Domenico vive! – Concerto in ricordo di Domenico

(Domenico Lives! – A Concert in Memory of Domenico)

Domenico vive! – Concerto in ricordo di Domenico This poster was circulated in northern Rome by the neo-fascist organization Nothing Is Superior to promote a concert in memory of Domenico Maria Dorsa, who died in a car accident on Rome's Great Ring Junction in February 2018. It features the names of various neo-fascist rock 'n roll bands and bears the slogan "Domenic lives!," which is typical of neo-fascist commemorations. Source: Photograph by Brian J Griffith (December 28, 2020).

On February 2, 2018, Domenico Maria Dorsa – a young member of the far-right groups Nihil Est Superius (Nothing Is Superior, NES) and Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy, FdI) – passed away following a car accident on the northern stretches of Rome's Great Ring Junction (GRJ) – a motorway which encircles the city's outermost stretches (Nozzoli 2018). Dorsa had been a passenger in a vehicle which suddenly lost control, veered off of the road, and smashed into a tree near the GRJ's Via Salaria offramp. In the days following Dorsa's accident, Giorgia Meloni – the founder and President of FdI – issued a public statement via her Facebook account, lamenting the former's passing: "In this moment of sorrow," Meloni wrote, "our condolences and sympathies [vicinanza] go to Domenico's family and all those who knew him" (Meloni 2021).

While not associated in any way with political violence, as had been the case with many of Cold War Italy's far-right "martyrs" during the Years of Lead (1968-82), the anniversary of Dorsa's passing was quickly transformed into a neo-fascist-style commemoration by his former "comrades" within Rome's far-right community (Figs. 1, 2, and 3).

This poster was disseminated around northern Rome, where NES is based, to promote a concert "in ricordo di Domenico" (in Domenic's memory), which featured a handful of well-known neo-fascist rock 'n roll groups based in the Eternal City, including Senza Nome (Without a Name), which is closely affiliated with NES. The text near the bottom of the poster proclaims that "Domenico vive!" (Domenic lives!), a typical (neo-)fascist rhetorical strategy which recognizes fallen comrades as eternally "Presente!" (Present!) (Fig. 4). At the center of the poster, viewers are presented with the phrase: "Amore e coraggio indubbiamente cambiano la storia" (Love and courage undoubtedly change history).

In addition to this poster, NES disseminated – and continues to do so – a commemorative poster marking the anniversary of Dorsa's death, which is featured in this collection.

Images

Domenico vive! – Concerto in ricordo di Domenico This poster was circulated in northern Rome by the neo-fascist organization Nothing Is Superior to promote a concert in memory of Domenico Maria Dorsa, who died in a car accident on Rome's Great Ring Junction in February 2018. It features the names of various neo-fascist rock 'n roll bands and bears the slogan "Domenic lives!," which is typical of neo-fascist commemorations. Source: Photograph by Brian J Griffith (December 28, 2020).

Fig. 1 National Youth – one of the Brothers of Italy's two far-right youth groups – commemorates the sudden passing of Domenico Maria Dorsa just four days after his fatal car accident on Rome's Great Ring Junction via their Instagram account. | Captions: "Love and courage undoubtedly change history" (left); "Goodbye Dom[inic]" (right). Source: Gioventù Nazionale, "Ciao Domenico," *Instagram* (February 6, 2018).

Fig. 2 A photograph of a make-shift memorial for Domenico Maria Dorsa by members of Nothing Is Superior on their Instagram account. | Caption: "There is only one way to never die, and that way is to truly live!" Source: Nihil Est Superius, "A Dom," *Instagram* (January 31, 2019).

Fig. 3 Nothing Is Superior commemorates the first anniversary of Domenico Maria Dorsa's fatal car accident via their Instagram account. Caption: "Goodbye Domenic." Source: Nihil Est Superius, "Ciao Domenico," *Instagram* (February 3, 2019).

Fig. 4 An illustration in the interwar periodical, Our People, depicting the fascist dictatorship's "cult of martyrs." The illustration features the names and photographs of several Italian officers and soldiers who perished during their years of service in the Italian military. Below the martyrs' names is an oversized "Present!," alluding to their imagined eternal presence. Source: "Presente!," *Gente Nostra: Illustrazione Fascista* (August 18, 1935), p. 5.

Location

Open in Google Maps

Related Resources

Sources Consulted

Citation Information

Nihil Est Superius, “Domenico vive! – Concerto in ricordo di Domenico,” Where Monsters Are Born: Documenting a Fascist Revival in the Streets of Rome, 2018-2019, accessed October 22, 2024, https://wheremonstersareborn.com/items/show/13.

Filed Under

Poster