Faenza, the Mei proposes a street named after Arte Tamburini

The City Council agenda aimed at rebalancing the important gender gap in the city’s topographical nomenclature was approved. The MEI proposes on 4 October in Faenza on the occasion of the opening of the MEI 2024 for the Arte Tamburini Prize and for the 70 years of Romagna Mia to dedicate a street to Arte Tamburini, the first voice on record of Romagna Mia in 1954 and first entrepreneur female in the sector of Romagna folklore: a woman between tradition and innovation. Furthermore, it would be a way” declares Giordano Sangiorgi, promoter of the MEI, first signatory of the proposal together with the Ente Tutela del Folklore Romagnolo and the Club Secondo Casadei “that would finally give credit to the great musicians who have accompanied our city from the post-war period to today to which many squares, streets, theaters, museums and much more should certainly be dedicated given the importance of music in Faenza which has made it known in Italy and around the world and would also have an important tourist attraction”.

The mapping carried out by the “Female Toponymy” Association has revealed that in the city a large part of the streets are dedicated to men: there are 365 streets and squares named after male figures compared to only 19 named after female figures. Of these 19, only 11 are dedicated to figures outside the religious world. The text presented jointly commits the Mayor and the Council to formalize the desire to dedicate the new streets, squares, green areas, sports or educational facilities to female personalities who are currently not adequately represented in the city’s toponymy.

Although the text was approved by a majority, the choice by the Brothers of Italy and the League to reject the order was discussed, while Progetto Civico Faentino abstained: «We really don’t understand the reasons: also and above all by symbolic and expressive languages ​​undergo the great cultural changes of society. Being able to recognize deserving local and national female figures in the streets of your city contributes day after day to instilling awareness in younger generations and beyond that it is also possible for women to reach leadership positions and contribute to the well-being and progress of society. The rebalancing of gender equality in city toponymy is just one of many tools that can make equality truly effective and they are not just bandied about in words – they comment from the Democratic Party – this outcome is regrettable because beyond the attempt to grasp at straws, it certifies in fact the persistence even among the political forces of Faenza of prejudices that are no longer justifiable and acceptable”.