The ‘Sbandieratori’ are coming to town

(Courtesy of Twilight Community Group) e Sbandieratori are the world famous Italian historical column of agwavers. e group was founded by some young enthusiasts in Figline, Valdarno in 1965. Since 1973, after a brief period in the Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Florentine Historic Football), the group has a rmed its independence and reinforced its identity and prestige. Presided by outstanding personalities, the Italian ag throwers group has performed with great success throughout Italy and abroad, bringing the Tuscan tradition of ag throwing from Florence all over the world. ere are numerous members including: ag-wavers, drummers, trumpeters and captains. e group keeps alive the old military ag-waving tradition using wooden sta s crafted and plumbed by hand and the ag fabric is rigorously hand embroidered. e Sbandieratori will be displaying their unbelievable talents on March 16th at 9am on the Parade in Kilkenny and again at 2.30pm the same day as the launch of the European Cultures Together Conference. e Flag wavers will join the Twilight Group as the highlight the Cultures Together message of the overall International Conference 2023. e Conference will have a second series of events in our neighbouring county of Carlow where this worldfamous troop will once again display their talents. ey are calling for compromise when pressing challenges ranging from climate change, pandemic reconstruction and mounting debt burdens should take precedence. ey are looking at the Ukraine con ict through the prism of national interest, rather than the universal principles of democracy and personal freedoms being served to them by the United States. ey include the 32 UN members (including China, India, Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam) that abstained in the UN vote last month demanding that Russia withdraw from Ukraine. ey comprise most developing economies in the Group of 20 that has just met in New Delhi under Indian chairmanship.

Twilight Community Group are proud to announce that the Sbandieratori are part of this year’s International Conference.

Among contesting narratives over the war in Ukraine, the observation that the rst casualty of war is truth is as true as ever: Russia’s narrative is fantastical, Nato’s is partial and unrealistic – and sceptical observers from the Global South have a di erent set of priorities.

It’s the West vs the Rest. As Western allies grouped around Nato converge on a consensus that Russia must be crushed in a titanic battle between democracies and autocracies, the sceptical rest, largely from the developing world, are calling for peace and compromise.

As the National University of Singapore’s Kishore Mahbubani observed, most of these countries believe a “messy peace” would be less traumatising than a “monstrous war”.

And, while Russian President Vladimir Putin may be surprised and perturbed by the unity of Nato’s response, so must the West be surprised and perturbed that so many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin