CEIPES and NOVACT, as partner of SOLREM – A Necessary Past: Remembering Solidarity and Resistance against Authoritarianism in Europe [Project Number 101091335] hold, in contemporary, the Transnational Memory Forum on the 30th of May 2024.
In Palermo, the event was organized in the Palestinian restaurant, Al Quds, while in Barcelona, the conference took place in the prison La Model. The latter, under the Franco regime, became a symbol of repression: many political and trade union prisoners spent many years in its cells, as well as the Roma people and, the LBTQAI+ community. On the other hand, in Palermo, the choice of the place symbolizes an act of solidarity towards a contemporary long Resistance movement, the Palestinian community.
To discuss and reflect together on the history of the anti-fascist Resistance in the two countries, and the links with current events in Palermo, several guests gathered, including Gina Marino, member of the National Association of Italian Partisans (A.N.P.I.), a guest from Spain, Asier Rodriguez Villa, the coordinator for the Europe department at the Institute for Nonviolent Action – NOVACT, based in Barcelona and Omezzine Khelifa, a Franco-Tunisian former politician and social entrepreneur. She founded the Mobdiun – Creative Youth, a social impact and peace organization that counteracts jihadist projects at the local level and fights for youth and security.
Gina Marino presented the commitment of ANPI towards education, in schools and outside, to remember the Resistance of partisans. In addition, she shared two women’s stories who joined the Resistance, they are both Sicilian women, Maria Di Gesù, remembered for her partisan experience as the saboteur, and Maria Montuoro, the silent revolutionary.
Asier Rodriguez Villa discussed the memory and (un)memory of the Resistance in Spain during and after Franco’s regime. He retraced the historical memory measures started in 1976 and the main reforms, to reach the Democratic memory law of 2020.
Then, Omezzine Khalifa, based on her experience as an activist and political involved in the Revolution in Tunisia in 2011, discussed the power of narration. Thanks to her experience she made the audience reflect on the power to critical analysis of the current times and the power to act and react.
Thus, in Barcelona, CEIPES contributed towards Gloria Zuccaro’s presence, she is a pedagogue, expert in migration issues at the University of Palermo. She currently works as coordinator of the SAI in Palermo, in the accompaniment of unaccompanied minors.
This transnational event has been a great opportunity to promote and spread awareness of the history of Resistance and solidarity practices transnationally.
You can learn more about the activities and results of the SOLREM project, by visiting the website.
Furthermore, you can follow the social media channels of CEIPES to be updated about future activities and forums: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
