Silent Screams of Sardinia

Imagine a Mediterranean island forgotten by time. It’s called Sardinia. Imagine a town hidden high in one of the island’s isolated mountains. It’s called Orgosolo. It’s been there since 1300 B.C.E. There aren’t five hundred homes in Orgosolo, but the facades of more than half are emblazoned with murals. The murals highlight the history of the town and its people. They also express the inhabitants’ views of the world we live in today. They think the Italian government that rules them is corrupt, they fear their traditional ways will be eroded by the developers of vacation resorts, and they’re wary of the new kind of colonialism being imposed on them from the United States. There’s even an American military base not a two-hour drive from where the Orgosoli raise sheep, tend vineyards, and dream of murals yet to come.