For years, Radio Oltre, the radio station of the Francesco Cavazza Institute for the Blind, has been providing access to culture for blind and visually-impaired people by producing and promoting cultural programs. This short article talks about the radio podcast "Fatterelli Bolognesi," dedicated to some historical events in Bologna, based on the homonymous children’s book series produced by Tiziana Roversi and published by Minerva Edizioni.
Tiziana came to us with the idea of transforming her work into a podcast addressed specifically to the blind and visually-impaired. A graduate of the University of Bologna, she began by working with numerous publishers, and has devoted herself to children’s books since 1983. An expert storyteller for young children, she has curated publishing and cultural projects such as Giannino Stoppani, GallieraBlu, Nero lupo rosso Cappuccetto, Wolfango illustratore, Sotto i portici.
She set about the project with “Fate la pace! San Francesco in Piazza Maggiore” (“Make peace! St. Francis in Piazza Maggiore”), whose title she wrote in her own hand. In each episode, she presents the book by explaining historical records and narrative fiction, and then interviews the authors and illustrators who collaborated on the project. The tone is light but also educational, and never boring. In the first episode, the illustrator Angelica Stefanelli tells Tiziana how she approached the subject - St. Francis’s visit to Bologna on August 15, 1222 – and explains her stylistic choices and the most important themes she decided to highlight in the story (especially the scene in which St. Francis holds a leper in his arms). Angelica drew inspiration from a panel commissioned by the Tedaldi family, which since 1595 has been on the altar of the Bardi chapel.
In programs like this, the radio, with its limits and strengths, guides listeners in descriptions of images and involves them in the artist’s vision.
The series has over 30 books, and so far the podcast has reached 14 episodes. Its subjects are highly varied: science, with Einstein’s visit to Bologna; music and politics with “Pronto? Qui Radio Alice;” armed conflicts with “L’Orso Wojtek,” the story of a big brown bear that took part in the liberation and in the battle of Montecassino as a soldier enrolled in the Polish Corps. The common thread is Bologna, the background is history, and the characters are the people who lived here and made it the city we love. Noteworthy is the collaboration with Wu Ming II for creating the episode “La Battaglia della Merda” (“The Battle of Shit”), which curious readers can discover with the QR code on the page with the episodes. The podcast was produced by Radio Oltre with the support of Sergio Rotino, and is broadcast every Monday from 5 to 5:30 PM, with episodes lasting 18-26 minutes. They can also be heard on Spotify and on our website: www.radiooltre.it. We Invite young readers to look for the series created and curated by Tiziana Roversi. Each episode explores a "Fatterello": an anecdote that combines historical events in Bologna and fairy-tale elements for a young audience.
Page of Fatterelli Bolognesi Podcasts
Italiano
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