The video from La Volpe Sophia (Sophia the Fox)  “The Embrace” has been released these days to correspond with World Embrace Day, which takes place on January 21.  We talk about it with Andrea Lucisano, author of the song and animator of the initiative. In Naples, the song will be broadcast on the subway monitor circuit on Saturday, World Embrace Day, while there are already numerous initiatives in schools.

After so much pandemic and so much distance between people what is the message you want to send?

“The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts,” said the philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius.

I would like to tell people this: don’t be distressed by the images you see on television, by the things you hear on the radio that only and exclusively serve to lower your vital state.

Let us look for the beauty that always exists and focus on that.

It is necessary to propose beauty to teach mutual respect and hence self-respect to children and adults. We are part of a community and can only be happy if we learn to recognize and respect each other. That is why I wrote this song: to celebrate the value of reciprocity. We are partners in a common project called society. So many have totally lost these references and the communities stagger in the darkness of ignorance, people live without realizing the beauty and privilege of being alive. When the eyes of the soul are closed, one is like blind in the night.

How did young and old react to this initiative?

My association La Danza delle Farfalle (www.ladanzadellefarfalle.com) has, over time, created a network of schools through friendship with teachers, schoolteachers, who always welcome the educational artistic works I produce with great interest, curiosity and participation. In  many regions of Italy, teachers have played the song to children, who liked it very much.

From Bra for example,  teacher Chiara called me after proposing the presentation to the kindergarten children. They greeted me on the phone with a joy and enthusiasm that are truly precious nourishment for a soul, like mine, that produces or tries to produce beauty. From Miano, in the province of Naples, teacher Rosalba is preparing an event with all the children embracing each other. In Pozzuoli, in the province of Naples, teacher Giovanna has involved the entire school in an event where everyone will hug each other while listening and dancing to the song. So too in Tuscany, on the island of Elba, with teacher Enrica. In Potenza, headmaster Rocco Telesca of I.C. A. Busciolano really wanted this event on embracing [to take place] with my song in an event coordinated by teacher Maddalena. And also, an extraordinary event was held by the Preschool IC2 de Filippo Vico – Arzano (Na), coordinated by teacher Antonella and her colleagues, which saw all the children embrace each other. And again,  teacher Renata in Palermo, always active when it comes to propagating a campaign on affective education, is preparing the event on hugs; [it happens also] in Trapani with teacher Maria, in Ragusa with teacher Barbara [and] in Rome with teacher Sara. An extraordinary event [is] created by IC2 de Filippo Vico Preschool – Arzano (Na) and coordinated by teacher Antonella and her colleagues. [Events also occur] in Athens with teacher Anna, [and] in Hamburg, Germany, with head teacher Patrizia Mueller. In Mondragone next week there will be a coordinated event with teacher Elisa, and in Barletta, all the children embraced in the elementary school “i.C. Modugno-Moro” thanks to teacher Elisabetta.

Very many other teachers whose names I don’t know, in many other schools, will use the song of  Sophia the Fox to make their children hug each other. In short, it is having a great success because it produces a wave of good that invests the national community by uniting schools and families in many regions of Italy. A campaign of affective and emotional education proposed by me and my association [and] produced and disseminated for free for the common good. I thank Evelyn Egner, a member of my association.

How are your activities continuing?  What are your plans?

I have so many new ideas to implement and produce, but I would need support from families who can acquire the plush toy of The Sophia Fox by sending a request to ladanzadellefarfalle@gmail.com. Or by purchasing the song at the link https://lavolpesophia.bandcamp.com/track/labbraccio

This would allow me to have the opportunity to create other projects that seek to spread love and beauty. In this regard, I invite you to listen to other songs I have written such as IL CARRO AMATO (La Volpe Sophia), AMA (Andrea Lucisano) and LA DANZA DELLE FARFALLE (Andrea Lucisano) and LA SPERANZA (La Volpe Sophia). All these songs are part of educational projects for new generations.