Marilena Umuhoza Delli (born 3 May 1981) is a Rwandan-Italian photographer, filmmaker, radio presenter, and author. She is the author of four Italian-language books about racism and growing-up with an immigrant mother in one of Italy's most politically conservative region. Her work is exhibited at the MUDEC Museum in Milan (list of museums in Milan).[1] Her photographs have been published around the world by the BBC, CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, VICE, Libération, Corriere della Sera, Le Monde, Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, and the New York Times, among others.[2] In 2020, she was named one of the "Top 50 Women of the Year" by La Repubblica.[3]
Marilena Umuhoza Delli | |
---|---|
Marilena Umuhoza Delli 2023 | |
Born | Italy | 3 May 1981
Alma mater | Università degli Studi di Bergamo University of California, Los Angeles |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2008–present |
Spouse | Ian Brennan |
Website | marilenadelli |
Early life and education
editMarilena was born in Italy to her Italian father, Giovanni, from Bergamo and her mother, Myriam, who immigrated from Rwanda.[4]
She holds a Master's Degree in ‘Language for International Communication' from Università degli Studi di Bergamo for which she wrote her thesis on ‘African Cinema.' Additionally, she studied filmmaking at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[5]
Work
editWriting
editIn 2016, her first book, a memoir titled, Razzismo All'Italiana: Cronache Di Una Spia Mezzosangue (Racism Italian Style: Chronicles of a half-blood spy) was published by Aracne Editrice (Rome).[6] In 2020, her second book, a novella titled, Negretta: Baci razzisti (Little Black Girl: Racist Kisses) was published by Rome's Red Star Press.[7] Her third book, Pizza Mussolini, was published in 2023 and also her fourth book, Lettera di una madre afrodiscendente alla scuola italiana. In Corriere della Sera's Sette (magazine), award-winning journalist, Gian Antonio Stella, wrote that Delli's writing is "tough and hilarious."[8] il Manifesto states her work features "biting humor."[9] She also writes regularly for Vanity Fair magazine.[10]
Photography
editDelli's photographic work has been featured on the covers and artwork for over forty records by international music artists. Relatedly, her photos have been published by such publications as the New York Times, BBC, Rolling Stone, and CNN.[11] Bomb (magazine)[2] and No Depression magazine[12] both published multi-page features on Delli's work in their print editions.
Film
editDelli's documentary film work has been shown at such festivals as Le Guess Who? Netherlands, Sole Luna Doc Film Festival in Sicily[13]— where she also served on the jury— and WOMEX.[14] Amongst other networks, her footage has been used on segments for PBS,[15] ABC News,[16] and CNN International television.[17]
Radio
editSince January 2021, Delli has curated and co-hosted the Afro Descendant Excellencies program on the national radio network, Radio Radicale.[18] Gomorrah (book) author and winner of the PEN Pinter Prize and the European Book Prize, Roberto Saviano, cited Marilena and her program as a source in a feature for Corriere della Sera.[19]
Awards and commendation
editIn 2016, Delli provided all of the photos and film for the Zomba Prison Project, the first album of Malawian artists to ever receive a Grammy nomination.[20]
Delli's work has been exhibited at MUDEC (Museo delle Culture di Milano) Museum's permanent collection since 2021.
In 2020, Delli was named as one of Italy's Top 50 "Women of the Year" by the national Italian daily newspaper, La Repubblica.[3]
In 2023, she was nominated in the Community category for the Milan Fashion Week Black Carpet Awards sponsored by Vogue (magazine) and Afro Fashion Week.[21]
Books
editas author
- Razzismo All'Italiana: Cronache Di Una Spia Mezzosangue (Aracne Editrice [Roma], 2016). ISBN 978-8854890565 Preface by Cécile Kyenge.
- Negretta: Baci razzisti (Red Star Press [Roma], 2020) ISBN 978-8867182480 Afterword by Stella Jean.
- Pizza Mussolini'' (Red Star Press [Roma], 2023) ISBN 978-8867183753
- Lettera di una madre afrodiscendente alla scuola italiana (PEOPLE, 2023) ISBN 979-1259791924
as featured photographer
- How Music Dies (or Lives): Field-recording and the Battle For Democracy in the Arts. New York City: Allworth Press, 2016. ISBN 978-1621534877. With a foreword by Corin Tucker.
- Silenced by Sound: the Music Meritocracy Myth PM Press, 2019 ISBN 978-1629637037. With a foreword by Tunde Adebimpe.
- Muse-Sick: a music manifesto in fifty-nine notes PM Press, 2021 ISBN 978-1629639093. With a foreword by John Waters.
- Cultural Representations of Albinism in Africa: Narratives of Change Peter Lang (publisher), 2022 ISBN 978-1800791398, book cover image
- Missing Music: Voices from where the dirt roads end PM Press, 2024 ISBN 9798887440378. With a foreword by Evelyn Glennie.
Discography
edit- Kigali Y' Izahabu, The Good Ones (Dead Oceans Records, 2010)[22] – Rwanda
- He Is #1, Malawi Mouse Boys (IRL, 2012)[23] – Malawi
- Trance Percussion Masters of South Sudan, Wayo (Riverboat, 2013)[24] – Zande people
- South Sudan Street Survivors, General Paolino featuring Mama Celina (IRL, 2013)[25] – South Sudan
- Lapwong (Freedom Fighters), Acholi Machon (IRL, 2014)[26] – Acholi
- Dirt is Good, Malawi Mouse Boys (IRL, 2014)[27]
- I Have No Everything Here, Zomba Prison Project (Six Degrees Records, 2015)[28] – Malawi
- Survival Songs, Bob Forrest (Six Degrees Records, 2015)[29] – Big Sur
- War is a Wound, Peace is a Scar, Hanoi Masters (Glitterbeat, 2015)[30] – Vietnam
- Kibera Esbera [Kenya], West Bridge Band (Electric Cowbell Records, 2015)[31] – Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya
- Rwanda is My Home, The Good Ones (IRL, 2015)[32] – Rwanda
- Like a Bird or Spirit, Not a Face, Sainkho Namtchylak (Ponderosa Music & Art, 2015)[33] – Tuva; Brennan also plays on the album
- They Will Kill You, If You Cry, Khmer Rouge Survivors (Glitterbeat, 2016)[34] – Cambodia
- Rough Romanian Soul, Zmei3 (Six Degrees Records, 2016)[35] – Romania
- Forever Is 4 You, Malawi Mouse Boys (Omnivore Recordings, 2016)[36]
- I Will Not Stop Singing, Zomba Prison Project (Six Degrees Records, 2016)[37]
- Why Did We Stop Growing Tall?, Abatwa [The Pygmy] (Glitterbeat, 2017)[38] – Twa people, Rwanda/Burundi
- White African Power, Tanzania Albinism Collective (Six Degrees Records, 2017)[39] – Tanzania
- Our Skin May Be Different, But Our Blood is the Same, Tanzania Albinism Collective (Six Degrees Records, 2018)[40] – Tanzania
- Score for a film about Malawi without music from Malawi, Malawi Mouse Boys (Toy Gun Murder, 2018)[41]
- God is not a terrorist, Ustad Saami (Glitterbeat Records, January 2019)[42] – Pakistan
- Not a homeless person, just a person without a home, Homeless Oakland Heart (Electric Cowbell Records, October 2019)[43]
- Rwanda, You Should Be Loved, The Good Ones (Anti-, November 2019)[44]
- Why [the War]?, Yemen War Refugees (Toy Gun Murder, 2020) – Yemen
- Funeral Songs, fra fra (Glitterbeat Records, April 2020)[45] – Ghana
- Who You Calling Slow?, Sheltered Workshop Singers (Toy Gun Murder, September 2020)[46]
- Soccer (Summer 1988), The Good Ones (Anti-, September 2020) single[47]
- Pakistan is for the peaceful, Ustad Saami (Glitterbeat, October 2020)[48] – Karachi
- I've Forgotten Now Who I Used to Be, Witch Camp [Ghana] (Six Degrees Records, March 2021)[49]
- Prayer to Pasolini, John Waters (Sub Pop Records, April 2021)[50] – recorded onsite in Italy
- We are an island, but we're not alone, Comorian (Glitterbeat Records, May 2021)[51] – Comoros
- Albinism Unity (We Are Still Living In a Troubled World), Tanzania Albinism Collective (Six Degrees Records, June 2021) single[52]
- Sons of South Sudan, Acholi Machon (Good Deeds Music, July 2021)[53] – South Sudan
- I'm So Tired of Evil, Malawi Mouse Boys (Toy Gun Murder, August 2021) single – Malawi
- East Pakistan Sky, Ustad Saami (Glitterbeat Records, October 2021)[54] - Pakistan
- A Lifetime Isn't Long Enough, War Women of Kosovo (Toy Gun Murder, February 2022)[55] - Kosovo
- Rwanda...you see ghosts, I see sky, The Good Ones (Six Degrees Records, April 2022)[56] - Rwanda
- Afar Ways, Yanna Momina (Glitterbeat Records, August 2022)[57] - Djibouti
- The First Time I Wore Hearing Aids, Raymond Antrobus (Toy Gun Murder, September 2022)[58]
- Where water meets water: Bird Songs & lullabies, Sainkho Namtchylak (Ponderosa Music & Art, March 2023)[59]
- Thank you for bringing me back to the sky, The Oldest Voice in the World [Azerbaijan] (Six Degrees Records, April 2023)[60] - Talysh people
- Our Language May Be Dying, But Our Voices Remain (Botswana), Taa! (Glitterbeat Records, June 2023)[61] - Taa language
- An Investigator (of Missing Sounds), Raymond Antrobus (Toy Gun Murder, 2023)[62]
- Where the River Bends Is Only the Beginning, Saramaccan Sound [Suriname] (Glitterbeat, January 2024)[63] - Suriname
- Ancestor Sounds, Africatown AL (Free Dirt, February 2024)[64] - Africatown
- Once We Had a Place Called Home, Rohingya Refugees (Toy Gun Murder, April 2024)[11] - Rohingya people
- Your Face Is Like the Moon, Your Eyes Are Stars, Bhutan Balladeers (Glitterbeat, June 2024)[65] - Bhutan
References
edit- ^ "Collezione permanente".
- ^ a b "The Lost Art of Raw Recording by Ian Brennan - BOMB Magazine". bombmagazine.org.
- ^ a b "La donna dell'anno 2020". D.it Repubblica. October 12, 2020.
- ^ "Marilena Umuhoza Delli".
- ^ "Autori - Marilena Umuhoza Delli". www.aracneeditrice.it.
- ^ "Presentazione del libro: "Razzismo all'italiana. Cronaca di una spia mezzosangue" | Centro Interculturale della Città di Torino". www.interculturatorino.it.
- ^ "I libri di NRW: Negretta Baci razzisti". November 28, 2020.
- ^ "Aracne editrice -". www.aracneeditrice.it.
- ^ "Una storia afro-italiana nella terra dei "lumbard"". October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Human Nature, ora sono fiera". 20 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Rohingya refugees in their own words - recording their unvarnished truth | CNN". CNN. 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Ghosts: Fall 2021". No Depression Journal.
- ^ "Il razzismo nei mass media".
- ^ "The Continued Apartheid of International music - Colonialism and racism in mass media - WOMEX". www.womex.com.
- ^ https://www.pbs.org/video/ian-brennan-and-democratization-music-sxa6jr/
- ^ https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/music-producer-importance-making-music-remote-corners-world-110355802
- ^ "Ian Brennan and the Democratization of Music". PBS SoCal.
- ^ "Risultati della ricerca". Radio Radicale.
- ^ Saviano, Roberto (January 28, 2022). "La "pizza sospesa" di Ibrahim e le cittadinanze italiane che noi teniamo in sospeso". Corriere della Sera.
- ^ Desk, BWW News. "Ian Brennan and Marilena Delli's ZOMBA PRISON PROJECT Nabs GRAMMY Nomination". BroadwayWorld.com.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "Black Carpet Awards, tutti i candidati e la giuria della prima storica edizione". 3 February 2023.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (October 18, 2015). "The Good Ones: Rwanda Is My Home review – mesmerising close harmony". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Katz, David. "BBC – Music – Review of Malawi Mouse Boys – He Is #1". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Ian Brennan and the Democratic Power of Music". Articulateshow.org. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Rootsworld. "Music from So. Sudan, northern Uganda and Malawi / a RootsWorld review". Rootsworld.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Subscribe – theaustralian". Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (March 20, 2014). "Malawi Mouse Boys: Dirt Is Good review – rodent-kebab vendors turn gospel charmers". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Listen to a Song Recorded by Prisoners in Southern Malawi". Noisey.vice.com. January 26, 2015.
- ^ Hal Horowitz "Bob Forrest: Survival Songs", American Songwriter, October 7, 2015. Accessed October 24, 2017
- ^ Hall, Josh (March 12, 2015). "Hanoi Masters: the musicians keeping Vietnam's lost songs alive". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "The West Bridge Band Releases Kibera Esbera [Kenya] - World Music Central.org". Worldmusiccentral.org. 4 October 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (October 18, 2015). "The Good Ones: Rwanda Is My Home review – mesmerising close harmony". the Guardian.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (January 21, 2016). "Sainkho Namtchylak: Like a Bird or Spirit, Not a Face review – mixing the steppe and the Sahara". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (August 7, 2016). "Khmer Rouge Survivors: They Will Kill You If You Cry review – slow, eerie, south-east Asian blues". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Zmei3 – 'Rough Romanian Soul' (album stream) (premiere)". Popmatters.com. April 20, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "How the Malawi Mouse Boys make music in the world's poorest country". Newsweek.com. April 8, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Review: Striking songs from Malawi on Zomba Prison Project". Apnews.com. September 9, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (August 13, 2017). "Abatwa (The Pygmy): Why Did We Stop Growing Tall? review – remarkable Rwandan recording". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ Marshall, Alex (August 13, 2017). "Feared, ostracised and murdered: how music saved the Tanzania Albinism Collective". Theguardian.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Artist of The Day: Tanzania Albinism Collective > GRCMC". grcmc.org.
- ^ "Our Daily Bread 281: Malawi Mouse Boys 'Score For A film About Malawi Without Music From Malawi'". Monolithcocktail.com. September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ "USTAD SAAMI : God Is Not A Terrorist - CD - GLITTERBEAT - Forced Exposure". www.forcedexposure.com.
- ^ "Arts Forecast: El Rio saved, Litquake aquiver, Open Studios opens". October 10, 2019.
- ^ "New Music Friday: Our Top 10 Albums Out on Nov. 8 : All Songs Considered". NPR.
- ^ "Glitterbeat Records annonce un nouvel album du trio fra fra, enregistré live au nord du Ghana". March 19, 2020.
- ^ "Ian Brennan Returns Home to Record Some of the Most Meaningful Music of his Career". September 2, 2020.
- ^ (Anti-, 2019)
- ^ "The Quietus | Features | the Lead Review | Raags Against the Machine: Pakistan is for the Peaceful by Ustad Saami".
- ^ "Landmark Collection of Powerful Field Recordings from Witch Camps in Ghana Released".
- ^ https://twitter.com/dazed
- ^ "Lost in Musique-ah! GIITTV recommends for Bandcamp Friday". April 2, 2021.
- ^ "Tanzania Albinism Collective Release New Single In Celebration of International Albinism Awareness Day". Grateful Web.
- ^ "Daily Discovery: Acholi Machon – Sons of South Sudan". May 24, 2021.
- ^ "New Mix: Le Ren, Wet Leg, Ustad Saami, NoSo, More : All Songs Considered". NPR.org.
- ^ "War Women of Kosovo — A Lifetime Isn't Long Enough (Self-released)". Dustedmagazine.tumblr.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "The Good Ones: Rwanda… You See Ghosts, I See Sky (Review)". May 12, 2022.
- ^ "The Quietus | Reviews | Yanna Momina".
- ^ Verma, Jeevika (September 30, 2022). "Raymond Antrobus uses spoken word poetry to portray a diverse experience of sound". NPR.
- ^ "Sainkho Namtchylak - RootsWorld review". RootsWorld Magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ "Our Daily Bread 567: The Oldest Voice In The World (Azerbaijan) 'Thank You For Bringing Me Back To The Sky'". Monolithcocktail.com. April 3, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ "The 10 best albums of June 2023". 4 July 2023.
- ^ https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-raymond-antrobus-deaf-poet-an-investigator-of-missing-sounds
- ^ "Global routes with TONY BURKE: January 21, 2024". January 21, 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Jude (8 March 2024). "Various artists: Africatown, AL: Ancestor Sounds review – music that defies the darkest of pasts". The Guardian.
- ^ https://www.blogfoolk.com/2024/07/bhutan-balladeers-your-face-is-like.html