Women, communicators and active protagonists

Video conferencing cycle by AMMPE WORLD

On July 26, 27 and 28, the President of the World Association of Journalists and Writers (AMMPE WORLD), Patricia Mayorga, led the series of online conferences, included as a collateral event in the program of the event «The beauty of Ligurian women: female creativity», an event organized by the Library Services of the Municipality of Santa Margherita Ligure, thanks to the patronage of the Liguria region.

The topics discussed were extremely relevant and topical: «War correspondents: the challenges of field work», «The sneaky forms of patriarchy: sexism» and «France Marquez, new vice-president of Colombia, environmentalist and human rights activist».

In the first topic «War correspondents: the challenges of field work», Mariana Diaz, TV correspondent, and President of AMMPE ITALIA recounted her experience as a correspondent in Ukraine: before the conflict and the second time, in full war. Her moving testimony has made us reflect on the importance of being on the ground, on the dangers and risks involved and on the emotional and human relationships that are often created between journalists and victims of war.

In addition, she went on a journey alone, after being detained for a six-hour examination to verify that she was not a spy. «I found myself living the uncertainty, the hunger, the fear, the cold on me. Mixing personal feelings and work», concluded Diaz, conveying to us, with a single sentence, all her precious testimony.

To analyze «The sneaky forms of patriarchy: sexism» by Sabrina Lembo, Italian writer, newly awarded at the Madrid Book Fair, the conversation focused on the enormous responsibility of the media for the image of women, which is created through the language used. This language can hide us, discriminate against us and even denigrate us. «I too have denounced», the latest book by the writer, awarded by the European Parliament, wants to be a symbol of love and redemption for all those women, and not only, who suffer psychological violence, even before physical.

The question of how much language affects stereotypes, violence against women and even against minors, for Lembo «the patriarchy that we thought had been defeated, in reality is alive and well; there is still a legacy that, once again, makes people write differently when we talk about men and women». There is still a long way to go: «You cannot pretend to change the way of thinking from one day to the next, but you can at least try» the writer concluded.

Finally, in the third and last conference, Patricia Mayorga interviewed the Italian Colombian sociologist, Alessandra Ciurlo, who outlined the profile of the new Vice-President of Colombia, Francia Marquez, environmentalist and human rights activist, first Afro-descending person to hold this office in the 200-year history of the independence of her country.

Feminism and environmentalism: these are the key words on which Marquez has led her glorious election campaign and on which she will base her vice-presidency, explains the sociologist, focusing on the great importance that an Afro-descendant woman has become vice-president in a country like Colombia.

The interesting and rich cycle of conferences has been concluded with the salutes of the City council member for the Municipality of Santa Margherita Ligure, Beatrice Tassara, which has remembered that «Last year in Santa Margherita Ligure, in the premises of Villa Durazzo, the first G20 on the value and enhancement of women was held».

«For seven years now, with the event «The beauty of women» the librarian Marina Marchetti and I have been dealing with this theme, offering space, visibility and comparison to artisans, artists, writers, scholars, women who in a thousand ways decline the creativity, willpower and intuition that all of us need to take an active part in our world, in our time».

Regarding this year’s series of Conferences, the Councillor stressed the fact that «during the conversations a quality of attention, understanding and empathy has been created, truly intense and exemplary, the only effective approach to the issues that reality imposes on us. This is how true communication takes place, with the complete absorption of the message of others in our experience so that both the message and the experience expand. It is the propitious time to rewrite the history of the world with this attitude of listening, with this prophetic search for essential truth», she concluded.

AMMPE WORLD thanks the organizers for this opportunity.