---
title: Use of the Racist Song 'Faccetta Nera' in an Advertisement
author: Luciano Bonacini
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20894/use-of-the-racist-song-faccetta-nera-in-an-adverti/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
updated: 2025-09-03
---

# Use of the Racist Song 'Faccetta Nera' in an Advertisement

_Authored by Luciano Bonacini_

## Image File

[![Use of the Racist Song 'Faccetta Nera' in an Advertisement](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20894.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20894.jpg)

## Image Caption

In 1935, Renato Micheli composed the song 'Faccetta Nera' (Pretty/little black face) to commemorate the invasion of Ethiopia. The lyrics recount the liberation of a young Ethiopian woman from slavery by a fascist Blackshirt. This march, very popular in [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/), fueled propaganda that portrayed the invasion of Ethiopia as a civilizing mission, concealing the brutalities of Italian [colonization](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/colonization/). In this picture, the song's title and a verse accompany a stereotypical image of an African woman to advertise a candy brand.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Bonacini, L. (2025, September 02). Use of the Racist Song 'Faccetta Nera' in an Advertisement. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20894/use-of-the-racist-song-faccetta-nera-in-an-adverti/>
### Chicago
Bonacini, Luciano. "Use of the Racist Song 'Faccetta Nera' in an Advertisement." *World History Encyclopedia*, September 02, 2025. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20894/use-of-the-racist-song-faccetta-nera-in-an-adverti/>.
### MLA
Bonacini, Luciano. "Use of the Racist Song 'Faccetta Nera' in an Advertisement." *World History Encyclopedia*, 02 Sep 2025, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20894/use-of-the-racist-song-faccetta-nera-in-an-adverti/>.

## License & Copyright

[Original image](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Faccetta_Nera.jpg) by [**Luciano Bonacini**](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Faccetta_Nera.jpg). Submitted by [Fabio Sappino](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/fabiosappino/ "User Page: Fabio Sappino"), published on 02 September 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.