In the name of Destà: Artivism, corporeality, and “postcolonial pathways”

ABSTRACT

This article examines an artivist intervention undertaken by the Italian transfeminist collective Non Una di Meno (Not One Less) in Milan. On March 8, 2019, when the collective marked the statue of well-known journalist Indro Montanelli with pink paint, they also marked out a space of reckoning with the racism and misogyny of Italian colonialism. Foregrounding the perspective of writer Igiaba Scego, this article traces the public reconsideration of Montanelli’s legacy in light of his treatment of a young Black girl named Destà under Italian colonial rule. Recentering Destà in this history has emphasized the corporeal politics of postcolonial Italy, sparked conversations about intersectional coalitions, and mapped out pathways for further decolonial activism. A diverse group of activists, artivists, public intellectuals, engaged citizens, decolonial collectives, and communities impacted by racism are not merely recuperating one colonized person’s history, but organizing in her name for a more just future.

KEYWORDS:

• Artivism
• corporeality
• statues
• Igiaba Scego
• Non Una di Meno
• Indro Montanelli

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. See Serena Volpi’s article in this issue for a history of Montanelli and Destà/Fatuma in the context of Italian colonialism. In keeping with scholars such as Annalisa Frisina and Mackda Ghebremariam Tesfaù (2020), and in an effort to disentangle Destà/Fatuma from Montanelli’s obfuscations, we refer to her in our articles as Destà.

2. This and all subsequent translations from Italian are mine, unless otherwise stated.

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Notes on contributors

Selby Wynn Schwartz

Selby Wynn Schwartz is the author of The Bodies of Others: Drag Dances and their Afterlives (2019), a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and winner of the American Society for Theatre Research’s Sally Banes Prize; her articles have recently appeared in altrelettere, GPS/Global Performance Studies, Feminismo(s) y/en traducción/Feminism(s) and/in Translation, and (Re:)Claiming Ballet. She holds a PhD from the University of California Berkeley in comparative literature.