Voices, faces and lives of lunàdigas.
This is the Lunàdigas Live Archive.
Emna: “I didn’t dream of a family, but of a home of my own”
Emna, a young Tunisian woman working for Amnesty International, talks about her family of origin composed of an absent, irresponsible and violent father and a…
Ornella and Daniela: “You can choose happiness with or without children”
Ornella and Daniela, two young Ecuadorians in their twenties, talk about their respective stories: following an unwanted pregnancy, Daniela is the mother of a little…
The impossible monologue of Frida Kahlo
Monica Trettel interprets an extract from the pages of Carlo A. Borghi dedicated to the artist Frida Kahlo. La raccolta scritta Monologhi impossibili, raduna le…
Francesca: “Motherhood made me feel disabled”
Francesca, an artist and performer, recounts her experience of motherhood, desired but not in line with common rhetoric, rather made of a daily exercise applied…
The impossible monologue of Wilhelmina Shakespeare
Michela Sale Musio performs the impossible monologue dedicated to Wilhelmina Shakespeare. La raccolta scritta Monologhi impossibili, raduna le voci, le parole e le idee di…
Ariana: “Being a mother is a lifelong responsibility”
After watching the docufilm Lunàdigas in Quito, Ariana focuses her thoughts on motherhood: she admits that she does not feel mature and stable enough to…
Isabella: “The world does not need more unhappy humans”
Isabella, a 34-year-old Colombian woman now living in the United States, traces her story and the reasons that led her to choose not to have…
Silvia: “When I was 13 I knew I would not have children”
Silvia, a young Italian-French woman, reflects on the work-life relationship that women have to manage in addition to the commitment of having a child. She…
The impossible monologue of Adelasia of Torres
Adelasia of Torres, noble queen and judge, through the voice of Lia Careddu and the pen of Grazia Deledda, tells of her condition as a…
Promise: “Childless women in Nigeria are considered crazy”
Promise is from Nigeria and loves being a mother. She recounts that in her country, women who do not have children are called ‘barren’ and…
Samira: “In Tunisia there are many negative comments towards childless women”
Samira is from Tunisia and is about to have a baby girl. She recounts that families in Tunisia are generally large and that women who…
Emanuella: “In Ivory Coast you cannot choose not to have children”
Emanuella is from the Côte d'Ivoire. In her country, pregnancy is not a debatable choice for women. Women who do not have children are referred…
Manuela: “Opening up a dialogue helps to not judge any choice”
Manuela has not yet made a decision about having children. She wishes that her choice could be free of constraints. In her testimony, she recounts…
The impossible monologue of Rosa Luxemburg
Lia Careddu performs the impossible monologue on the life of Rosa Luxemburg. La raccolta scritta Monologhi impossibili, raduna le voci, le parole e le idee…
Anne, Lena and Brigitta: three stories of motherhood beyond taboos
Three women living in Berlin discuss their experiences of motherhood. Anne is a so-called 'raven-mother', after the separation from her husband she left her first…
Anne: ‘I am a raven mother’
Despite feelings of guilt, Anne gave birth to a third child after leaving the first two completely in the care of her ex-husband. She is…
Alexandra: “It’s been very difficult to be the only feminist in the family”
Alexandra, a 30-year-old woman from Cuenca, strongly expresses her decision not to have children: a well thought-over and consciously taken final choice. The reasons for…
The impossible monologue of the Capitoline Wolf
The Capitoline She-Wolf, through the voice of Gisella Vacca, tells of her experience of surrogacy with Romulus and Remus. La raccolta scritta Monologhi impossibili, raduna…
Maya: “In Lebanon, if you don’t have children you are a wasted woman”
Maya, a university lecturer in Washington, reflects on the different social pressures associated with motherhood in the United States and Lebanon, her home country, where…
Claudia: “I spent many years trying to please my social self”
Claudia, a young 25-year-old Cuban woman, reflects on her choice of non-parenthood and reconstructs the stages that led her to this awareness: her concern for…
Costantina: “If I had a child…”
Costantina recounts that she and her partner did not have children not because they lacked the will, but because of the fear - also due…
Ivo: “I’ve done the right choice for myself”
Ivo, cultural operator from Sardinia, tells us in Campidanese Sardinian the reasons behind his choice of a life without children, despite being pressured from family…
The impossible monologue of Hélène Vasilievna Kuragina
Hélène Vasilievna Kuragina, played by actress Monica Trettel, tells how difficult it is to live in 19th-century Russia for a woman of broader views and…
Andrés “Men experience social pressure to have children because of loneliness”
Andrés addresses the issue of parenthood and discusses his life experience, including as a gay boy, in the Colombian context. Andrés reflects from a personal…
Maria Lai: “Some people are born with a special need to be outside the world”
Sardinian artist Maria Lai offers us a small recollection of her childhood related to where she lived, her family, and her elusive, independence-loving character. Maria…
The impossible monologue of Dora Maar
Dora Maar, played by Michela Sale Musio, tells of her complicated relationship with Picasso, an oppressive but always beloved figure. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre…
Valeria: “I forgot to have children, but I did not miss it”
Valeria reasons on how the context of her family of origin, made up of mothers with many children and absent fathers, may have been subconsciously…
Myriam: “In Sardinian we don’t have the word parents”
For Myriam, a researcher at the University of Cagliari, the Sardinian language is not only the language of her profession, but also the language of…
At Susi’s place: “Life in made up of many projects, not only having children”
Liliana, Susi, Marisa, Rosanna, Sonia, five friends who grew up and still are activists in the feminist movement, dialogue and discuss the theme of motherhood…
Antonia and Franziska: “Why can’t my sister give birth to my child?”
Antonia cannot have children because of a cancer she had. Her sister, Franziska, would be willing to be her surrogate mother, but law does not…
The impossible monologue of Jeanne D’Arc
Vanessa Arof Podda interpreta il monologo impossibile di Giovanna d'Arco, eroina e martire, scritto da Carlo A. Borghi. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre testimonianze? Sostieni…
The impossible monologue of Jane Austen
Monica Trettel interpretes an exctract from the pages of Carlo A. Borghi dedicated to the British writer Jane Austen. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre testimonianze?…
Nacyb: “In Tunisia, a child is like a passport giving you access to society”
Nacyb, activist and coordinator of the association Rayhaa in Jendouba, in Tunisia, tells us of her first-hand experience as a woman with no children -…
Marta Cavicchioni: “I would like to bequeath prospects and opportunities”
Marta Cavicchioni, a Roman artist and activist and a childfree woman herself, recounts her personal and professional journey based on the responsibility to trigger and…
Anaís and Tatiana: “Motherhood will be wanted, or it will not be”
Anaís and Tatiana discuss about issues surrounding the choice of non-parenthood: starting from what each of them feel about their Ecuadorian context, where they both…
Ted, William and Nathan: “Women without children? A choice that has to be respected but..”
Three students from the University of Washington reflect upon their position with regards to women who choose not to have children: while they show full…
The impossible monologue of Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel, thanks to the voice of Michela Sale Musio, tells us of her life as a career woman in mid-20th century in an ever…
Donata, Laura, Lorenza: “Being religious women is an additional challenge”
Donata, Laura and Lorenza live in a monastic community in the Casentino area, founded on prayer and work. They gladly open up to the outside…
Paola: “My commitment as a “comadre” has strengthen my feminism”
Paola tells us about the evolution of her political consciousness starting from her feminism. On the one hand, she matures a personal choice of non-motherhood…
Denise: “Children are not necessary to feel human”
Denise talks about parenthood and tells us of the questions she usually get asked around her choice. Denise has been living in Turkey for 25…
The impossible monologue of Dorothy Parker
Tiziana Troja interprets Dorothy Parker reading an extract of the “Impossible Monologues. The exlusive revelations of 35 legendary Lunàdigas” by Carlo.A. Borghi. Vuoi ascoltare e…
Alia Sellami: “Leave us in peace!”
Alia Sellami, a Tunisian soprano and performer with multiethnic origins, reflects upon the definitions and judgements directed to women with no children, something that led…
Sam: “Why do you care if I have children or not?”
Sam, a young US student with Greek-Italian origins, tells us the reasons behind her desire not to have children and she reflects upon how her…
The impossible monologue of Lucy Van Pelt
Lucy, with her usual witty irony, and thanks to the voice of Vanessa Podda, tells about what it means to be a Lunàdiga. She does…
Kim: “In Asia we are called hens that do cannot lay eggs”
Kim, from Malaysia, has been living in Vienna for several years. She tells about the personal and professional reasons behind her choice not to have…
Chiara: “I think I have the energies to do something more than becoming a mother”
Chiara, young researcher living in Vienna, already an activist back in Italy, tells us her thoughts as a 30-something woman regarding motherhood, that she sees…
Malik: “In Burkina Faso, a woman with no children is either a witch or a prostitute!”
Following the screening of the film “Lunàdigas, or Concerning childfree women”, at Essen, in Germany, Malik tells us about the condition suffered by women with…
Antonella: “I suffer the fear of not having children”
Antonella, a woman from Ecuador with an Italian father, tells us what it means being a 32 year-old woman with no children nor a partner,…
The impossible monologue of Cristina, Queen of Sweden
Cristina, Queen of Sweden, through the voice of Monica Trettel, tells us about court life and the real sense of kinship she felt with another…
Giulia: “In the States there are fewer taboos”
Amongst the international series of testimonies for the Lunàdigas Archive, collected in Washingtin DC during a conference on motherhood, Giulia, a cinema expert, tells us…
Laura: “I am a mother, but until then I was Lunàdiga”
Laura, during a conference on motherhood organized in Washington in 2019 for Women’s month, tells us briefly what meant to her being first a Lunàdiga…
The impossible monologue of Camille Claudel
Monica Trettel gives voice in person to the story of the French sculptress Camille Claudel Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre testimonianze? Sostieni l’archivio vivo di…
Leonardo: “My not having children was to everyone’s advantage”
Starting from his profession as a psychiatrist, Leonardo reflects upon his own personal condition as a man without children, a point of reference for his…
Michel and Stefano: “It takes just two people to be a family”
Together for 25 years, Stefano and Michel reflect upon their considering themselves a family. They talk about their own parental figures and reflect upon the…
Thirsà: “I don’t have any maternal instinct”
Thirsà, a Brazilian intellectual with several degrees now living in Cagliari, tells us of her private and working life, comparing the different approach of Brazilian…
The impossible monologue of Barbie
Barbie, thanks to the voice of Tiziana Troja, tells about her dream life in yesterday’s Los Angeles?…Or is it today’s? Being a model for young…
Michael: “Being homosexual, you took for granted you would not have children”
Michael tells us of his life and his homosexuality in connection to having children, how this condition changed a lot over the years and of…
Valeria: “The role of the Empress doesn’t have to be only one”
Valeria, speaking as a mother, as a psychotherapist and as an expert of Arcana, reflects on how the right to choose whether to have children…
The impossible monologue of the Moon
Monica Trettel interprets an extract from the pages Carlo A. Borghi dedicates to the Moon and to the legends connected. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre…
Patrizia: “Work fulfilled me”
Patrizia, who owns a bookshop in Cagliari after having worked in Milan for many years, tells us about her not having children, partly due to…
Elba Teresa: “If I had a child, I wouldn’t have had the strength and the freedom for my own rebirth”
Elba Teresa, an Argentinian with Italian origins, first exiled in Patagonia and then to London, a cosmopolitan human rights activist, tells us about her own…
Nela: “We do have a choice, Moroccan women don’t”
Nela, a high school teacher, who travelled the world for her work, teaching in Italy, Spain , USA and Morocco, where she currently lives when…
Live Archive – international series
The participation to international festivals of the film “Lunadigàs, or concerning childfree women”, created extraordinary opportunities to collect new testimonies around the world, initially in…
The impossible monologue of Daphne
Monica Trettel interprets Daphne, reading an extract from “Impossible Monologues. The exclusive revelations of 35 legendary Lunàdigas” by Carlo A. Borghi Vuoi ascoltare e leggere…
The impossible monologue of Hypatia
Monica Trettel interprets the Monologue of Hypatia, reading an extract from “The Impossible Monologues. The exclusive revelations of 35 legendary Lunàdigas” by Carlo A. Borghi.…
The impossible monologue of Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini introduces himsef as a “lunàdigo”, man with no children, and pays homage to the women of his life: Maria Callas - Medea,…
The impossible monologue of Maria Medea Callas – version 4
Maria Callas, through the voices of Monica Trettel e Leluda Dimoupolos, tells us about the character she felt more akin to: Medea. Vuoi ascoltare e…
The impossible monologue of Maria Medea Callas – version 3
Maria Callas, through the voice of Gisella Vacca, tells us about the character she felt more akin to: Medea. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre testimonianze?…
The impossible monologue of Maria Medea Callas – version 2
Maria Callas, through the voice of Monica Trettel, tells us about the character she felt more akin to: Medea. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre testimonianze?…
The impossible monologue of Maria Medea Callas – version 1
Maria Callas, through the voice of Leluda Dimopoulos, tells us about the character she felt more akin to: Medea. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre testimonianze?…
The Circle of women in Latina
Following the screening of the film “Lunàdigas, or concerning childfree women”, a group of women in Latina gathers in the form of a circle to…
Paola Valenzano: “Uncertainty is also wealth in life”
Starting from her own personal experience as a childfree woman, Paola Valenzano tells us as art is fundamental not only to come to terms with…
Elena: “Whatever you do, it’s always wrong”
Elena tells us of her experience as a mother with a 15-year-old son. She reflects upon how generally you are personally not prepared when you…
Orlando Association: “A wealth of narratives around motherhood”
In spring 2015, the Orlando Circle in Bologna, a feminist association for social promotion, invites Lunàdigas to reflect upon reproductive rights in contemporary Italy and…
Franca Elisa: “I need to take care of myself”
Franca Elisa tells us of her life from childhood and adolescence in Sicily in the 80s, raised in a family and social environment where feelings,…
Susy Bellucci: “I belong to a generation that believed it could build different social relationships”
Singer-songwriter Susy Bellucci tells us of her artistic life dedicated to children’s music and she speaks about her not being a mother and of the…
Carlo A. Borghi: “I put myself in the shoes of 35 lunàdigas women”
Carlo A. Borghi, author of the book “Monologhi impossibili. Le esclusive rivelazioni di 35 mitiche lunàdigas” (Arkadia Editore), introduced in this interview, retraces his family…
Luca: “I don’t see parenthood as a duty toward the species”
Luca, not ruling out the idea of fatherhood in the future, questions the traditional historical concept which sees having a family as a social duty…
Lisetta: “For me, unbridled freedom was important”
Lisetta tells us of the reasons behind her choice of non-motherhood, and of how having children represents for her a limit to what she cherishes…
Bruna Dal Lago Veneri: Saints, sportswomen, “salighe“ and “anguane“. The mountain women with no natural children
Writer and expert of the mountains' folk traditions from South Tyrol, Bruna Dal Lago Veneri illustrates the characteristics connecting local childfree women. Whether they are…
Geraldina Colotti: “I chose not to have children to make the revolution”
Geraldina Colotti, journalist, writer and Red Brigades militant, tells of how her political commitment has been crucial in her choice of non-motherhood. Vuoi ascoltare e…
Giusy Calia: “The other’s gaze can kill”
The artist Giusy Calia tells us about her creative work and about what ispired her. In particular, she got her inspiration from the woman's figure…
Monica’s friends: “I did not think whether I wanted a child…”
Five women tell us of their experience with motherhood and non-motherhood, debating regarding pregnancy, violene, contraception, and well you can know the other even when…
Josephine Sassu: “I never thought I had to be a mom”
Surrounded by her works of art exhibited in the Galleria Mancaspazio in Cagliari, Josephine Sassu, a sardinian artist and teacher, tells us of the reasons…
Veronica Pivetti: “I don’t think I ever excercise my maternal instinct”
Actress and dubber, Veronica Pivetti enthusiastically meets Lunàdigas in 2014. In the interview, she reflects upon her own experience as a childfree woman professionally fulfilled,…
University of the Third Age in Cagliari
The testimonies of the participants to the University of the Third Age recorded after the screening of the film "Lunàdigas", are a collection o personal…
Paregger and Risé: ” Our life is our gift to others, with or without children”
Maria Paregger, doctor specialised in anthroposofic medicine and Claudio Risé, psychologist and psychotherapist, talk about the identity of "wild women", taking the cue from their…
Lea Melandri: “Feminism was my extraordinary rebirth”
In the setting of Carloforte, Lea Melandri, teacher, essayist, activist of the Italian women's movement, recounts in fragments her path of self-definition, from childhood to…
Eleonora: “I have no urge, no regrets, nor any desire for children”
Eleonora tells us about her life as a childfree woman, something she experienced very naturally, without feeling any taboo and without feeling judged by her…
Paola: “I find parents to be heroes”
Although she now would dedicate herself to a child, Paola tells us of her choice of non-motherhood, opting for other things: travels, discovery, freedom and…
Fausta e Luisa: “Who will look after us where we’ll grow old?”
Fausta and Luisa, both nurses, tell us about their life as women without children for different causes and choices, but joined but the same uncertainty…
Liviana Greoli: “I have always been a mother… to my mother”
Starting from her childhood memories and putting into perspective her family's dynamics, Liviana tells us about her personal path that brought her to choose, with…
Giovanna: “Sharing tears down judgements and makes you feel less lonely”
Giovanna tells us of her experience with non-motherhood and of her life as a second-generation Calabrian living in Alto Adige. She talks about her friends…
Babazuf: “The pain of losing those who gave you life”
Tiziana, aka Babazuf, met in Siena in 2011, tells us of her process of personal growth which led her to choose not to have children.…
Melissa Panarello: “Talking about bad mothers is still a taboo”
Writer Melissa Panarello tells us about her complex relationship with her mother and how this influences - both in a negative and in a positive…
Marina Piperno: “My films were my children”
Marina Piperno, first woman in Italy to work as a film producer, tells us the reasons of her choice and how she experienced her condition…
Valeria Viganò: “Motherhood was also felt as a yoke”
Valeria Viganò, writer and journalist, tells us of her choice not to have children, and how nowadays many gay women like her can fulfill their…
Loredana Reppucci: “I consider myself as a single woman with a great husband”
Loredana Reppucci, one of the first women to work in IT - including for companies such as Piaggio and Olivetti - and a businesswoman herself,…
Nora e Annarita: “Having a child does not take your freedom away, but mine…”
Nora e Annarita, both retired teachers, talk about their very different experience of motherhood - one mother of a wanted child, while the other constantly…
The rugby players’ circle: “And if you realise it’s too late?”
2014. Changing room of the women's rugby team in Verona. Giorgia, Beatrice, Alessia, Veronica, Chiara and Elena reflect upon motherhood, which only Giorgia already experienced…
The circle of the ceramists: “The mysticism around motherhood”
March 2015. In the framework of a ceramics workshop in the San Lorenzo district of Rome, five women between the ages of twenty and forty…
Mario Gamba: “I wouldn’t even know where to look for paternal instinct.”
Mario Gamba - journalist, music critic and writer - talked about his views on fatherhood when we met him in his house in Rome. Vuoi…
Enrico: “A child must be truly desired, with all that entails”
Enrico tells us about his choice to not have children, which he took independently over the years and which he then shared with his wife.…
Francesca: “Cats are… practical!”
Francesca tells us what she hears around regarding having children and she illustrates her point of view, totally and firmly different, in the company of…
Matilde and Filippo: “For our generation, it’s strange to ask if you have children”
Matilde and Filippo, a very young couple, discuss about having children, both on a rational and on a more emotional level. They share their views…
Martina: “Nowadays, relationshops don’t last long because you can afford to ask for more”
Martina tells us about her life, particularly about her studies at university and about her future expectations, also linked to how the gender gap in…
Small change
Pietro, Maria, Martino, Lucia, Adele e Marco - all aged between twelve and fourtneen - discuss around the meaning of the term Lunàdigas, and, starting…
Moni Ovadia: “Blood ties do not really exist”
Playwright, composer and writer, Moni Ovadia tells us of his reasons, both professional and personal, that led him and his wife Elisa to not feel…
Giovanni: “Everything that exists in Nature should be considered natural”
Giovanni share with us his thought about parenting, which he considers a great responsibility, especially because it is a free choice. He expresses his views…
Erri De Luca: “I am not a father, I am stuck in a dead end”
The Neapolitan writer Erri De Luca tells us his view on fatherhood, connected to his own life experience and his knowledge of literary and biblical…
Elettra: “The female dimension of motherhood apllied to the territory”
Elettra tells us about her life journey marked by her political activism carried out with a maternal inclination, caring for her community; she tells us…
Alice, Francesca and Martina: “Egoism is not individualism”
Martina, Francesca and Alice discuss about motherhood touching on various aspects: the control society has on women's body, before and after childbirth; homosexuality and gender…
Cerchio Il Melograno: “On dead branches”
Il Cerchio del Melograno in Florence is a polyphonic account of a collective experience by a group of women who express their views over the…
Nives: “I never liked the limitations of a family”
From her needlecraft workshop Così fan tutte, set up after she selflessly dedicated herself with all her energy to teaching, directing TV shows and volunteering…
Francesca: “I need to enjoy each and every day of my life”
Francesca tells us how her desire for motherhood accompanied her through all the stages of her life, up until an unsuccessful pregnancy. Vuoi ascoltare e…
Michela: “I admire my mother and one day I would like to be like her”
Michela tells us of her life and her views on motherhood, discussed with friends and family. Vuoi ascoltare e leggere altre testimonianze? Sostieni l’archivio vivo…
Lidia Menapace: “You cannot be independent in your head, if you depend on others for your feet”
Italian partisan, politician and essayist, Lidia Menapace (1924-2020) meets Lunàdigas in Bolzano in 2014. She very generously talks about her life and her political and…
Momi: “The devastating experience of an extra uterine pregnancy”
Momi, 42, tells us about the painful journey through the experience of an extra uterine pregnancy, which forced her to redefine her whole self as…
Afra: “What is the maternal instinct?”
Afra tells us of her choice not to have children and of how she relates to this topic as a woman and as a doctor.…
Cinzia: “Nature chose for me”
Cinzia tells us of her experience with lack of motherhood, which was initially very painful. She deals with the relationship between body and mind, in…
Elisabetta: “I don’t want to be labeled: I am a woman”
Elisabetta, actress and director, speaks about the reason that pushed her, since she was a young girl, to try and live a fertile life regardless…
Fedora: “You don’t measure love with DNA”
Fedora, director and documentary film maker, explains the reasons that led us to have no children: age, the search for the right partner, work, and…
Rossella: “I rediscovered my maternal instict in other things”
Rossella, a musician from Sardinia, talks about her non-motherhood and how this gave her the opportunity to think of her life from a different perspective.
Luisa Morgantini: “I never wanted to have someone I could tell: you are mine!”
Luisa Morgantini, trade unionist and activist, tells us in depth of the family and historical reasons behind her choice not to get married and have…
Kathia: “I never saw myself being called Mum”
Kathia tells us of her experience with non-motherhood, rooted in her family history and based on an informed choice, shared with her partner.
Alessandra: “Up to now, I have consciously chosen not to have children”
Alessandra tells us about her life, about her past relationships and how she managed to stick to her idea of a full and indipendent lifestyle,…
Paola: “I don’t have children and I should not give a reason for that”
Paola tells us about her choice not to have children, highlighting the social belief that just because biologically able to be a mother, a woman…
Daniela: “She is also a dead branch”
Daniela tells us of her life, her family and her choice not to have children, although she did considered artificial insemination at some point. She…
Rosanna: “A child is a lifelong commitment. I just can’t do it!”
Rosanna, working as a shop assistant selling children's clothes, talks about her choice not to have children, a choice she made at a very early…
Maria Rosa Cutrufelli: “Having a child was too big a responsability for me”
Maria Rosa Cutrufelli, writer and journalist, tells us about the reasons behind her choice - first with her husband, then with her partner, a woman…
The midwives: “Not being a mother, it’s like giving up a part of yourself”
Three young midwives, interacting and dealing every day with births and motherhood, tell about their professional and personal experience.
Letizia: “I don’t feel like one half needing to be filled by another half”
Letizia, multidisciplinary artist from Florence, is an innovator of languages that mixes sound, images and performance. She reflects upon the tradition of artistic Lunàdigas: thanks…
Margherita: “If I can’t have children, I will try to lead a life the way I like it”
Margherita, activist and writer, tells us when she discovered - after years of painful examinations and hospitalisations - that she could not have children with…
