Il valore del monologo di Lorena Cesarini

In the pop scene of the Sanremo Festival, controversy is the order of the day. Between sexuality, gender, sexist flowers and the background buzz of a collective event that brings into play a cultural value that has long been trying to impose itself as a representative of the country, last night the actress Lorena Cesarini brought on stage the theme of racism. The actress has presented a unique point of view and at the same time shared by many Italian boys and girls, born in a country where despite the awareness on the subject too often there are still acts that lack respect to individuals black only for the color of the skin. To the question of "Why are there those who are indignant at my presence on this stage?" The actress responds by reading the passages of "The racism explained to my daughter" and negative comments received following the announcement of the conduct of the evening alongside Amadeus.

"It happens that at 34 I discover that it is not true that I am an Italian girl as many. I remain black. Until today, no one had felt the urgency to tell me. Instead, some people felt it."

So the actress of Suburra introduces the racist comments published on social networks in commenting on his presence in Sanremo: "The non-EU has arrived" or "They will have called you to wash the stairs" are two of the comments left on social media in the face of the news of the co-conducting.

"A little bit at the beginning, I admit, I was hurt. I wasn’t used to it. Then I got angry, finally I got over it. But I still have a question: why? Why do some people feel the need to write certain things on social media? Why is there anyone who is indignant at my presence on this stage?"

He continued, sending a clear message to the audience of a generalist TV not accustomed to listening to such speeches. A younger generation, more "woke", attentive to social issues and living through a social fabric in constant change, more inclusive and in favor of diversity, can be amazed at the simplicity with which certain words have been addressed, forgetting that in prime time on Rai Uno will hardly ever talk about politics or there will be radical manifestos. The point of view of @djarahkan and @naomidimeo on social media, however, made us take a step back, highlighting how to talk about racism in Italy in an emotional way before giving a critical judgment is still necessary indeed, and above all to do so by touching feelings of acceptance to touch those who daily do not suffer the violence of a country in which racist speech is rooted is the best way. Contributor for L'Espresso Djarah Kan tells IG Stories:

"We are not all equal. We will not solve our problems of discrimination and exploitation by holding hands and embracing each other. The purity and ingenuity of Lorena Cesarini still broke me in two. The voice in almond paste in the silence of an audience of rich and mind-blowing whites, his body that can not stand still for the nervousness and weight of those words. Everything said, however not shareable it was precious. It will not be perfect, but it was true. And in that baby gesture, I sensed powerfully all the difficulty that a black person tries to stay in one place without asking, "Can I?" or "excuse me". We must be generous in order to offer this country its fragility, but above all its patience."

Emphasizing that racism and being black is a universal experience but differentiated by structural aspects of existence, Djabah sheds light on how the interpretation and perception of the subject vary on the basis of social origin, geographical location in the country, or simply access to experiences capable of forming a critical opinion for Afro Italians. And rather than criticize Lorena, he adds:

"Let us work so that the tears of black Italians are no longer necessary to justify our existence. Which is probably more constructive than "I would have said that".

Even @naomidimeo has shed light on the value of Cesarini’s words, which in the spontaneity and kindness of the intervention have channeled a sentiment shared by those with their skin color and as the raw society sees it does the accounts every day.

"For the first time I saw myself on TV. Necessary, I’m not believing, it really happened, he said. It was wonderful to see Lorena talking about the subject yesterday, without men to interrupt it or other symbols related to politics or anything to accompany it. In a country that leaves these speeches in the hands of political wizards to fuel racial hatred, seeing this attention on TV is already a milestone. In Italy with these themes you have to start from the basics. Period."

There were also numerous controversies that hypothesized the tokenistic use of Lorena as a "tool to make audience" component of a strategy to keep high ratings and create a bit of media buzz. The actress was also accused of victimhood in a completely unnecessary way. Naomi, to this speech would answer with the phrase: "acknowledging yourself as a victim is not making yourself a victim" by Lisette Lombè, literally translated into: "recognizing yourself as a victim does not make you a victim", protecting the words of Suburra’s actress with the understanding and empathy that her speech wanted to generate.