Stella Mwangi, a Kenyan national, is a candidate in the Erurovision contest and voting is on Saturday, 14th May. This is an appeal to Kenyans, friends of Kenya and lovers of African music to vote for her during the contest. Her victory will be a victory to everyone who loves Kenya, Africa, Stella, her music and her people.
HOW TO VOTE:
Go to the Eurovision link HERE
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Thanks folks. This is the right spirit of good neighborliness. Your vote is much appreciated. Let cross our fingers today and pray that Stella gets to the finals. Today, there is no much you can do in Sweden and Denmark but to watch like us here in Norway. But those in other parts of Europe, especially Finland and Iceland, vote and vote for Stellal. However, Sweden and Denmark remember to Vote on 14 May. Tusen takk!
Stella Mwangi (STL) participated in Phase I of the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals last night (May 10th 2011) but did not win.
However, we congratulate her on representing Norway and to a good extent, Kenya. She is our pride and despite not winning, has proven she’s got talent that won her a chance to represent Norway.
The sad part is a lot of Norwegians have been giving racist comments about her song that they claim is “not Norwegian enough”; “childish and only worthy of the junior version of Eurovision”; and “not European enough”.
The most remarkable thing about Stella is her cheerful attitude of “looking forward” and “not backwards” amidst all the nasty Internet comments that were posted by many after she won Norway’s equivalent of Eurovision called “Melodi Grand Prix” in February 2011.
We love you STL and keep up the good work. Just remember, “haba na haba hujaza kibaba”. The bits you add up in your song career will pay back your efforts eventually.
Good luck to you, our Music Ambassador in Norway.
Mwangi was four years old when she arrived in Norway with her family 20 years ago. She grew up in Eidsvoll, northeast of Oslo, where she reportedly was a victim of bullying because she was “different” than the other children, and found refuge in music.
Mwangi had also refused to answer questions about her run-ins with racism in Norway over the years when interviewed on NRK’s nightly news shortly after her victory, saying she preferred “to look ahead, not backwards.”
The most serious racist incident this past week involved a politician from Norway’s Conservative Party (Høyre), who wrote a sarcastic reaction to Mwangi’s victory in the song contest in heavy local dialect on her Facebook page. Roughly translated, Rita Ormbostad, deputy mayor of Aure County on Norway’s west coast, wrote that she would rather have “Sami, polar bears and muskox” as winners and that “that’s what we should sell, not that we are open to asylum seekers!”
Ormbostad later added that she had “sharpened a spear and bought bongo drums” in anticipation of the Eurovision finals where Mwangi will represent Norway. “Maybe I’ll travel to Africa and watch from there, where I can eat wildebeest!”
Ormbostad tried to brush off her comments as merely a joke, but also told local newspaper Tidens Krav that “I believe something originally Norwegian sells more and is more suitable for the Norwegian Grand Prix than a song that has African tendencies.”
She ultimately had to apologize for her “unfortunate statements” after a barrage of criticism from fellow politicians and public officials. Sunniva Ørstavik, for example, Norway’s civil ombudsman for equality and discrimination issues, told NRK that politicians have “a special responsibility” for fighting stereotypes and racism. Other members of the Conservatives tries to distance themselves from Ormbostad’s offensive remarks.
http://www.newsinenglish.no/2011/02/18/eurovision-winner-fends-off-racism/
What do they mean when writing Eurovision-winner-Fends-off-racism?Racism doesnt mean only One is called a Nigger or a Negress to some pipo who are dafts One cannot differentiate when being shown oppen racism.In deed racism is very rife in both Eu & USA between blacks & whites. There was no way Stella would have won such Euro-Vision Contest hence her black skin color representing a Nation dominated by White-blue -eye Natives of Scandinavia.