The Many Venices. A walk with Marilena Umuhoza Delli

The third appointment in the series The Many Venices takes us through the calli (streets) of Venice's historic centre, in the company of Italian-Rwandan writer and activist Marilena Umuhoza Delli.

Venice has historically been one of the most multicultural cities in the world. The Italian peninsula itself is the part of Europe that has seen the passage of peoples from the widest range of ethnicities and backgrounds.

Marilena Umuhoza Delli will guide us on a walk exploring the connections between Venice and Africa from an anti-racist, decolonial, and intersectional perspective.

Enriched by readings, testimonies, and interactive moments, the walk connects Black figures from the past with those of today, retracing the city's history and its ties to the African continent.

This walk is open to everyone and is also suitable for families, schools, and children.

Il programma è sostenuto da Venezia Football Club come Community Partner.

Marilena Umuhoza Delli is an Italian Rwandan photographer, author, and filmmaker whose photographic work has been published around the world by the BBC, Le Monde and the NYT, among others. She has written several Italian-language books and regularly presents DEI workshops throughout Italy, Brazil and the USA.

She is also a member of WAMI, the 1st BIPOC Movement in Italian Fashion, at work to create routes to DEI activation through the multicultural transition of Made in Italy.

She collaborates with Vanity Fair and Corriere della Sera covering topics on history, culture and music. Marilena is also the co-host and curator of a national radio show in Italy devoted to Italian African descendants.

In 2020, Marilena was named one of the “50 Women of the Year” (2020) by La Repubblica. 

In 2023 she was nominated Community Leader at the Black Carpet Awards by Vogue Italia and AFW. In 2025, she was a Premio Andersen award finalist for her book, Storia vera dell'Italia nera.