Big Mama and Noemi: 'Getting out of violence is possible, we are not alone'

Together to tell women that they are not alone, to make them understand that those who have suffered violence can start again. Marianna Mammone, aka Big Mama, and Veronica Scopelliti, aka Noemi, recently performed on stage at Alcatraz in Milan, in a performance that showed all the power of female solidarity. 'Before, I used to think I was alone in putting my face out there, in talking about violence against women without being afraid to say: I was raped when I was 16,' Mammone explains, 'Now, when I'm on stage and I look at the other artists, I realise that it's not like that. There are people who extend their hand to me and say: I also believe in this fight'.

Big Mama and Noemi are part of the artistic workshop of Una Nessuna Centomila, a foundation dedicated to preventing and combating violence against women, founded in 2023 by Fiorella Mannoia, Giulia Minoli, Celeste Costantino and Lella Palladino. "The message we want to send is that you can get out of violence," Noemi emphasises. "I was a victim of violence, and yet here I am. I don't want to be ashamed to tell about the abuse I suffered, I want others to look at me and say: if she made it, I can make it too,' reiterates Big Mama, explaining that women with a past of violence 'are not butterflies that can't be shot at, they are women who can and want to give so much'. Among the objectives of Una nessuna Centomila: to support anti-violence centres and shelters, to support affectivity education in schools, to overcome stereotypes and cultural prejudices, starting with the words used also in making music.

But precisely from music comes, at times, violent and sexist language, typical, for example, of trap, listened to by the young and very young. Trap songs, in which women are despised, humiliated, considered functional tools for the pleasure of men, have ended up at the centre of controversy. The Ministry of Culture has taken action, the permanent table of the Italian music industry has started a discussion, but always reaffirming the autonomy of the artists' freedom of expression. Enzo Mazza, president of Fimi - the Italian music industry federation - recalls that there is already a warning system for parents and children: the parental advisory explicit content logo. Paola Zukar, manager of rap artists, states that art 'does not have to have an educational role, it can be provocative and countercultural. But leaving these tools in the hands of minors, without confrontation with reference adults, can be harmful'. The message therefore goes to parents and schools, which must teach children to live their own emotions and listen to those of others. Only from here can change start, Marianna Mammone and Veronica Scopelliti are also convinced.