Rome, 2 August 2022 – Today is the “banana eating competition“in Friuli Venezia Giulia, an initiative that has been included in the Monteprato men’s festival of Nimis (Udine) triggering a fire controversy. For days they have been repeating allegations of sexism against a party born at the end of the 70s as a goliardic event to be celebrated on August 2 but which this year raised strong protests, together with a online campaign to desert her it’s a petition to prevent the event of greatest recall from taking place. The one advertised by the party poster in Monteprato which, with the image of a girl in bikini eating a bananaannounces the appointment with the “banana magicians competition” for 2 August.
The president of the Equal Opportunities Commission between man and woman of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Crpo), Dusolina Marcolin, who intervened stigmatizing the initiative of 2 August and the image given by the poster of the event. “There will certainly be many occasions for party between men on this date, but of this particular event it turns out that it even has legendary origins. However – adds Marcolin – the last poster shows only one very serious cultural declinealso of communication, which has reached incredible levels “.
Marcolin’s note also recalls the origin of this anniversary which, according to what has been ascertained, falls within the local context of the first post-war period with uncomfortable conditions of climate, poverty, and a single point of social aggregation of the community (tavern). In the 70s, a group of guys he invented a goliardic party also attributing to it legendary roots and, over the years, the event has acquired international fame but – still highlights Crpo Fvg – it has definitely dropped in level, given the poster chosen and the video published online. Hence a complaint not for the party itself, he specifies, “but for the organization of a very special race and the consequent use of images and language that offend e they violate the culture of equality of which all become champions “.
Not only that, adds Marcolin, “mortify and they rage on the sacrosanct right of women not to be continually subject to violenceas well as ridiculed and trivializedas in the case in question “, translating the feast into a form of” denigration and selfexualization of the woman“. Even this action, Marcolin continues,” constitutes a form, not so subtle, of violence that must be put to an end and, for this reason, the Commission invites women – he concludes – to do not participate in competitions of this very low levelbut also, to everyone in general, to disapprove of its organization because, without claiming to be moral to anyone, it is a question of lack of respect“.
Among those who have joined the online petition to ask for the cancellation there is also the “banana eating contest” Patrick Zaki: “Organizing a ‘Banana Eating Competition’, open to women only, on the occasion of the celebration of the men’s day is completely inappropriate and unacceptable. I kindly ask everyone to sign the petition to prevent this event from happening “, the Egyptian student of the University of Bologna on trial in Egypt and specialized in gender studies wrote on Twitter.