FROM MICHELA & FRANCESCA
Rurale Femminile - Heroines! Italy Kick off
"What comes to mind, and more importantly who comes to mind, when we think of concepts such as rurality, agriculture, and, more in general, the countryside?
In most cases we would probably picture images of male farmers, male vine growers, male tree pruners and so on. Very rarely we would think of female farmers, vine growers or pruners. The collective image of agriculture and life in rural areas is heavily associated with masculinity. In this imagery the woman, "the weaker sex", is (and always has been) excluded from the countryside.
On the contrary, we know as a matter of fact, from family stories but also from history, that women have always been present in the rural space, contributing to rural economies through differentiated but decisive work. The invisibilisation of women in the agricultural/rural context is therefore not only very unjust towards all those women who have for generations practiced and passed on knowledge related to the rural world, but is also problematic for new generations, as it drastically reduces the possibility of girls and young women to imagine a future of their own in the rural space, outside of stereotypes and discrimination.
For these reasons we decided, for the Italian version of the Heroines! Movement project, Rurale Femminile, to focus on the rural and agricultural context, strongly believing in the power that counter models can have in shaping and changing the world. The rural space is also the space that we ourselves live daily, ever since, four years ago, we decided to move (back) from Amsterdam and Utrecht to a small town on the mountains in the South of Italy to start a rural/social lifeproject.
Concretely, Rurale Femminile consists in creating a set of 10 posters (drawing + story) each centered around the figure of an inspiring "rural" woman. The posters, each realized by a different illustrator, will later be used in workshops for kids and events aimed at enriching the imagery connected to the rural world. The first poster of the project tells the story of Tullia Romani, an(extra)ordinary woman who, together with her life partner, started one of the first organic agricultural cooperatives in Italy, taking back an ancient monastery on the hills of a depopulated area.
In choosing her figure, we decided to highlight the importance of all the "ordinary" day to day care work. This type of work, that is actually essential for every long term project, is still very ofen done by women, and therefore forgotten and not valued. We, on the contrary, think that highlighting it is very important!"
The Slovenian organization Zavod APIS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum, have created an event about Slovenian-African heroines, as part of the Africa Day 2025 cultural programme. The event includes a creative workshop for girls between 11 and 15, and a public launch of a publication highlighting the creativity, stories, and experiences of extraordinary women of African-Slovenian descent.
The three stories featured in this event are about accomplished artists, and written by Jasna Gabrovsek, based on interviews she conducted. Like all projects within the Heroines! Movement, the Slovenian project addresses the impact of gender stereotypes on young girls, their education, and career choices, and promotes the creation of positive role models to empower youth.
We wish Jasna, Zavod Apis, and the participants of the workshop a wonderful day!
Heroines! Movement organised a conversation with poet and human rights activist Somaia Ramish about the situation of women in Afghanistan. Topics included the role of poetry in Afghan society, the power of taking symbolic actions. We also addressed the question of what we can do today to support women in Afghanistan as they are banned from education, speaking in public, making art, going outside without male company. Heroines! Movement will continue to explore this topic with Somaia, to find ways to support women in Afghanistan.
Maria Liberia-Peters, former prime-minister of the former Dutch Antilles, first woman prime-minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands reacts to her story in the Heroines! book 'Het Begint Met Een Droom' (It Starts With A Dream):
‘I am speechless. (..) for a healthy development of society we need to contribute to building self-esteem and self-worth in the young generation. Only then we can conquer the many challenges on our life’s path. (..)
Hopi danki.’
We thank Maria Liberia-Peters for being an inspiration and for generously helping us with the school project! Read responses from readers and reviewers to Het Begint Met Een Droom by clicking on the button below.
Heroines! has partnered with Herstory, a cultural movement that tells the stories of mythic, modern and historic women.
Together we’re creating a series of books for young girls in every country that will share the untold stories of local women and their extraordinary accomplishments. All the books will launch with supporting lesson plans for schools. Stay tuned for more exciting news from the Heroines! + Herstory collaboration.
With your generous support the GoFundMe campaign for Heroines! Nepal has raised over three thousand dollar for the development of a children's book. The Heroines! Nepal team has used these funds to research, collect and record many stories of courageous Nepalese heroines. They are preparing for the next steps - stay tuned!
Professor of Molecular Astrophysics Ewine van Dishoeck is portrayed as a heroine in a pictorial children's book. ‘It starts with a dream' tells the stories of twenty exceptional Dutch women who have had a positive impact on society. The book aims to give young girls role models and encourage them to follow their dreams.
Maria Liberia-Peters, former prime-minister of the former Dutch Antilles, first woman prime-minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands reacts to her story in the Heroines! book 'Het Begint Met Een Droom' (It Starts With A Dream):
‘I am speechless. (..) for a healthy development of society we need to contribute to building self-esteem and self-worth in the young generation. Only then we can conquer the many challenges on our life’s path. (..)
Hopi danki.’
We thank Maria Liberia-Peters for being an inspiration and for generously helping us with the school project! Read responses from readers and reviewers to Het Begint Met Een Droom by clicking on the button below.
Maria Liberia-Peters, former prime-minister of the former Dutch Antilles, first woman prime-minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands reacts to her story in the Heroines! book 'Het Begint Met Een Droom' (It Starts With A Dream):
‘I am speechless. (..) for a healthy development of society we need to contribute to building self-esteem and self-worth in the young generation. Only then we can conquer the many challenges on our life’s path. (..)
Hopi danki.’
We thank Maria Liberia-Peters for being an inspiration and for generously helping us with the school project! Read responses from readers and reviewers to Het Begint Met Een Droom by clicking on the button below.
Maria Liberia-Peters, former prime-minister of the former Dutch Antilles, first woman prime-minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands reacts to her story in the Heroines! book 'Het Begint Met Een Droom' (It Starts With A Dream):
‘I am speechless. (..) for a healthy development of society we need to contribute to building self-esteem and self-worth in the young generation. Only then we can conquer the many challenges on our life’s path. (..)
Hopi danki.’
We thank Maria Liberia-Peters for being an inspiration and for generously helping us with the school project! Read responses from readers and reviewers to Het Begint Met Een Droom by clicking on the button below.
