Maria Occhipinti

Maria Occhipinti (1921–1996) was an Italian anarcha-feminist. She became known as "an emblem Sicilian women’s protest" in the mid-forties, as in 1945 she was involved in an anti-draft revolt in Ragusa, Sicily. She became known through her book Una donna di Ragusa (A Woman from Ragusa), published in 1957, although unnoticed until 1976, when a second edition was released. She died in August 1996.

Biography

Early life Maria Occhipinti was born to Giorgio and Concetta Sgarioto in Ragusa, Sicily on July 29, 1921. She attended three years of school before dropping out to train as a seamstress. Occhipinti married at age 17, and her husband went into war shortly after their marriage.

Politics and activism When her husband went off to war, Occhipinti, described as restless and curious by nature, Despite the original scandal, Occhipinti managed to bring other women into labor organizing. In December 1944, though, draft cards began to arrive, asking men take part in "the reconstruction of the Italian army," as ordered by the Bonomi government. At first, she was confined in Ustica, where her daughter Maria Lenina, also known as Marilena, was born. Occhipinti and her newborn were transferred to the Benedictine prison in Palermo. Maria Lenina spent the first months of her life in prison, and her mother served almost two years.

Overall, Una donna di Ragusa had three editions published in Italy, one in France, two in Sweden, and additional serialisations in different countries.

Impact and legacy At a 2011 anarchist May Day rally in Ragusa, a two-hour speech mentioned by name Maria Occhipinti and Franco Leggio as crucial representatives of anarchism in the Iblea region.

In 2013, Italian filmmaker Luca Scivoletto released a documentary on Maria Occhipinti, which first premiered on March 25th. The documentary is called Con Quella faccia di straniera - Il viaggio di Maria Occhipinti, which translates to "With Her Foreign Face - Maria Occhipinti's Voyage." The film lasts an hour and covers Occhipinti's early life and political activism, revisiting the places where the 1945 rebellion and her subsequent imprisonment occurred. The documentary was constructed with the help of historians, a previously conducted interview with Maria Occhipinti, and contributions from Occhipinti's family: her sister Rosina, her daughter Marilena, and her granddaughter Lorenza.