Giovanca Ostiana reveals why she has always stayed on as a presenter of Op1 despite the massive criticism. She wants to be a role model. “I’ve always thought: I’m not going to give up.”
The criticism of Giovanca Ostiana was extremely large, especially in her first months as a presenter of Op1. Even her current Op1 colleague Natasja Gibbs slaughtered her mercilessly. “I was prepared for a lot of criticism, but it was even worse than I thought,” she recalls in the JAN.
target
Giovanca had anticipated a certain amount of criticism. “Of course I expected to be a target. I know that by definition I am lagging behind, or rather several: I am black, I am a woman. And I am a believer, that also seems to cause a backlog.”
However, it was much worse than she thought. “The timing was not ideal; when I started, the corona crisis broke out and that was what the table was about. There were politicians, virologists and doctors and there was no room for music or culture.”
Role model
Despite all the criticism, Giovanca just kept going. “I’ve always thought: I’m not going to give up. Not only for my father, but also for Jesamy (her daughter, ed.). We all know the value of role models, the power of seeing someone you recognize yourself in.”
She continues: “When I come home in the evening and Twitter goes wild again, it still hits me hard. But when I walk past Jesamy’s room and see her in bed, I think, yes, it’s worth it. She is going to learn something from this. How do I get out in the end, bruised or with my hand in the air, I’m a survivor singing.”
“She’s going to benefit from her mother’s daring.”
