Faccetta Nera

Faccetta Nera (Italian: "Little Black Face") is a popular marching song of Italy's Fascist regime. It was written by Renato Micheli with music by Mario Ruccione in 1935.

"Faccetta Nera"
Song
Released1935 (1935)
GenreMarch
Songwriter(s)Renato Micheli

History
Italian notice, signed by general Emilio De Bono, proclaiming the abolishment of slavery in Tigray in Italian and Amharic. The abolition of slavery was one of the first measures taken by the Italian colonial government in Ethiopia.

The hymn is said to have been inspired by a beautiful young Abyssinian girl, who was found by the Italian troops at the beginning of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.

Faccetta Nera talks about how the black girl will be taken back to Rome and offered a new life, free from the bonds of slavery. There, the song's narrator explain that she will be introduced to new laws and rulers.

During the invasion the song was hugely popular in Italy and caused national fervor.[1] The implicitly erotic song was, however, somewhat of an embarrassment for the Fascist government, which had, starting in May 1936, introduced several laws prohibiting cohabitation and marriage between Italians and native people of the Italian colonial empire.[1] These efforts culminated in the Italian Racial Laws of 1938. The Fascist authorities considered banning the song, and removed all picture postcards depicting Abyssinian women from Roman shop windows.[1]

Lyrics
Italian lyrics
Se tu dall'altipiano guardi il mare
Moretta che sei schiava fra gli schiavi
Vedrai come in un sogno tante navi
E un tricolore sventolar per te
Faccetta nera, bell'abissina
Aspetta e spera che già l'ora si avvicina!
quando saremo insieme a te
noi ti daremo un'altra legge e un altro Re
La legge nostra è schiavitù d'amore
il nostro motto è LIBERTÀ e DOVERE
vendicheremo noi Camicie Nere
Gli eroi caduti liberando te!
Faccetta nera, bell'abissina
Aspetta e spera che già l'ora si avvicina!
quando saremo insieme a te
noi ti daremo un'altra legge e un altro Re
Faccetta nera, piccola abissina
ti porteremo a Roma, liberata
Dal sole nostro tu sarai baciata
Sarai in Camicia Nera pure tu
Faccetta nera, sarai Romana
La tua bandiera sarà sol quella italiana!
Noi marceremo insieme a te
E sfileremo avanti al Duce e avanti al Re!
English translation
If you look at the sea from the hills
Young moor, a slave among slaves
Like in a dream you will see many ships
And a tricolour waving for you
Pretty black face, beautiful Abyssinian
Wait and see, for the hour is coming!
When we are with you
We shall give you another law and another king
Our law is slavery of love
Our motto is FREEDOM and DUTY
We, the blackshirts, will avenge
the heroes that died to free you!
Pretty black face, beautiful Abyssinian
Wait and see, for the hour is coming!
When we are with you
We shall give you another law and another king
Pretty black face, little Abyssinian
We will take you to Rome, as a freedwoman
You will be kissed by our sun
and a black shirt you too will wear
Pretty black face, you will be Roman
Your only flag will be the Italian one!
We will march together with you
and parade in front of the Duce and the king!

See also

References
  1. Forgacs, David (2014), Italy's Margins: Social Exclusion and Nation Formation since 1861, ISBN 1107052173, pp. 80-81


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