With a roundtable discussion titled "In-Formazione: Processes and Practices for Change," the University of the Republic of San Marino, in partnership with the Authority for Equal Opportunities, continues its awareness-raising efforts on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25. Speakers at the discussion will include Maria Domenica Michelotti of the Authority for Equal Opportunities; Luigi Guerra, Director of the Department of Educational Sciences at the University of Bologna; Federica Zanetti, Professor of Didactics and Special Pedagogy at the University of Bologna; Patrizia Stefanelli, Head of the Women's Health Unit at the San Marino Hospital; and Arianna Taddei, curator of the research that provides the most up-to-date data on the phenomenon in San Marino, which was previewed during the event. Taking place from 3:00 PM at the Concordia Cinema in Borgo Maggiore, the initiative is part of a broader effort that has seen 40 posters displayed across the Republic in recent weeks. The posters feature graphic designs that emerged from a competition held in recent months by students from the University of San Marino's Design programs and beyond. The content, which prominently features the phrase "Be the Judith with your Holofernes," is inspired by the figure of the "biblical Judith," explains author Marco Tomassoli. "Her story goes that on the 34th day of the siege perpetrated by the Babylonian general Holofernes against the people of Israel, now on the verge of surrender, Judith exploited her natural beauty to seduce her enemy, beheading him during their first night together and thus preserving her purity. The choice of such an extreme icon," the designer continues, "required visual-communicative restraint: we chose to frame exclusively the faces of the various 'Judiths' offered by 16th-century artists who reinterpreted the story, almost decontextualizing them from the crudeness of the gesture, focusing on visual features that are nonetheless delicate and gentle."
The winning poster, along with the other 19 works selected for the competition, which saw the collaboration of the Authority and ProDomina, will be displayed in an exhibition open until January 15, 2017. The opening will take place alongside the round table. Events to raise awareness about violence against women also include the play "Beauty and the Beast," aimed at elementary school students and scheduled for the mornings of November 29 and 30. Additionally, the initiative "Women's Profiles — Female Figures in Today's Cinema" will take place at 9:00 PM on November 30. Both events will be held at the Cinema Concordia in Borgo Maggiore.