TIRANA, Dec 2 /ATA/ – Nine-year-old Emma Dakoli, a child of Albanian descent from Durrës, won the 68th edition of the Zecchino d’Oro festival in Italy with her song “Ci pensa il vento,” a song about peace and hope.
The event, held at Antoniano in Bologna from November 28 – 30 and broadcast on Rai 1, concluded with Dakoli capturing the hearts of both the audience and the jury. The finale was hosted by Carlo Conti.
Dakoli lives in Monza and sings with the MiMiSol choir. Her bright and confident voice was immediately praised by critics and audiences alike, earning her first place on the podium. She has expressed ambitions to become a singer, painter, and fashion designer, citing Giorgia and Annalisa as her role models. On stage, she performed alongside the Piccolo Coro dell’Antoniano, conducted for the first time by Margherita Gamberini.
The winning song, a powerful peace message written by Francesco Marruncheddu and Lodovico Saccol, begins with a child’s perspective on a windy day, initially seeing it as a disruption. A grandmother encourages the child to notice the beauty in the wind, which dries laundry, turns book pages, brings flower scents, and carries musical notes. The lyrics evolve to portray the wind as a force that transcends borders, tears down walls, and carries a message of peace, accompanied by colorful flags in the sky.
Zecchino d’Oro 2025 featured 14 new songs from 28 authors, including well-known names such as Enrico Nigiotti, Giuliano Sangiorgi, Andrea Agresti, and Stefano Accorsi. The first two evenings were hosted by Carolina Benvenga and Lorenzo Baglioni, with Conti presiding over the finale and serving as artistic director for the ninth consecutive year.
In the final ranking, “Ci pensa il vento” took first place, followed by “Tu puoi essere” and “Boomer boom boom”, based on combined votes from children’s and adult juries.
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