The initiative launched by the clown-volunteer Marco Rodari reaches its sixth edition and obtains the recognition of parliament. It will be a Sunday dedicated to games, workshops and shows in dozens of cities, with a thought on the little ones who live in theaters of conflict around the world
Over five hundred and twenty million children live in war zones. More than one in five minors in the world. These are the dramatic numbers reported by Save the Children in the report for 2024, commissioned from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). The figure has more than doubled in the last three decades and has never been higher. To keep attention high on the difficulties of the little ones and raise awareness of their suffering, the Day of Wonder was born six years ago, now recognized by law by the Italian parliament. Every second Sunday of October - this year the 11th - games, workshops and shows are held in one hundred squares across our country, combined with initiatives in schools, libraries and museums in many cities. The day was born from an idea by Marco Rodari, nominated Knight of the Republic for his activity as a war clown and founder of the charity "To make the sky smile". Returning from one of his many trips to the Middle East, in February 2020, at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, Marco received a letter: "It was a drawing by a little girl from Gaza, suffering from cancer – he says -. It said 'I am with you, who are suffering'. I immediately thought of reversing the gesture and allowing Italian children to bring wonder to those who live in war". Since then, Rodari has entered pediatric hospitals and schools, with drawing workshops to give amazement and joy to those who experience the terror of bombs every day. Today there are over five hundred associations that collaborate with Il Pimpa - Marco's clown name - and the commitment is to increasingly broaden the participation network, making agreements with Regions and Municipalities. "At the base is the Manifesto of the twelve labors of the children of war. The struggle we have chosen, for this edition, is not being able to go to school. Songs will be sung in the squares – continues Rodari –, we will hold workshops and many activities, such as the game of Wonder, a sort of game of goose: go forward if something wonderful happens, stay still if you hear the air raid warnings. They will be moments of reflection, with the thought of those who cannot wonder or have stopped doing so".
Create a bond between children
The aim of the initiative is to involve Italian children, bring them closer to those who suffer and create a bond between them: "They must not experience the war as a sense of guilt, but understand those who suffer it every day, welcome their suffering to alleviate it. In Italy we have opened the doors to thousands of Ukrainian refugee children and there was no need to teach the Italian children how to understand them. We are the ones who must learn from them". The Day is coordinated with those held in all conflict zones where clowns operate. Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Gaza and many other periphery of the world, where it is more difficult to get aid and where the soap bubbles of a clown can rekindle the smile. "We try to give moments of joy. Wonder identifies the child, it is the basis of knowledge. And it is important for us to act during the trauma: under the bombs, we make something beautiful happen and the little ones go back to imagining something different from the rubble".
Fifty clowns in Gaza
The goals achieved in over eleven years are collected on the Rodari association website: two and a half million children reached by over twenty-two thousand street performances, three hundred thousand hot meals donated, fifteen buildings rebuilt from scratch, a one million euro fundraiser that continues to grow. Added to this is the satisfaction of training new young clowns: "I'm very proud of them. For me, who often return to Italy, it's simpler. But think of the fifty clowns who live in Gaza and who didn't stop after October 7th, on the contrary, they increased their effort, despite the drama around them. They all deserve the Nobel Peace Prize." The art of the funny magician, with propeller hat and briefcase of objects, is extemporaneous but retains a magic that strikes immediately, it only takes a few moments. "We bring beauty into the daily lives of those who risk closing in on themselves. Many kids now have a reason for living that helps them keep resentment and hatred at bay. Thus they become human beings again."
National recognition
The Italian parliament is the first in the world to recognize by law the right to wonder, which is not even contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of Children and Adolescents. Daisy Pirovano, senator of the League, was the signatory of the bill approved last October 1st in the Chamber, after its passage in Palazzo Madama. "I particularly cared about this provision, which has obtained the support of all parties and can help an already widespread project", he explains. "I hope that recognition at a national level can support the association, to bring the voice of the children of war here." When it was filed in 2024, the title of the bill aroused the hilarity of some politicians: "Colleagues made fun of us for the choice of the word wonder - Pirovano recalls - I believe, however, that it is important: even in Italian families there can, in fact, be children who do not know what this feeling is. Everyone should have the same right to be amazed. Also because those who are amazed, as Marco Rodari always says, will be a healthy bringer of peace". Building positive memories is important especially during childhood and "knowing that there is someone who thinks of you, who risks their life for you is fundamental for those who have nothing. If one day this law could help even just one child it would be important".
Heading to Iraq
The day begins today, but many activities will continue in the classrooms throughout the week. Marco will leave immediately afterwards, towards Iraq. "I can't wait, I will meet five thousand children a day and I will try to give them a few moments that they will not forget." As happened a few days ago, in the Izium forest, in Ukraine. "In an isolated house I met a woman and her three-year-old son, who had never yet seen another child. For the first time he saw his mother marveling and in imitation he opened his mouth and burst out laughing. This is truly the heart of my work. It wasn't easy to go this far, but it was truly worth my life."
