And the International Women’s Day. Al The ceremony with the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the highest state officials were present.
Unfortunately, it is “confirmed that women – in art as in many other fields – in order to express themselves and realize themselves have had to face an additional amount of effort, an additional amount of commitment, almost a hidden and inexplicable burden on their activity. As if they were required additional obligations and had to continually pass more rigorous examinations and judgments – said the head of state -. That they should always demonstrate the value and expressive capacity at the basis of their art”. “This is unfortunately a well-known, widely studied phenomenon, which has its roots – he added – in prejudices and stereotypes about women which still resurface even in societies who consider themselves more advanced”.
“Women and art or, rather, women of art is the theme we have chosen for this Women’s Day 2024. A topic that wants to underline the female contribution in the imagination, in the creativity of the arts. A contribution of great importance – and too often neglected or, sometimes, even ignored – in one of the fundamental sectors for the very life of humanity. Art is not an escape from reality, it does not represent the superfluous. Those who evaluate it in this way have a narrow and distorted vision of existence and it denies at the root the very nature of the human person, his innate and irrepressible desire for research, inspiration, interpretation of reality. Art is an essential part of the history of humanity. Without it the world would be gray and dull.”
“Our Constitution states with effective simplicity that “art and science are free” – explained Mattarella -. Art is freedom. Freedom to create, freedom to think, freedom from conditioning. Its potential lies in this attitude revolutionary: and it is no coincidence that authoritarian regimes look at artists with suspicion and monitor them with spasmodic attention, spying on them, censoring them, even imprisoning them. Dictatorships try in every way to promote a state art and culture, which are nothing more than a fictitious regime art and culture which rewards the servility of official singers and punishes and represses authentic artists”.
“It was the revolution of female freedom – “silent revolution” according to the definition of the Nobel Prize-winning economist, Claudia Goldin – which had women as protagonists and led them to establish the full right to equality, even in the artistic field “The silent revolution continues even today. There are more and more women writers climbing the circulation charts or working at the top of publishing houses – recalled the President of the Republic speaking at the Quirinale on the occasion of 8 March -. In in the musical field, the categories that assigned roles or instruments according to gender are being overcome, with very capable orchestra conductors and musicians playing instruments once usually reserved for their male colleagues. In cinema and theatre, the number of female directors is increasing and of female producers, who sign films or shows with their particular imprint, as in the figurative arts, in architecture, in design. There are no longer any sectors, fields, fences or barriers that limit women’s creativity and their free ability to choose. It is a new spring, which we must welcome with satisfaction, without forgetting the many obstacles that still exist – of a material and cultural nature – to achieving full equality”.
“Harassment, illicit pressure in the world of work and discrimination are still frequent, unacceptable, as has been reported for years”, Mattarella said. And he added: “without losing memory of the violence”. “How can we not remember the victims of the many feminicides, even in recent days? How can we not remember, for all of them, Gulia Cecchettin, whose tragedy involved the whole of Italy in horror and pain? It has been said many times – even in those days – that profound cultural action is needed to ensure that everyone acquires an authentic sense of the relationship between women and men: art is an effective and driving vehicle for training and transmitting life values. For this reason, today, we pay homage and we express gratitude to the artistic protagonism of women”.
“I am passionate about legal street art and as youth minister I have worked a lot with these kids”, said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commenting on the work of the young artist who participated in the ceremony at the Quirinale on 8 March. “I really liked her,” Meloni said. “Then – she added – they are all important in their work and in their path for how they build it”. “When you assert yourself – he said – in a world where you always have to prove more, another door opens and I think we must say thank you to these people, to those who were not here today and to anyone who manages to open a door for all”.
Roccella: ‘Women are always protagonists but history is written by men’
“‘We are women, we are more than half, but we count for nothing in this humanity’. It was the refrain of a militant song from the seventies, when the squares were filled with colourful, festive women, fighting for their freedom, to change laws and customs, public and private spaces – said the Minister for Family, Birth and Equal Opportunities Eugenia Roccella during the celebration of International Women’s Day at the Quirinale -. The phrase of the song is true, but not completely: in reality women have always counted, they have always been present in the history of humanity, they have built it as protagonists. Historiography, however, was written by men, who told what seemed most important to them, that is, the political and military events, the sphere of power, in short, event history”.
“For every human being, private life, affection, care, trust and solidarity are a fundamental part of existence, and in this area, closed by often insurmountable domestic walls, women have spent their energies and their own lives: they raised children, cared for the frail and sick, made spaces that were not habitable, every day, with intelligent patience. But behind the repetitiveness of the gestures of domestic work and care there is an unexplored utopian force that has sent forward and preserved the world. In this activity women poured an internal tension towards a precarious, unstable perfectibility, destined to break immediately to be continuously recreated. The female utopia was nonviolent and concrete, daily and minimalist, because it was thought within a system of relationships; it did not prefigure abstract models, but moved on real needs, for real people. This everyday life was also history, the construction of human civilization passed through here too, with its conquests”.
Meloni: ‘Reflect on the objectives still to be pursued’. Von der Leyen: ‘The road to equality is long’
“Women’s Day is not just a day of celebration, but an opportunity to reflect on the achievements achieved and the objectives still to be pursued“, he wrote on social media the Prime Minister. “Thanks to the support of concrete policies implemented by our government, we have promoted female employment, the results of which – certified by Istat data – make us particularly proud. However, we cannot stop here. We are aware that there are still challenges to face and will continue to work with determination to ensure that women have a better future in which they can fully realize their potential, without having to choose between life and work.” “Thanks to all the women for how they demonstrate, every day, their commitment, their determination and their infinite ability to make a difference in society.”
On X the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen: “Europe has contributed to gender equality. For salary transparency, more women on boards of directors and freedom from violence. But the path towards full equality is still long. It requires attention and commitment every day. And from each of us “. “When I was little, women didn’t have equal rights. Now in 2024, look at how far we’ve come. We continue the fight for equal rights and opportunities for everyone,” she adds.
“Women have changed the world“: this is how the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, posting a video. “Throughout history – states Metsola in the short film -, women have been pillars of strength and resilience in every society: from leading families to leading nations, from breaking barriers in boardrooms to leading the way in in science and technology, women have changed things and shattered stereotypes.” “It is up to us to make it easier for those who come after us to pass the baton to the next generation, underlining the impact that women have had and continue to have in our communities and societies”, underlines the President of the European Chamber.
IL PODCAST
breaking latest news © Copyright ANSA