Join us for a seminar exploring organized crime through the lens of literature and history!
From Asian secret societies such as the Triads and Tongs to Sicily’s Cosa Nostra, criminal networks have shaped economies, influenced politics, and controlled communities across cultures. Even Singapore, now seen as a model of order and modernity, once grappled with secret societies that thrived until they were decisively dismantled.
This seminar will connect Singapore and Sicily to examine how literature can shed light on the global persistence of organized crime — fostering a dialogue that bridges cultures, histories, and continents.
The event also marks the 100th anniversary of Andrea Camilleri’s birth. Through his celebrated Inspector Montalbano novels, Italy’s most renowned crime writer depicted Sicily as a mirror of society’s struggles with corruption, complicity, and hidden power, offering a vision of the mafia that transcends folklore and reveals its deeper entanglements.
Speakers:
Mauro Novelli – Professor, University of Milan
Alastair MacBeath – South East Asia Coordinator, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Lee Kok Leong – Heritage Researcher, Singapore
The seminar is organized by the Embassy of Italy in Singapore, in collaboration with Fondazione Andrea Camilleri, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and National Library Board as venue partner.
Monday, 03 November 2025 | 5.30 – 7.30 PM
Central Public Library / Room 2
100 Victoria street, B1 -01, Singapore 188064
