Memorie Ribelli / Rebel Memories is a homage to antifascist and anarchist resistance. Developed during a workshop as part of a week of activities of the Entity of Decolonization around the reuse of the fascist village of Borgo Rizza, in Sicily, the project brought together stories of resistance movements to be remembered, shared, and discussed.
Together with the artists Laura Fiorio and Goga Mason, the community of Borgo Rizza, and the collective Entity of Decolonization, we researched figures and stories of resistance, not only within the Italian context but also globally. The research was developed in collaboration with the Anarchist Archive in Catania and its custodians.
Through research into their stories and the creation of 1:1-scale images of these figures, we brought their presence into Borgo Rizza, situating them alongside us as hauntological presences that guide and protect us.
Together with the figures, we have also collectively sewed a banner with the motto: Ricordare, Ricostruire, Resistere – Remember, Rebuild, Resist. Banners have long been instruments of celebration and protest. Making one collectively became a space for conversation, remembrance, and resistance.
At the end of the week, we performed a collective parade through the Borgo, carrying these figures with us and populating the abandoned site with the new presences. They become guardians of the site, confronting the ghosts of fascism that continue to haunt the place, us, and our present.
