THANK YOU!
Over 20,000 attendees joined us for “The Voice”, the fifth annual EMERGENCY Festival, across more than 50 events and with over 80 guest speakers to discuss the present, create space for human rights, and imagine an alternative future, together.
To our guests, volunteers and staff, to those who support EMERGENCY and the Festival, to the city of Reggio Emilia for welcoming us once again: THANK YOU.
The Voice,
the 2025 EMERGENCY Festival
Are our voices heard? What resonance do people’s voices – individuals or groups – have with those who govern? What is the echo of the voice rejecting war?
There are voices of journalists and aid workers who, under bombs, share the truth of war; of activists, who keep fighting despite the risk of imprisonment and violence; of people who want the right to define themselves; of people reclaiming squares, streets, roads and ports against repression, war and poverty; of young people, occupying spaces to claim their right to a future.
The 2025 Festival is entitled The Voice, to create spaces of confrontation where we can start to imagine and build a fairer, more equal society.
Let’s practise and claim our human rights, loudly and clearly. Even when the world seems to be moving in the opposite direction, we can and must find an alternative way.
For over 30 years, EMERGENCY has been treating people whose lives are impacted by those who choose war as a means of resolving international disputes, and by those who fuel poverty.
Whether they are voices in the middle of the sea or under threat of attack, in suburbs, prisons, the countryside or ghettos, we are committed to ensuring that each and every one is heard.
The Festival Programme
4:30pm | When sport promotes rights: AltroPallone Award
SPORT | Make art, not war | Palazzo Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in French
Even through sport, one can promote a culture of peace and engage in the defence of human rights and equality. The EMERGENCY Festival hosts the presentation of the AltroPallone Award, which since 1998 has been awarded to people who have distinguished themselves in sport, for significant contributions throughout the year in solidarity and child and adolescent welfare, as well as a meeting with its previous winners.
With Bassidy Sanogo, footballer, and Paola Tagliabue, EMERGENCY doctor.
Moderated by Paolo Maggioni, RAI journalist and chairman of the AltroPallone Award.
6:15pm | Voices under attack
TALK | Piazza Prampolini
🎧 Live translation in English
Propaganda, the spread of fake news and restrictions on media limit the freedom of information and the right to be informed. An account of the challenges faced by journalists, storytellers and humanitarian workers who are the eyes (and voice) of what happens far away from us.
Opening remarks by Alessandro Manno, EMERGENCY’s Palestine Project Coordinator.
With Shuruq As’ad, journalist; Gianrico Carofiglio, writer; and Lucia Goracci, Tg3 correspondent.
Moderated by Tonia Cartolano, editor-in-chief Sky TG24.
8:45pm | Are Gazan journalists’ voices being heard?
TALK | Questions to consider | Piazza Casotti
🇬🇧 English-language
Gaza is the most dangerous conflict for journalists ever documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists. While international journalists are forbidden from covering the war on the ground, local journalists are trying to survive to let people know what’s happening.
With Shuruq As’ad, journalist.
11:00pm | DJ MazZz by THE RIFF
MUSIC | Festival After-hours | Piazza San Prospero
2:15pm | The voice of art against war
TALK | Make art, not war | Piazza Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in English
Cartoons, illustrations, comics, posters: art that speaks out against war, from magazines to the streets, from bookshops to public events.
With Simona Binni, author, illustrator and storyboard artist; and Khalid Albaih, comic book artist, activist and journalist.
Moderated by Luca Raffaelli, writer and comic book expert.
5:15pm | Stories of human rights that unite North Africa: the bridge to Europe
TALK | Voices that inspire | Piazza Dossetti Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in English
North Africa, a vital, vibrant part of the world overlooking the Mediterranean and facing Europe. It is a melting pot of stories, cultures and art, as well as conflicts and contradictions. It is a place from which migrants set out on a dangerous journey. In this discussion, the stories of those who decided that their life had to continue in Europe, but with their hearts always turned towards North Africa.
With David Yambio, activist with Refugees in Libya; and Remon Karam, speaker and human rights activist.
Moderated by Giampaolo Musumeci, Radio24 presenter.
7:45pm | Understanding how to imagine a future without war
TALK | Piazza Prampolini
🎧 Live translation in English
The use of arms as a means of resolving disputes is still the preferred solution of those who govern. Will we ever be able to rid ourselves of war, once and for all, to protect our very existence?
Opening remarks by Eleonora Colpo, nurse, EMERGENCY.
With Tomaso Montanari, rector, Università per Stranieri di Siena; Paola Caridi, essayist and journalist; and Paul Jay, director, How to Stop a Nuclear War.
Moderated by Laura Silvia Battaglia al-Jalal, journalist and documentary filmmaker.
11:00pm | Afro-beat, reggae and folk music with live band Hakuna Matata
MUSIC | Festival After-hours | Piazza San Prospero
11:30am | Surgical treatment: A human right denied to five billion people
TALK | Learning with EMERGENCY | Piazza Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in English
What are the surgical needs at the global level? What are the obstacles encountered when there is a shortage of a surgeons, anaesthetists or obstetricians? What if you die in childbirth? EMERGENCY’s approach and the case study of Afghanistan, using results from the new report ‘Access to Emergency, Critical and Operative care in Afghanistan’.
With Antonio Pesenti, EMERGENCY medical consultant; Gina Portella, Medical Coordination Unit Director; Francesca Bocchini, EMERGENCY Advocacy Manager; and Zabihullah Kashefee, Head Nurse at EMERGENCY’s Kabul Surgical Centre.
Moderated by Amalia De Simone, journalist Rai 3.
12:15pm | How to stop a nuclear war?
TALK | Questions to consider | Piazza Casotti
🇬🇧 English-language
U.S. nuclear policy was built on secrecy, deception and the willingness to risk global annihilation. So what can be done today to reduce the danger? Jay examines the fabricated threats and Cold War lies that justified the arms race and how these narratives continue to shape policy and public perception today.
With Paul Jay, director How to Stop a Nuclear War
2:15pm | NoRearmUE: From EMERGENCY’s RIPUDIA campaign to European networks
PODCAST | Make art, not war | Piazza Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in French
Who wants to invest in military defence? Who pays for weapons? And what do the media tell us about this? The peace-cast “Ho detto R1PUD1A” [‘I said REJECT’] returns live with a discussion with the European Network Against Arms Trade, with audience questions.
With Claudio Jampaglia, Radio Popolare journalist; and Laëtitia Sédou, Project Manager with the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT).
3:00pm | Souleymane’s Story by Boris Lojkine (France, 2024, 1h33min)
FILM | Voices on stage | Teatro San Prospero
🇫🇷 French with Italian subtitles
Souleymane is an undocumented Guinean migrant who delivers food on his bicycle while he studies for the exam which will grant him refugee status. The film recounts his life over 48 hours among ungrateful customers, exploitation and setbacks, while waiting for an appointment at the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA).
“Against War. Views and Visions”
EXHIBITION | Palazzo dei Musei
“Against War. Views and Visions” is an immersive, multi-level visual journey into war and its physical, psychological, social and political effects — as well as the ethical resistance of those who oppose it by practising civil disobedience, publicly protesting, promoting disarmament and solidarity, and healing the wounds of others, as EMERGENCY has since 1994, practising medicine as an instrument of peace.
FREE ENTRY
5 to 7 September 10am – 8pm
8 September to 26 October
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am – 1pm
Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10am to 6pm
4:30pm | When sport promotes rights: AltroPallone Award
SPORT | Make art, not war | Palazzo Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in French
Even through sport, one can promote a culture of peace and engage in the defence of human rights and equality. The EMERGENCY Festival hosts the presentation of the AltroPallone Award, which since 1998 has been awarded to people who have distinguished themselves in sport, for significant contributions throughout the year in solidarity and child and adolescent welfare, as well as a meeting with its previous winners.
With Bassidy Sanogo, footballer, and Paola Tagliabue, EMERGENCY doctor.
Moderated by Paolo Maggioni, RAI journalist and chairman of the AltroPallone Award.
6:15pm | Voices under attack
TALK | Piazza Prampolini
🎧 Live translation in English
Propaganda, the spread of fake news and restrictions on media limit the freedom of information and the right to be informed. An account of the challenges faced by journalists, storytellers and humanitarian workers who are the eyes (and voice) of what happens far away from us.
Opening remarks by Alessandro Manno, EMERGENCY’s Palestine Project Coordinator.
With Shuruq As’ad, journalist; Gianrico Carofiglio, writer; and Lucia Goracci, Tg3 correspondent.
Moderated by Tonia Cartolano, editor-in-chief Sky TG24.
8:45pm | Are Gazan journalists’ voices being heard?
TALK | Questions to consider | Piazza Casotti
🇬🇧 English-language
Gaza is the most dangerous conflict for journalists ever documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists. While international journalists are forbidden from covering the war on the ground, local journalists are trying to survive to let people know what’s happening.
With Shuruq As’ad, journalist.
11:00pm | DJ MazZz by THE RIFF
MUSIC | Festival After-hours | Piazza San Prospero
2:15pm | The voice of art against war
TALK | Make art, not war | Piazza Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in English
Cartoons, illustrations, comics, posters: art that speaks out against war, from magazines to the streets, from bookshops to public events.
With Simona Binni, author, illustrator and storyboard artist; and Khalid Albaih, comic book artist, activist and journalist.
Moderated by Luca Raffaelli, writer and comic book expert.
5:15pm | Stories of human rights that unite North Africa: the bridge to Europe
TALK | Voices that inspire | Piazza Dossetti Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in English
North Africa, a vital, vibrant part of the world overlooking the Mediterranean and facing Europe. It is a melting pot of stories, cultures and art, as well as conflicts and contradictions. It is a place from which migrants set out on a dangerous journey. In this discussion, the stories of those who decided that their life had to continue in Europe, but with their hearts always turned towards North Africa.
With David Yambio, activist with Refugees in Libya; and Remon Karam, speaker and human rights activist.
Moderated by Giampaolo Musumeci, Radio24 presenter.
7:45pm | Understanding how to imagine a future without war
TALK | Piazza Prampolini
🎧 Live translation in English
The use of arms as a means of resolving disputes is still the preferred solution of those who govern. Will we ever be able to rid ourselves of war, once and for all, to protect our very existence?
Opening remarks by Eleonora Colpo, nurse, EMERGENCY.
With Tomaso Montanari, rector, Università per Stranieri di Siena; Paola Caridi, essayist and journalist; and Paul Jay, director, How to Stop a Nuclear War.
Moderated by Laura Silvia Battaglia al-Jalal, journalist and documentary filmmaker.
11:00pm | Afro-beat, reggae and folk music with live band Hakuna Matata
MUSIC | Festival After-hours | Piazza San Prospero
11:30am | Surgical treatment: A human right denied to five billion people
TALK | Learning with EMERGENCY | Piazza Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in English
What are the surgical needs at the global level? What are the obstacles encountered when there is a shortage of a surgeons, anaesthetists or obstetricians? What if you die in childbirth? EMERGENCY’s approach and the case study of Afghanistan, using results from the new report ‘Access to Emergency, Critical and Operative care in Afghanistan’.
With Antonio Pesenti, EMERGENCY medical consultant; Gina Portella, Medical Coordination Unit Director; Francesca Bocchini, EMERGENCY Advocacy Manager; and Zabihullah Kashefee, Head Nurse at EMERGENCY’s Kabul Surgical Centre.
Moderated by Amalia De Simone, journalist Rai 3.
12:15pm | How to stop a nuclear war?
TALK | Questions to consider | Piazza Casotti
🇬🇧 English-language
U.S. nuclear policy was built on secrecy, deception and the willingness to risk global annihilation. So what can be done today to reduce the danger? Jay examines the fabricated threats and Cold War lies that justified the arms race and how these narratives continue to shape policy and public perception today.
With Paul Jay, director How to Stop a Nuclear War
2:15pm | NoRearmUE: From EMERGENCY’s RIPUDIA campaign to European networks
PODCAST | Make art, not war | Piazza Ancini Courtyard
🎧 Live translation in French
Who wants to invest in military defence? Who pays for weapons? And what do the media tell us about this? The peace-cast “Ho detto R1PUD1A” [‘I said REJECT’] returns live with a discussion with the European Network Against Arms Trade, with audience questions.
With Claudio Jampaglia, Radio Popolare journalist; and Laëtitia Sédou, Project Manager with the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT).
3:00pm | Souleymane’s Story by Boris Lojkine (France, 2024, 1h33min)
FILM | Voices on stage | Teatro San Prospero
🇫🇷 French with Italian subtitles
Souleymane is an undocumented Guinean migrant who delivers food on his bicycle while he studies for the exam which will grant him refugee status. The film recounts his life over 48 hours among ungrateful customers, exploitation and setbacks, while waiting for an appointment at the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA).
“Against War. Views and Visions”
EXHIBITION | Palazzo dei Musei
“Against War. Views and Visions” is an immersive, multi-level visual journey into war and its physical, psychological, social and political effects — as well as the ethical resistance of those who oppose it by practising civil disobedience, publicly protesting, promoting disarmament and solidarity, and healing the wounds of others, as EMERGENCY has since 1994, practising medicine as an instrument of peace.
FREE ENTRY
5 to 7 September 10am – 8pm
8 September to 26 October
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am – 1pm
Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10am to 6pm
The EMERGENCY Festival:
Three days of peace, rights, culture. Every year in Reggio Emilia.
The EMERGENCY Festival brings together journalists, writers, representatives of EMERGENCY and contemporary voices, to create a multi-day programme of events and panels. The aim: to foster an environment for collective reflection on peace and the practice of human rights, and to offer keys for interpreting – and acting – to build a better world.
An Accessible Festival
The EMERGENCY Festival is designed to be accessible to everyone: the venues where it takes place are free of architectural barriers.
For more information, visit the Emilia Romagna Tourism site.
Check out the programme to learn which Festival events will be held in English or have simultaneous translation.
Do you speak Italian? More details and full programme schedule are available at: https://www.emergency.it/festival/
A Sustainable Festival
We have always strived to carry out our activities with the utmost respect for the environment. We are aware that social justice and environmental justice are closely linked.
For the 2025 edition of the EMERGENCY Festival, good environmental sustainability practices have been implemented in full compliance with relevant regulations, contributing to the fight against climate change, such as:
- reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions, including through the use of sustainable mobility services;
- reducing waste production, encouraging reuse and recycling practices and supporting circular economy models;
- promoting low environmental impact production, including in the food sector, alongside awareness efforts;
- spreading awareness of environmental sustainability and social responsibility among all those involved in the event: users, staff, suppliers and local communities.