A Nome Loro – Music and Voices for the Victims of the Mafia

A collective cry against the mafia

A Nome Loro – Music and Voices for the Victims of the Mafia is much more than a concert: it is an artistic and cultural marathon that brings the voice of memory and civic engagement to the squares of Castelvetrano, in the province of Trapani. The event brings together musicians, actors, journalists, magistrates, victims' families, and institutional representatives for a single day to remember those who fell in the fight against organized crime and to affirm a different vision of Sicily.

Origins and artistic direction

The project was born in February 2023, immediately following the arrest of the high-profile fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro, thanks to the intuition and determination of jazz pianist Sade Mangiaracina, a native of Castelvetrano and artistic director of the festival since its first edition. The A Nome Loro association was formed around her, composed of artists and cultural professionals such as Simona Molinari, Giuseppe Anastasi, Dario Mangiaracina, Franco D'Aniello, Stefania Conte, and Turi Benintende. The stated goal is to restore dignity to a territory too long associated only with mafia headlines, using art as a tool for change.

Squares as an open-air theater

After the first two editions hosted in the evocative Selinunte Archaeological Park, the event returned to the historic center of Castelvetrano, enlivening the Sistema delle Piazze, which becomes a widespread open-air stage. For an entire day, concerts, theatrical monologues, readings, and moments of testimony alternate, with free admission to encourage the widest possible participation.

Music, memory, and commitment

The program alternates big names from the Italian singer-songwriter and independent scene with speeches by magistrates, journalists, and family members of mafia victims. Alongside the musical component, the festival features testimonies from organizations such as Casa Memoria, the Falcone Foundation, Addio Pizzo, and Libera, as well as the presence of national and local institutional representatives.

MyHope and young talent

An important section of the festival is the MyHope competition, dedicated to emerging musicians under 35 who perform original, unreleased tracks. The selected finalists take the main stage alongside established artists, and the winners are awarded a scholarship in collaboration with Mogol's CET.

An event that lives on air

The day is broadcast live on Rai Radio 2 and on channel 202 of digital terrestrial television, expanding the initiative's reach far beyond the borders of Sicily. The experience is completed by a food and wine village featuring companies, artisans, and local proloco associations from the Belice area. Just steps away from where one of Italy's most wanted bosses operated, A Nome Loro has become a symbolic appointment for Castelvetrano and the entire Sicily region.