top of page
  • Writer's pictureBeyond the Canvas
    • Oct 9, 2021
    • 1 min read

Viva Vittoria: knitting against violence

Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation and a public health epidemic. It occurs daily across the world and is widely underreported. Globally, an estimated 736 million women aged 15 and older have been subjected to some sort of physical, sexual or psychological violence at least once in their life. That's almost 1 in 3 of us.


Thanks to the generosity of knitters from all social and cultural backgrounds, since 2015 Viva Vittoria has been covering Italy's most beautiful piazzas with thousands of colourful knitted and crocheted squares, all sewn together with a red thread symbolising unity. The objective of this project is to fight gender-based violence and to support the social reintegration of female victims of violence.


The blankets are sold for a suggested donation of €20, which will fund the work of local charities. It's a vibrant and joyous installation, my piazza never looked so alive. In Bologna's Piazza Maggiore today and tomorrow, go get yourself (or the cat) a lovely blankie.



View over the 'crescentone' in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore today

Hector, the end user.

13 views0 comments
  • Writer's pictureBeyond the Canvas
    • Oct 7, 2021
    • 2 min read

Speaking truth to power: the legacy of Anna Politkovskaya

It's been 15 years to the day since Anna Politkovskaya was murdered for fearlessly and relentlessly telling the truth. Anna was gunned down in the entrance hall of the block of flats where she used to live in Moscow. An investigative journalist with Novaya Gazeta, Anna was a staunch human rights advocate and a strident critic of the Kremlin.


I have read all her books, often struggling to make sense of a reality that is far, far away from mine. "A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya" is a harrowing account of the unspeakable atrocities perpetrated by the Russian armed forces in one of the many conflicts forgotten by the Western media. Did you know there have been two wars in Chechnya in the last 30 years, one from 1994 to 1996 and then a second one from 1999 to 2009? Do you know why the war started in the first place? No, me neither. Not until I read Anna's book anyway.


Russia's authoritarian regime and its curtailment of freedom of expression may seem like a distant threat to us. But looking at how the UK media has become a mouthpiece for the Tory government, the chilling truth is that these journalists are de facto enablers and feeders of the fake news propaganda Build Back Better (whatever the eff that means) machine. With six billionaires holding the majority of voting shares in most of the national newspapers and privately-educated white men at their helm, the current UK corporate media scenario is hardly a shining example of independent thinking and unbiased agendas.


So today I choose to remember Anna Politkovskaya, celebrate her dogged determination to speak truth to power, her integrity as a reporter, her courage as a human being.



24 views0 comments
  • Writer's pictureBeyond the Canvas
    • Sep 21, 2021
    • 1 min read

Photo print fundraiser in support of women journalists in Afghanistan

Updated: Sep 23, 2021

Like many, I have been following the recent events unfolding in Afghanistan. I have mostly been feeling sad and powerless while thinking about how badly the Taleban takeover has affected our Afghani sisters' hard-won rights from the comfort of my home where I enjoy peace and freedom.


It's easy to get cynical and think that throwing money at something so huge and tragic doesn't do anything to solve the problem, but the reality is that women journalists in Afghanistan are facing persecution and may need to leave and settle elsewhere in order to rebuild their lives. And that requires money.


Please consider amplifying this cause and supporting “Journalists for Afghanistan,” a photo print fundraiser launched by Network of Women in Media, India. Not only are the images beautiful, but they also bring us closer to a reality that for us is unimaginably frightening. All proceeds will go towards helping these brave and talented Afghan female journalists so they can continue to use their voice and tell their stories. The stories we all need to hear.


Photo credit Farzana Wahidy


18 views0 comments
bottom of page