, RAI International President Roberto
Morrioni and a twelve-member panel set out to explain and “justify”
Italica to the foreign press. In typical Italian fashion, each expert had
his say, turning a relatively simple introduction of this Internet Web site
into a two-hour philosophy lesson on why the Italian language should be
globally disbursed and why a second-generation Italian in, say, Australia,
would desire to participate in mother-tongue, online university studies of
Dante, the Renaissance and the Italian language.

Linked with 105 universities around the world, Italica is without a doubt the largest database of Italian history and culture on the Internet, incorporating RAI’s vast news and image archives, as well as the libraries of universities throughout the peninsula. This aspect of the project, journalists concurred, has some value, even if none of the resources are currently in English.

It was the virtual campus that the foreign press viewed as RAI
International’s pipe-dream. Is there a need for online classes in Italian?
Is there a market for it? Or is this merely another government-funded project to justify the positions of those involved?

There is growing pressure on the Italian government to rid itself of
state-owned companies such as RAI and the national rail system, FS, which
cost tax-payers billions of lira each year. One of the major political
parties pushing for privatization is Forza Italia, headed by business
tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. According to the party’s platform, state
monopolies have been poorly managed for years and are merely a burden for
Italian citizens.

Many journalists at the Naples presentation came away with a similar
feeling about Italica. Unfortunately, they were not given the opportunity
to question the panel, which rushed off to avoid traffic generated by a nearby soccer game.

During a hands-on testing of Italica, however, one reporter asked: “This
is really an extensive project. How many total Web pages are currently on
the Net?”

“Actually,” replied RAI International’s press coordinator, “the site is not
yet fully active. What you’re testing is not online.”