“Andy Warhol – Federico Fellini – Federico Wardal”: a case of “muses”

This is a special story, one that emerged after a full 50 years.

About two years ago, an Instagram fan of mine, who knew I had been an inspiration to my mentor Federico Fellini and vice versa, sent me an Andy Warhol collage. My fan asked me if it was me in the photo, below the one of Liza Minnelli, second from the right, in a famous Andy Warhol collage, which also features Sylvester Stallone.

I replied to her that it wasn’t me, fully noticing that the Andy Warhol’s model in the photo appeared like a lookalike of me, wearing makeup, clothes, and attire like me at the time. The conversation between me and my Instagram fan was public and spread across social media and elsewhere, becoming popular. This is the real story. In the 70s, my photos (aka Wardal, my real name is Federico di Wardal) reached Federico Fellini and Andy Warhol via the film agencies of Franco Brel and Yvette Louis. Fellini chose me as the “adolescent alter ego of Casanova” in the first edition of his film “Casanova”, then entirely stolen, shortly before it appeared on the screens and then reshot.

Andy Warhol requested a contract from my manager Mr. Drago to be able to use my image in his compositions, but the agreement did not come to fruition. Surprisingly, it now appears, as I said, that Andy Warhol’s model Mrs. Iris, strongly resembling me, dressed and made up like me, was included in the attached photo, in the same period in which my image was exclusive to Federico Fellini. Fellini had chosen me not only because my aesthetic characteristics fit into his imaginative world , but also for my “metaphysical” personality, but at the same time intense and physical. My image, however, also fit into Warhol’s imaginative world, aside from my personality.

Both Fellini and Warhol always chose characters that no one forgets, and this is certainly positive for me, since for 50 years I have continued to galvanize audiences. But there is one aspect or challenge that has always fascinated me: the power to cancel or obscure my image, when I perform a show, through intense, pregnant acting. That said, Federico Fellini requested me not only as an “image,” but also as an actor, giving me the opportunity to express myself through acting, while Andy Warhol focused only on my special facial expression and my look, and rightly so, since Fellini is a great film director and Andy Warhol is, I think, above all a great visual artist.

For an artist who has a galvanizing image, everything can become very difficult, since producers make you play roles that are more linked to the image and not to the abilities and skills of an actor. It is truly a hard struggle to impose on producers roles that we artists believe in, roles that we feel and love. 

In my case, I have been very lucky because I have inspired many directors, authors, writers, poets of different genres, ages, cultures who wanted me in roles that I have immensely loved. The names? Federico Fellini, Carlo Lizzani, Alberto Bevilacqua, Dario Bellezza, Mario Fratti, Franco Cuomo and now Enrico Bernard with the film “Lila” (A Monster Called Lila) https://youtu.be/aURAiSWSK1Y?si=Oqv5RbnlOfRbhrDQ. But also young and very young talents from California, Egypt, Italy , they are inspired by me.

This entire “story” turns 50 this year and will be celebrated in Italy in Pompeii, an ancient city and archaeological site, from December 3 to 13, 2025, during the sixth edition of the Vesuvius Film Festival (vesuviusfilmfestival.it), dedicated to my mentor Federico Fellini. The festival is chaired by Giovanna D’Amodio. I, who always love to act, not just to appear, will give the performance: “FELLINI’s Dream,” directed by the president of the Historical Archive of Italian Cinema, the authoritative film critic Graziano Marraffa. Key partners of the Vesuvius Film Festival are the Vesuvius National Park Authority, chaired by Raffaele De Luca, and ANILDD, chaired by engineer Lino Marasco.

The foreign films in the international section of the film festival are highly anticipated, such as “Kamilah the Miracle Filly” by Angela Alioto, with Joe Mantegna as narrator, and the other film is “Anita” by Wardal and Ceccomori, with Wardal and music by Andrea Ceccomori. The film is under the auspices of the national Giuseppe Garibaldi association, chaired by the descendant of the hero Francesco Garibaldi Hibbert, a special guest of the film festival. https://youtu.be/VMBSioZfN-U?si=f-h04f_CAYd40RVx. I will be accompanied by Maria Luisa Lo Monte, an international television personality. At the Vesuvius Film Festival, a photographic exhibition on Fellini and I will be inaugurated, with photos by the famous Pierluigi Praturlon, but we will also talk about Andy Warhol and the story I told you.

Special Education Day 

Butterfly garden, wings of diverse

colors, unique flights.

Mosaic of stars, each with its own

intense light.

Ocean of sounds, each wave a

unique melody.

Labyrinth of paths, each toward a

personal destiny.

Puzzle of pieces, joining together

with perseverance and love.

Rainbow of talents, painting a more

diverse and radiant world.

Beacon of hope, guiding each soul

to its own horizon.

Warm embrace, embracing

diversity as strength.

Song of inclusion, resonating in the

heart of the community.

GRACIELA NOEMI VILLAVERDE is a writer and poet from Concepción del Uruguay (Entre Rios) Argentina, based in Buenos Aires She graduated in letters and is the author of seven books of poetry, awarded several times worldwide. She works as the World Manager of Educational and Social Projects of the Hispanic World Union of Writers and is the UHE World Honorary President of the same institution Activa de la Sade, Argentine Society of Writers. She is the Commissioner of Honor in the executive cabinet IN THE EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL RELATIONS DIVISION, of the UNACCC SOUTH AMERICA ARGENTINA CHAPTER.

Missing You

when it dawns,

I feel the dew on my lips

gently moistening your face…

With the passion that burns in my heart

like summer sun chaco…

my soul burns

love

I put it out with tears

of an unexpected rain of my eyes

Knowing that I can only imagine you.

crying for you

after feeling

the company of my pillow

confirming that you will never return…

Mirta Liliana Ramírez has been a poet and writer since she was 12 years old. She has been a Cultural Manager for more than 35 years. Creator and Director of the Groups of Writers and Artists: Together for the Letters, Artescritores, MultiArt, JPL world youth, Together for the letters Uzbekistan 1 and 2. She firmly defends that culture is the key to unite all the countries of the world. She works only with his own, free and integrating projects at a world cultural level. She has created the Cultural Movement with Rastrillaje Cultural and Forming the New Cultural Belts at the local level and also from Argentina to the world.

Whispers to You (Beloved Mother)

At night I climb where the wind can hear,

The stars above feel somehow near.

Clouds drift slow, like her gentle hands,

Still guiding me through life’s strange lands.

I tell the sky the words for my mom I save,

Stories I wish, to her I gave.

The moon just listens, the stars don’t reply,

In silent light in the midnight sky.

Though she’s far, I still believe,

In every breeze, her love I receive.

Wazed Abdullah is a student of grade ten in Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh.

Dark Clouds

Dark clouds floating in the sky

Wearing the black blanket

Upside down

Ticks in the heart

In the deep forest the hungry lions

Devours all the existence

It drizzles

It blows the sweetness of heart

Of course a healthy green atmosphere we step on

On the other

It revives the volcano

Erupting lava spread all around

Burn the earth with the firing

Birds fly away from there

Taking a shelter to the alternatives.

Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times the Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad. His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos for seven years.

SPEAKING  ACTIVITIES  FOR  FLUENCY  AND ACCURACY:                                    

                 A BALANCED APPROACH

Annotation: One of the most important but difficult goals for teachers in language teaching is to find a balance between fluency and accuracy. Fluency helps learners express their thoughts clearly and confidently, while accuracy makes sure that their language use is correct and fits the situation. Focusing on just one part of communicative competence may slow down its overall growth. So, for language learning to be effective, it’s important to take a balanced approach that includes activities that focus on both fluency and accuracy. So, this article talks about how important it is to have a balanced approach to helping students improve their grammar and fluency. It looks at free conversation, role-playing, and discussion exercises to help people speak more fluently, as well as grammar and pronunciation exercises that are designed to help people speak more accurately. The article gives teachers suggestions on how to do things and real-life examples that will help them get good results in the classroom.

  Key words: Educational technology, positive learning environment, direct instructions, fluency, accuracy, natural, repetition, drilling, pronunciation, pairwork games, tongue twister.

  Firstly, teachers have a significant impact on students’ values, attitudes, and behaviours, and this influence frequently extends beyond the classroom. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, teachers act as role models for their students because they are authority figures who engage with them on a daily basis. Students are more likely to internalise and emulate teachings that exhibit traits like honesty, respect, punctuality, and a love of learning. This influence is particularly potent when the younger generation is developing their social identities and moral convictions.

For instance, a teacher who treats every student fairly and kindly not only fosters a positive learning environment in the classroom but also sets an example for how to use empathy and respect in daily interactions. Likewise, when a teacher calmly manages a challenging lesson or adjusts to unforeseen circumstances in the classroom, they can encourage students to be resilient and determined in their own lives. Since students witness values being exhibited in practical settings rather than merely in theory, such a role model frequently has greater impact than direct instruction. 

The movie Freedom Writers tells the story of Erin Gruwell, a teacher who really lived. She changed the lives of many students from troubled backgrounds by being dedicated, caring, and willing to go above and beyond the standard curriculum. Through her work, they learnt that discipline, empathy, and faith in the potential of others can help them get through difficult times. In daily life, even small things like warmly greeting students every morning, showing real interest in their lives, or admitting mistakes can have a big impact on how students think and act. In short, teachers are not only teaching academic subjects when they show their students the qualities they want to develop in them. They are also helping young people grow as a whole. Their actions become a living program that teaches them life skills and moral values, and the effects of education go far beyond the classroom.

  Activities that focus on clarity put a lot of emphasis on using the right language, which helps students improve their grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, making their communication clear and professional. Fluency encourages people to speak without thinking, while precision stops mistakes from becoming ingrained over time and builds a strong language base. Typically, these kinds of activities are short, controlled, and meant to help students practise certain language patterns before they use them in free communication. To help students remember how to use things correctly, teachers often use repetition, targeted correction, and clear explanations. One of the most common ways to learn is through drilling, where students repeat certain structures over and over again until they know them by heart.

For instance, practicing conditional sentences like “If I had studied harder, I would have passed the test” helps students learn both how to do things automatically and how to do them correctly. Games with a grammar focus are also useful resources. Grammar review becomes engaging and interactive when students are required to use the appropriate tense when asking and responding to questions, such as “Find someone who has been to London,” in the “Find someone who…” activity. Simple pairwork exercises that teach students to hear and pronounce subtle sound differences that can impact meaning, like differentiating between ship and sheep, can help students improve their pronunciation accuracy.

  It is commonly known that tongue twisters, which are brief sentences or phrases with repeated and similar sounds, are useful tools for improving spoken language accuracy and fluency. Their ability to engage several facets of speech production—pronunciation, articulation, rhythm, and intonation—all at once makes them valuable in the learning process. From the standpoint of fluency, tongue twisters instruct students on how to rapidly and fluidly pronounce a series of sounds without making undue pauses or hesitations. The speaker concentrates on creating seamless transitions between the sounds because they are frequently similar but marginally different, which is reminiscent of the requirements of natural communication. The tongue twister “She sells seashells by the seashore,” for instance, compels the learner to make rapid sounds, improving speech coordination. With regular practice, such tasks reduce hesitation and improve the natural flow of speech.

  In conclusion, developing comprehensive language competence requires striking an efficient balance between speaking activities’ accuracy and fluency. While accuracy guarantees that their speech is grammatically correct, precise, and socially acceptable, fluency enables students to convey their ideas clearly, maintain communication flow, and grow confident in real-life confrontations. A balanced approach recognises that these two elements are not mutually exclusive but rather interdependent: accuracy without fluency may impede spontaneity and natural expression, while fluency without accuracy runs the risk of fossilising errors. Teachers must use a variety of teaching strategies that incorporate both form-focused and meaning-focused activities in order to achieve this balance. While focused drills, constructive criticism, and pronunciation practice help improve accuracy, role-plays, debates, and discussions encourage students to speak freely, fostering fluency.

Importantly, activity sequencing and adaptation should be in line with learners’ communicative needs, learning objectives, and proficiency levels. Students are more willing to take chances and try new things with language when they are in a classroom setting that is encouraging and views errors as chances for improvement. So, a well-rounded approach gives students the communicative competence they need to operate with assurance and effectiveness in a variety of real-world situations, in addition to improving language proficiency. Teachers can develop students who are not only articulate and expressive but also precise and contextually appropriate in their speech by carefully crafting speaking exercises that foster both fluency and accuracy. By ensuring that language acquisition progresses from isolated skill mastery to true communicative ability, this all-encompassing approach equips students for meaningful interaction in everyday, professional, and academic contexts.

References:

1. Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (5th ed.). Pearson Education.

2. Harmer, J. (2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th ed.). Pearson Longman.

3. Nation, I. S. P., & Newton, J. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking. Routledge.

4. Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

5. Thornbury, S. (2005). How to Teach Speaking. Pearson Longman.

6. Ur, P. (2012). A Course in English Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

7. Bygate, M. (1998). Theoretical Perspectives on Speaking. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 18, 20–42.

8. Ellis, R. (2003). Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford University Press.

Panoyeva Jasmina O’tkirovna was born on November 14, 2006, in the Shofirkon district of Bukhara region. She graduated with a gold medal from School No. 13 in Shofirkon, demonstrating academic excellence and dedication throughout her studies.

Currently, she is a first-year student at Bukhara State Pedagogical Institute, majoring in Foreign Languages and Literature. Jasmina is an intellectually curious and active young woman who regularly participates in the “Zakovat” intellectual game, showcasing her critical thinking and broad knowledge.

In addition to her academic and intellectual pursuits, Jasmina has also contributed as a volunteer to several environmental projects, reflecting her strong sense of social responsibility and commitment to sustainable development.

With her passion for learning and active involvement in both academic and social initiatives, Jasmina continues to grow as a promising and motivated student, ready to make meaningful contributions to her field and community.

God Adopted

   (I was eight years old when God’s Holy presence entered my awareness.)

                      An essay of Faith

               “GOD WANTED ME.”

         “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to give you hope and a future.”

                        Jeremiah 29:11

Preface: I have walked seeking God since my earliest days of life. God has been my focus and my needs to know that I belonged to someone. An empty place and a darker place that surrounded me. Amidst the seven day candle representation God’s Holy Light and the burning colors of the votive candles burning and finally, the magnificent array of colors flowing through the stained-glass windows. 

This was my sanctuary from the darkness in all aspects of my life outside of God heart for me in this place of Salvation. 

God adopted me between the ages of eight or ten years of age. I’m uncertain completely because my aunt Lucille adopted me legally at age eight, but God accepted me since my birth. He truly loved me and He created me. My aunt Lucille exposed me to Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on New York Ave in DC. Morning mass was a part of her religious ritual. Each weekday I’d accompany her to Holy Redeemer. Sitting there amidst these elderly women of the church who were regular attendees for weekly morning mass. Monday thru Friday. Saturday was another Catholic Church Saint Aloysius on North Capitol St. 

Saint Aloysius was different to me. It was different inside. It seemed larger than Holy Redeemer. It wasn’t those old ladies there and only a few other attendees at Saturday morning mass. At Holy Redeemer being the only child there added to the feeling of being out of place.

However, at Saint Aloysius there was a sense of privacy with God, but at Holy Redeemer there was no sense of privacy to be with God. Only my aunt and I sat in the pews with plenty of space. There was one circumstance in which the priest approached my aunt. She was receiving Holy Communion and had taken the Host and dropped it on the marble floor. I would take the body of Christ out of my mouth and put it on the floor where I had been kneeling.

She was embarrassed and ashamed more for being scolded by a priest for my desecration of the body of Christ. I didn’t know anything about desecration, but I didn’t like the taste in my mouth. I was a child that didn’t like his food so he would feed it to the dog. I can see the priest use a white cloth probably a handkerchief to pick up the body of Christ off the tile floor. Don’t remember her words, as much as a sense of shame and guilt. 

This was a pattern from her for me. She in different occasions seem to always apologizing for me. I was very sensitive to what was said to me and about me. but even at an early age I didn’t like anyone speaking for me. On the other hand there was a need to just be quiet.

 Like sitting in church alone or when adults talked was the old adage: children should be seen and not heard. Many things I was told I took to heart and listened to my elders.

Since Dee was a native American and half-Black, she had a strong system of how children should be raised. I truly am so very touched because Dee directed me to God. Her words continue in my memory: You belong to God. Therefore, I sought Him first in the streets and then in the church, as I sat there looking at the candles flickering. I learned at age ten and over the next five or six years that my growth was inside God’s Holy Redeemer Chalice Church in DC. 

My refuge, my sanctuary, my safe haven from the treacherous street of darkness. In the church, The Tabernacle that housed The Holy Body of Jesus Christ that would be transformed into Holy Communion. The votive candles burned with glasses of various colors of blue, red, and yellow lighting the votive candles which were on a stand with several rows of candles and the variety of colors bended together in unison. Often, I sat in the pew mesmerized by the colors, sitting there observing all the details of the mural in the dome of the ceiling.

Wonderful colors of light blue colors and art of heavenly figures adorned the ceiling. 

Slowly, my eyes would gravitate to the altar where the floor was made of marble not just marble but there was smoothness and a glitter a shine similar to the floors at Lloyd’s job. He buffed and waxed those long hallways and the shine was like a mirror reflecting light.  

This marble added to the light of God as the light of the stained glass windows covered the spaces between the walls as the sunlight reflected the art of the windows. The feeling of peace and the comfort my heart experienced. Slowly a heart that raced in the streets was quiet slowly almost still. Surely God would live here with the light shine of candles and serenity. God wouldn’t live out in the streets with all the trappings of inner-city life. Yes, God would live here with the light of His light. God’s quietness flowed into my essence, held me safely in the light of His presence. The vanilla colors of the walls kept the warmth, as the affirmation of God’s sunlight brightly illuminated His inner-sanctuary. This was to me Heaven here on earth. Alone in the majestic palace of the essence of God’s presence surrounding me, protecting me. Giving me life like the breath of God at my birth. I was not alone, but was His creation that fitted into this glorious sanctuary. 

My eyes glued to the seven day candle of God. A candle made of beeswax to signify the significance of the Holy Father, as being here and present. I had His full attention, as I continued to be still and listening for His voice. Dee often stand sit there and be quiet. Perhaps, I reasoned that sitting there quietly God would speak. Dee often times would not speak so, listen for her to give directions. Dee was my guide to how to be and now its clear being quiet and listening and to be just be still.

Maybe in his wisdom she loved the line from the Bible: Be still and know I’m God. She never spoke Bible verses, but lived a life without them. She taught me about God and to be respectful to my elders. Dee said God exists and that was enough to know. She instilled in my innocence that God listened and I had no words for Him, but I had questions: Why am I here in this place alone? I belonged here with God. 

The inner-city was indeed wasn’t a sanctuary, but rather darkness. Even in the daylight the darkness surrounded my thoughts, my emotions and my body. Only here in God’s Sanctuary was there a array of light following from every corner of the church as the stained glass couldn’t withhold the light and warmth of the sun. God truly was alive and real, but He had no verbal words and often like with Dee I had to just be still and wait for her to say something. Suddenly she spoke. God doesn’t like ugly. Referring to the behavior of someone. Most importantly was she said that I belonged to God. The sun was high in the sky and the Lord took my account of my life, and just as I came to this inner sanctuary it was time to return to the darkness of the streets and the violence and dangers and mostly children yelling and babies crying. God would be a retreat from it all and I would often return to this palace of His Heavenly Heart.

My serenity fades as I used my small frame young body of a ten year old child to open what to me were gates like surrounding a fortress. The light was brought and the eternal darkness would come like it always did in my neighborhood. Alone as I said earlier and its to be repeating because it’s what I experienced repeatedly: without Him and that aloneness was filled with terror and darkness and noise lots of noise. Gunshots and screaming and babies crying into the night as if they two felt the dead and darkness. I felt it each moment of my waking life. Crying myself to sleep in the darkness of my bed. Yes, I cried without ending and afraid my gasping for air would be heard. So, I held my breath as the tears soaked my pillow and as my heart ached.

Many years of soaked pillows and holding my breath as I continued to gasp for air.

The quietness returned when returning to Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and many other churches and chapels quietly sitting and listening for God to speak like Dee suddenly would do in my presence anticipating a word a vocal response, but I did experience was a profound sense of calm and peace filling my very essence and like all the other times it was very clear that and it was time to return to the world, but God had indeed spoken to my soul. 

                 “GOD WANTED ME.”

God indeed had plans for me and a purpose and now His plans and purposes are mine deep in my soul. 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to give you hope and a future.”

                        Jeremiah 29:11