SSVP - Festival la Scarìza. One Poster, Many Stories

Festival La Scarìza, reads the black-and-white poster preserved in the documentation centre housed in Casa Besta. Rock music with Romansh lyrics, new wave from Zurich, Balkan folk and jazz from the Misox – this was the mix of musical styles that was meant to resound through the Val Poschiavo from 31 July to 1 August 1987. The poster image, a work of art by Paolo Pola, almost seems to conjure up the exuberant singing of those festival nights.

But let’s go back to the beginning: What was La Scarìza?
La Scarìza (“spark” in the Poschiavo dialect) was an independent publication that emerged in the mid-1980s on the initiative of a group of young students from the valley. Published six to eight times a year, the magazine took a cultural and satirical approach to local issues and saw itself as a fresh and critical alternative to the media landscape of the time. The project gained around 700 subscribers and was awarded the Canton of Graubünden’s prize for cultural journalism in 1987.

In addition to its editorial work, the La Scariza group was also involved in cultural initiatives in the region, including the music festival bearing the magazine's name. Unfortunately, the festival never took place. Just a few days before the major music event was to begin, on 18 and 19 July, the Val Poschiavo was hit by severe flooding. The organisers were therefore forced to cancel the festival.

The La Scariza editorial project ended in 1995, but it left a lasting impression in the valley. Its spirit – a kind of rebellious cry – seems to live on to this day in the poster for the festival that never took place.