Italy: “Men’s Day” at the heart of a sexist controversy

Lhe images are enough to make people react. Every year, the small village of Monteprato di Nimis, in northeastern Italy, organizes a “men’s party”. As its name suggests, this festivity turns out to be particularly macho. As proof, for three years, the organizers have been planning a “banana eating” contest. An event judged by men in which only women participate, tells International mail. This subtle celebration of manhood has shocked many people, who oppose it.

A petition to say “no to the 2022 banana eating contest” has already garnered 1,300 signatures. “It’s not a nice and innocent discovery to fill the program of the festivities”, explain our Italian colleagues from fan pagerelayed by International mail. “The crux of the matter is: why should what is considered a male party, or male party, result in some form of oppression, denigration, or sexualization of women? This ordeal is none other than the result of a culture that is at the origin of an infinite number of forms of oppression. »

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The organizers of the “man’s party”, insensitive to the petition, evoke a “sterile controversy”, ensuring that if men wish to participate in the banana-eating contest, “we would not say no to them”. The tradition of this annual fair, 45 years old, dates back to after the First World War. At that time, the village of Monteprato would have almost disappeared due to a lack of men.