"Storytelling Mothers": In Rome, mothers exchange the stories they heard as children.

It all began with the outburst of a mother of North African origin, who told Andrea Satta—in his pediatrician's office—that she felt alone and isolated , despite having lived in Rome for a long time. From that confidence, Satta sought a different way to create a connection: instead of asking her to share her experience as a migrant or her difficulties, he asked her how she fell asleep as a child . And from this encounter, and the resulting question, a small but powerful project was born.

"Mamme Narranti" is a project conceived by Andrea Satta , pediatrician and lead singer of the band Têtes de Bois, and launched about twenty years ago in his pediatric clinic on the outskirts of Rome. The idea is simple yet unique: to transform the childhood stories of mothers—both Italian and international—into a tool for building relationships and community.

Mothers tell fairy tales, nursery rhymes, or stories they remember from their childhood, the ones they used to fall asleep to. In the original project, these stories are shared in group meetings, thus creating a sort of collective narrative.

 In essence, the fairy tale is the pretext to meet: it allows people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to talk to each other to share something very personal without starting from cultural, linguistic or social differences.

The aim of the project is:

• promote encounters and dialogue between cultures, through a shared experience
• combat loneliness and isolation, especially women who live far from their own country
• create mutual curiosity, rather than basing the relationship on pity or the idea of ​​“helping” the other
• build one community around families and children
• valorize family memories, languages ​​and traditions, transforming them into shared heritage

The “Mamme Narranti” chat includes 180 mothers from 30 different countries , who have been meeting for about 16 years now.

The Facebook page has over 2.400 followers.

Image source: Narrative Moms by Andrea Satta/Facebook

Read also:

• Mammematte: the association that supports the adoption of homeless children.
• "Salvabebè-Salvamamme": the association that helps women and children
• Tagesmutter: mothers who care for other people's children