Storytelling as key to making cultural heritage accessible and engaging

The article argues that preserving artworks is insufficient; they must be made alive and meaningful through storytelling. It cites the anecdote of Michelangelo's Moses statue, which appears alive but mute, as a metaphor for cultural heritage that does not speak to contemporary audiences. The author criticizes museums and historic sites for presenting art as frozen, cataloged, and untouchable, while true art should be an open wound, a journey, an experience. The piece advocates for cultural storytelling that balances scientific rigor with narrative ability, warning against detaching works from their contexts and the power dynamics of museums. It critiques the 'aesthetic of likes' and rapid consumption on social media, where masterpieces become Instagram posts or WhatsApp stickers. The author proposes involving writers, actors, poets, and videomakers to create new forms of storytelling, including 'digital ekphrasis'—short videos that interpret artworks. The goal is not to make art more pop or Instagrammable, but to save it from becoming inert objects. The article concludes that transmitting heritage means making it part of an active, participatory, emotional, and 'spiritual' dialogue, with Michelangelo's hammer as a metaphor for storytelling as an essential tool for valorizing cultural heritage.