Lubna Alli

Tiredness hit me again today. This time harder that in the previous nights. I had even consciously forced myself to try and get a few hours of sleep in so I could be recharged back to 100% for class today. Guess that plan backfired because I caught myself nodding off in and out of lecture. So did my classmates (who had also found themselves to be victims of jet lag too). I’m also most confident my professor caught me in my weak moments when I gave in to sleep deprivation (mie scuse!).

And then she pulled up a image of Malala Yousafzai onto the projector. I was back to 100. All eyes, all ears, I was ready to talk about the Pakistani hero that my dad speaks so fondly of. Thousands of miles away, in a small classroom in Siena, with a light breeze blowing in through the window, I felt a piece of home. Malala reminded me of dad. And dad reminded me of home.

We spoke of her backstory; the one so well known it needs no explanation. We spoke of her mission and her purpose. And we spoke of what motivates her and makes her an authentic leader. The reading focused on that today. Authenticity and how one defines it. We came to a few conclusions. Authenticity was to be self aware, to have trust, loyalty and life stories.

In many ways similar to how Malala demonstrates leadership, the contrades (districts) also use the same leadership style. In Siena, there are 17 contrades of the Palio, all of which have their own insignias, colours, mottos and museums. We were given the privilege of having an exclusive tour of the contrada of the lupa, also known as the she-wulf. We learned about the traditions that have been passed down for centuries in preparation for the Palio, the famous horse race that has taken place each year in Siena at the Piazza del Campo (city square) since the 1300s. From what I’ve gathered, loyalty and teamwork seem to be the two key ingredients in the recipe that has been used to put together successful Palios for centuries on end.

First off, the loyalty to your contrada comes with a sense of pride. One cannot just simply join a contrada, they must be born in that contrada to reserve a spot. What this also means is that if, for example, you were born in Florence and you move to Siena, you are still not officially a member of any of the Sienese contrades. Different Members of the contrada contribute to preparing for the regular festivities that are put on leading up to the Palio, and it is from this that a sense of pride and team work is formed. I have walked the streets of Siena and seen with my own eyes the sense of familia here. In the evenings, chances are there are contrada parties and contrada dinners that are put on, where members of the contrada volunteer to set up, cook, DJ and tear down (once the night is over).

As was also explained by our tour guide, leadership and power in decision-making is divided amongst the contrada members. We were reminded that, in essence, even the mayor of Siena has very little power in decision making where it concerns the Palio because the tradition is so firmly engrained in what defines the culture of the city of Siena. Everything about the contrada is executed the same as it was 800 years ago and so even the mayor of Siena must consult the contrada before making any major decisions that may affect it’s members. This is a stark contrast from the mayor of Canada, who is free to dictate all changes within its municipality.

Inspired,

Lubna