Folk-pop singer Ronja Maltzahn had planned to set a “sign for peace and against discrimination” at a “Fridays For Future” demo in Hanover on Friday (March 25), but was now uninvited by the organizers at short notice.
Maltzahn’s appearance is “not justifiable”
The 27-year-old received the cancellation via social media, where she also shared the direct message in a post. According to the climate protection movement, Fridays For Future Hannover must “rely on an anti-colonial and anti-racist narrative, especially in this global strike”. However, this is not possible if the singer is wearing dreadlocks.
It was “not justifiable” to let Maltzahn on stage because, as a “white person” with dreadlocks, she would practice a “form of cultural appropriation”. In the message, Fridays For Future (FFF) Hannover explain: Dreadlocks were “used by white people in the days of slavery as a sign of oppression”.
An exchange is possible, a performance is not
The singer is allowed to perform on condition that her hairstyle is adjusted to the requirements by Friday. Otherwise, the activists could only offer Maltzahn to “go into an exchange” after the event. The organization also apologizes for not having done enough research when selecting the artists.
Ronja Maltzahn expresses disappointment on Instagram: “It’s a shame that we are excluded from it because of external characteristics”. She also refers to her values and the intentions she is pursuing with her music: “Give cultural diversity a stage, appreciate and celebrate it, stand up for gender equality, mindfulness and tolerance”. In addition, she emphasizes that she hopes that this goal will resonate with her audience and “not the opposite”.
In the comments on the post, supporters of the singer express their outrage and express their sympathy. Others criticize the decision of FFF Hannover: “An event that stands for the fact that appearance and origin should be completely irrelevant, excludes such a loving artist because of her appearance.”
Those affected do not want a dispute
In the meantime, Maltzahn announced in a video in her Instagram story that there had been a “nice phone call” in which she apologized for the insensitive tone of voice, and further: “I would like to say again very clearly that I don’t want to start a conflict.” Furthermore, she keeps her fingers crossed that “there won’t be too much stupid press wind” for the actually great organization.
Activists apologize selectively – and want to be right
The activists have also publicly apologized. The suggestion to shave the dreadlock was an invasion of the artist’s privacy, the local group in Hanover said on its website. However, the activists stand by their rejection – and add to their explanation with the reason: “In addition, as white people, we get compliments for the same hairstyle for which black people are racially hostile. That’s why blacks have resistance symbols […] not to look for on white heads.”
+++ This article first appeared on rollingstone.de +++