Edela and the courage of those who remain: in Prato, “Il sindaco pescatore” (The Fisherman Mayor) with Ettore Bassi in support of the association for orphans of femicide, a major theatrical event in support of Edela: a story of legality and hope to help those who have lost everything to find their future again.
Prato is hosting an event that combines civic theater and profound humanity. Il sindaco pescatore (The Fisherman Mayor), starring actor Ettore Bassi, will be staged for the first time in the city thanks to a collaboration between Giacomo Coppola’s Rewind Project and Edela – Association supporting victims of femicide and orphans of domestic crimes. The entire event, which will take place on December 3 at 8:45 p.m. at the Teatro Politeama, will be dedicated to supporting the association’s activities and keeping the spotlight on one of the most dramatic and silent emergencies in our country: children orphaned by femicide.
Edela, a network that shines a light in the darkness
Founded ten years ago in Campania thanks to the intuition and determination of its current president, Dr. Roberta Beolchi, Edela is now a national organization that supports hundreds of families throughout Italy. From its first experiences with families in Campania to its expansion into Lazio and then other regions, Edela has built a supportive and concrete network over time, capable of intervening in the most difficult moments, when silence falls and the cameras are turned off.
“When everything around us stops, when the spotlight goes out and these children remain invisible, that’s when we step in. Because no one should feel abandoned twice,” says Roberta Beolchi. Edela intervenes immediately after the crime, alongside foster families, supporting them with healthcare, school, and daily expenses to restore stability and a future to those who have lost everything. At the heart of it all is concrete philanthropy, the desire to accompany children on a path to rebirth: to get them back to school, making up for lost years of study, giving them the opportunity to graduate, to gain professional experience through internships in partnership with companies, and then to be hired, becoming independent adults.”
Edela opened the first national help desk dedicated to orphans of femicide in Genoa in 2022. Hosted at the national headquarters of Confcommercio Salute, Sanità e Cura (Confcommercio Health, Healthcare, and Care), it has also managed to create operational synergy with the Liguria Department of Equal Opportunities, Confcommercio Genoa, and Terziario Donna Confcommercio (Confcommercio Women’s Tertiary Sector).
“A unique point of reference, created – as the president points out – so that we leave nothing unresolved, placing the office within a program of interventions and projects that will continue to grow thanks to the collaboration between institutions, associations, and businesses.”
Thanks to an agreement signed with ANCI Giovani in Montecatini, Edela has long been the first organization to be contacted whenever a femicide occurs in a given area, to ensure timely support and a real presence. This is true in any municipality or province where it occurs.
Edela is a network that is growing day by day, thanks to representatives and professionals in every region, united by the same goal: to transform pain into strength and silence into future.
Representing the association in Tuscany is Dr. Elisa Chiappinelli, a psychotherapist from Prato specializing in gender-based violence, who learned about Edela following a femicide in the area.
“On one of the first occasions when I visited a family in the area,” Chiappinelli recounts, “to avoid the victim’s parents having to travel after the tragedy that had occurred, I rang the doorbell and as I climbed the stairs I heard a tiny voice whispering, ‘Mummy…’. It broke my heart. When the grandmother, who had lost her young daughter a few days earlier, opened the door, she said to me: ‘I’m sorry, Elisa, but you know… she’s still looking for her’. Those words became the title of a research project, a collaborative effort, which I presented during my specialization in criminology and which was made possible thanks to Edela’s support.”
“Edela’s genuine support is what today allows thousands of children to have a life closer to that of their peers, a life that speaks of the future,” says Chiappinelli. “This theater show coming to Prato, with a message as clear and important as its social value, speaks to all generations, especially young people: it is up to them to forge the future that some of their peers, unfortunately, have seen taken away from them.”
Theater as a lesson in courage, justice, and hope
With this event, EDELA brings another story of courage and civic engagement to the stage.
“Il sindaco pescatore”, produced by Michele Ido and written by Dario Vassallo and Edoardo Erba, will be staged at the Teatro Politeama Pratese on December 3 at 8:45 p.m. It is a touching show that excites and moves the audience in the theater.
It is a lesson in legality and civic engagement, particularly significant for some students of the “Club delle pagliette” who will be involved before, during, and after the show. The story comes to life in the last moments of the life of Angelo Vassallo, mayor of Pollica, who was killed in an attack on September 5, 2010, for his tireless love for the common good and for his land. It is a dramatic and profound confrontation between a man and his killer.
On stage, Ettore Bassi, an Apulian actor of great sensitivity and stage presence, becomes the Mayor of Pollica in an intense and poignant performance, capable of conveying to the audience the passion and dignity of a man who believed in politics as service and love for justice. Some students will also be involved on stage, in a valuable lesson in shared legality, combining theater, memory, and civic education.
The aim of the event is to shed light on all the victims who fell in defense of ideals that cannot be questioned. A show not to be missed.
Tickets and information
Tickets for “Il sindaco pescatore” are already available on Ticketone.it.
Schools and interested parties in the Prato area can also contact Edela Toscana representative Elisa Chiappinelli directly: elisachiappinelli@virgilio.it
The event is sponsored by the Province of Prato and organized by Rewind Project, in collaboration with Lions Club Toscana, Distretto Leo 108A, The Gram Journal, White Radio, Confcommercio Prato e Pistoia, Fondazione Ami Prato, White Radio, and Teatro Tv – La cultura sul Web. It also sees the collaboration of the Aglianese, Galcianese, and Montemurlo soccer teams, and the participation of the Club delle Pagliette.
The show’s sponsors include Big Mat Alfaedil, I Vivai, Belfor, Gruppo GMG S.p.A., and Mercedes Benz. The proceeds will be donated to the non-profit association Edela, in support of the orphans of femicide.
