About

 

Resistance, Imaginaries, Migrant worlds, Art & Anthropology

 

Rima is an anthropological and artistic project born in 2014 (which became an ngo in 2017) aiming at exploring, rethinking and reshaping the multifaceted aspects of displacement, mobility, social memory and alternative cultural heritage, through a series of creative and multidisciplinary initiatives. Every project is made in collaboration with artists, scholars, and people who experieced mobility and exile, both in concrete and symbolic ways.

 

The team

Isabel Farah was born and raised on the Italy-Switzerland border, growing up in a multicultural family that deeply influenced her studies and projects. She studied French literature in Italy, volunteering with associations focused on migrants and prisoners. In Pisa, she explored biomechanical theatre and developed a passion for building cultural bridges, leading her to focus on gender research and feminist literature. She translated Emma Goldman’s Feminism and Anarchy (2010) and organized a conference on the pedagogical approach of Francisco Ferrer y Guardia (2009). In 2012, she published a collection of short stories reimagining mythological female figures in modern society. Since 2018, Isabel has been living in Malta, working as an assistant director for film and television.

Virginia Monteforte is an anthropologist, translator, and photographer. She studied at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at La Sapienza in Rome, and earned a PhD in Social Anthropology and Ethnology at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. Since 2014, she has worked as a literary translator specializing in poetry, prose, and children's literature, translating from Maltese, English, and French into Italian. Her translations have been published by various Italian publishers. Virginia has managed various research and cultural projects focused on women, material culture, mobility, and social memory. She has lectured at the University of Malta, worked as tutor of applied research projects for ISIT (Paris) and lecturer for the Italian Cultural Institute of Valletta, and collaborated on literary events since 2014. She is the author of several essays and academic articles and co-author and editor of Din Mhix Tazza (2013), Undertow. Poetics of displacement (2016, Ede Books), To be defined (2018, Ede Books), A journey in Balzan. Walking through paths of memory (2023). 

Alessia Sabatini holds a degree in Political Science from La Sapienza in Rome. With an impressive 30 years of experience in the administrative and financial management of international cooperation projects, she has developed a deep expertise in accounting, budgeting, and management control. Throughout her career, Alessia has worked extensively with complex financial systems, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks and donor requirements, and has successfully overseen the financial aspects of numerous large-scale, multi-partner projects. Her skills include financial planning, monitoring project expenditures, preparing financial reports, and ensuring effective use of resources across various sectors, including development, education, and socio-economic initiatives. Alessia’s ability to provide strategic financial guidance has been instrumental in the successful implementation of projects, and she is recognized for her meticulous attention to detail, her expertise in risk management, and her capacity to optimize financial performance. Her long-standing experience has made her a key asset in driving financial transparency and accountability within organizations.

Antonella Sgobbo, with over 18 years of experience in drafting and managing international projects, she holds a BA in "Local and International Development Cooperation". Her expertise spans education, socio-economic inclusion, green and sustainable development, and fostering strategic alliances with European and Third Countries Organizations to co-create cross-border initiatives. She has worked between Malta and Italy as a Program Coordinator for a local NGO focused on legal assistance and integration strategies for refugees and asylum seekers. Her passion for intercultural dialogue and community building stems from her upbringing in Southern Italy. Her professional journey includes six years managing educational and healthcare projects in Sub-Saharan Africa and four years working in Bologna’s prisons, where she combined theatre, writing, and creative arts for social rehabilitation. She is currently focused on developing and implementing sustainable, high-impact projects that promote inclusive solutions across various sectors.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

RIMA has been part of the Valletta 2018 Cultural Programme.

RIMA records migrant narratives and provides a space for stories and discourse about exile and migration, to make the voices of people who come from elsewhere heard, and played a meaningful part in the European Capital of Culture narrative.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the RIMA project is important as it fosters an inclusive approach in which people of different backgrounds can work and create together.

The project was previously supported by Malta Arts Fund, Valletta 2018 – European Capital of Culture, Archivio Memorie Migranti, UNHCR, French Embassy of Malta, and Viaggi Solidali.

In September 2019 the association participated in the Summer School “Mobility and Heritage in the Mediterranean” organized at the University of Malta by the University Bicocca of Milan. 

Since 2022 Rima has been involved within the umbrella of TAM Territorio, Arte, Memoria as a partner of the Italian Local Council of Morcone (BV), head of the project for a call issued by the Italian Ministry of Culture (PNRR Digitalizzazione, Innovazione, Competitività e Cultura, Component 3 – Cultura 4.0 (M1C3). Misura 2 “Rigenerazione di piccoli siti culturali, patrimonio culturale, religioso e rurale”, Investimento 2.1: “Attrattività dei borghi storici” funded by European Union - Next Generation EU (- Linea di azione B) with the project MemoRive, a series of activities including creative workshops, research, the production of a theatre play, an exhibition and a publication. All the activities will take place from 2024 to 2026. 

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all the blog posts and photography on the site are by Virginia Monteforte.


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