Awards to leading figures in culture, science and society, interventions with a strong symbolic value and a clear message to politics: gender equality is not a concession, but a right.
Rome, Sala della Protomoteca – The Capitolhosted “Women in the Chair”, an event linked to the XXV edition of the Carthage 2.0 International Award. A day that intertwined celebration and debate, rewarding leading figures of culture, science and society, and at the same time sending clear messages to politics.
The initiative, with an international scope, turned the spotlight on female talent and gender equality, with a program that combined recognition, interventions and moments of discussion. The event was organized by the International Cultural Academy Carthage 2.0, the Tiber Academy, the Guglielmo Marconi University and the Chair of Women, with the cultural patronage of Wikipoesia and Studio 107 Milan.
Breaking the mold was Franco Antonio Pinardi, president of the Tiber Academy, who after thanks to the Capitoline institutions –represented by Fabrizio Santori – wanted to joke about the short memory of politics:
«During the election period we remember everyone, we welcome everyone and we promise. Then, along the legislative road, all too often those who have supported are forgotten».
An elegant but incisive criticism, which immediately set the tone for the day.
Institutional greetings were brought alongside him by Rinaldo Veri, Alessandro Della Posta, Marco Belli and Renato Ongania, underlining the importance of dialogue between culture and institutions.
The prestigious Marie Curie Prize was awarded to women who embody excellence and commitment: the writer Alessandra D’Egidio, Sofia Mezzasalma, Princess Elettra Marconi – represented by Prince Guglielmo Giovanelli Marconi, nephew of the famous inventor Guglielmo Marconi – Laura Mazza, Rossana Lanati, Orietta Muzzi and the journalist Ilaria Solazzo.
The event was enhanced by the presence of Henri Okemba, Ambassador of the Republic of the Congo to Italy. Not only diplomat, but also writer, author of works such as «L’Afrika Social-démocratie» and «Consolidation de la conscience nationale», Okemba brought with him the double face of the statesman and the intellectual, capable of uniting diplomacy and culture in a single voice.
In an innovative gesture, recognition also went to two men: Paralympic champion Stefano Gori and engineer Igor Ukman, demonstrating that parity is inclusion, not exclusion.
The Carthage 2.0 Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Fabrizio Santori, while the G. Belli – F. Lami Lifetime Achievement Award honored the president of the International Cultural Academy Carthage 2.0.
Among the interventions, Luigi Rossi, Franca De Santis, Laura Mazza, Tommaso Valentini, Francesco Scolaro and Sabrina Morelli alternated, with the careful moderation of Antonietta Micali.
One of the most discussed topics was the boundary between authentic feminism and radical female extremism. The “Women’s Chair” reiterated that it wanted to promote a feminism that does not raise walls, but builds bridges. No opposition, no gender war: the real strength lies in inclusion.
The project fits fully into the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda, in particular Goal 5: gender equality. Without justice between men and women, there is no sustainable future. The message launched by the Capitol is clear: equality is not a favor granted, but a right to be exercised.
The International Carthage Prize was born inspired by the grandeur and complexity of ancient Carthage, a Phoenician city that was a rival of Rome but also the beating heart of culture, trade and exchanges in the Mediterranean. Carrying on this name means picking up that legacy of dialogue and encounter between peoples, projecting it into the present as a symbol of cultural openness.
The day ended with applause and recognition, but the deepest meaning remains suspended as a question: will politics be able to remember the promises made yesterday and tomorrow too?
As Antonietta Micali specified at the end:
«The Chair of Women is not a throne, it is a responsibility. Without absolute parity, there is no future. We all have a head, two hands, two legs and a heart to change our lives without depending on others. Behind the mask of protection often hide chains, fears that become cages. From there extreme situations arise. Dignity is not given away or exchanged, it has no gender: we live, we defend, we demand».
