International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Florence
All events not to be missed on Saturday 25 November
Every year, 25 November is celebrated worldwide as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The date was chosen by a group of women activists gathered at the Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Meeting, held in Bogota in 1981, the UN General Assembly later formalised this date. On 25 November 1960, the three Mirabal sisters, on their way to visit their husbands in prison, were blocked on the road by agents of the Military Intelligence Service. Taken to a hidden location nearby, they were raped, tortured, bludgeoned and strangled, and then thrown over a cliff in their car to simulate an accident. They are considered examples of revolutionary women because of their commitment to oppose the regime of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, the dictator who kept the Dominican Republic in backwardness and chaos for over 30 years.
In order to draw attention to this day and, above all, to an increasingly important topic, here are the events not to be missed in the city.
Eredità delle Donne
From 24 to 26 November in Florence - but also online - is L'Eredità delle Donne, the festival dedicated to female empowerment and the extraordinary things women know and have been able to do in every field. The title of the 6th edition, under the artistic direction of Serena Dandini, is Mothers of the Homeland. The festival will feature special evenings, talks and presentations at the Manifattura Tabacchi and Teatro Niccolini, with more than 50 guests from all over the world, in addition to the 215 initiatives of the OFF programme, promoted by associations, organisations, bookshops and cultural institutes. The complete programme schedule on the official website of the Legacy of Women.
Quello che tu chiami amore at Museo Novecento
Also on 25 November at the Museo Novecento, the live event by Letizia Fuochi. Like every year, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Museo Novecento is free for all visitors from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. This year the project involves the historian and singer-songwriter Letizia Fuochi who presents a live event entitled Quello che tu chiami amore (What you call love) starting at 5.30 p.m. in the Sala Cinema of the Museo Novecento. On the occasion, Antonietta Raphaël Mafai's Fiori Secchi, from the deposits of the civic collections, will be exhibited. Admission to the event is free while places last.
Festival Cinema e Donne at La Compagnia
From 24 to 26 November, Cinema La Compagnia will host the 44th edition of Cinema e Donne, Italy's longest-running women's film festival, founded in 1979. This event is part of the 50 Days of Cinema programme and the programme of initiatives of La Toscana delle Donne. Some of the best contemporary female directors at international level, all under 35 or 'millenials', will present ten films. The price of tickets is 6 euros full price; reduced 5 euros. Complete programme on the official website of the Cinema La Compagnia.
Women walk Firenze
On Saturday 25 November there will be a walk open to all to raise awareness of the issue of gender-based violence. It is organised by Korian, network of health from prevention to care, with the patronage of the Municipality of Florence, Quartiere 4 Isolotto-Legnaia and the Artemisia anti-violence centre. The meeting is at 10 a.m. at the RSA Le Magnolie and continues to the Leonardo Da Vinci Medical Diagnostic Centre. Event with free admission.
Flash mob
On 25 November at 12.30 p.m., in Piazza della Signoria, the City Council is promoting a flash mob against violence against women. An initiative open to all.
Events at the University of Florence
The University of Florence is organising more than 20 initiatives dedicated to the topic, both in presence and online, with the involvement of 11 departments and other realities of the university. On Saturday 25 at 9.30 a.m., Rector Alessandra Petrucci will open the meeting entitled La forza delle scarpe rosse: simbolo di resistenza contro il femminicidio (The power of red shoes: a symbol of resistance against feminicide) at the Didactic Centre in Viale Morgagni 40. Also on Saturday 25 November, at 4 p.m., the Aula magna of the Via Laura n.48 campus will host the meeting Reality and representation of gender violence: tra diritto, arte e filosofia (Reality and representation of gender violence: between law, art and philosophy) organised by the Women and Knowledge Permanent Seminar of the Department of Letters and Philosophy.
Library initiatives
There are also numerous initiatives organised by the University Museum System and the University Library System. These include the photographic exhibition Le Madri della Repubblica (The Mothers of the Republic), organised by the Associazione Toponomastica femminile (Association of Female Toponymy) to commemorate the contribution of the 21 women who took part in the work of the Constituent Assembly and hosted at the Social Sciences Library on the Novoli Campus from Friday 24 (5 p.m.) to Sunday 26. The complete programme of initiatives is available on the University of Florence website.
