After the Olympic victory in Paris, a street artist dedicated a mural in Rome to Paola Egonu. Just a few hours later, it was smeared with racist slogans. The outrage was great.
A mural in Rome dedicated to the Italian star volleyball player Paola Egonu has been racially smeared by unknown assailants. According to the authorities, the work by street artist Laika was defaced last night. It showed the black volleyball player who won gold with the Italian national team at the Olympic Games in Paris. Egonu’s skin was painted over with pink paint.
The 25-year-old was originally pictured serving on the mural, which was only put up on Monday in front of the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee in Italy (Coni). Next to her are the colors of the Italian flag and the words “Italianità” (in English: “Italianness” or “Italianness”). Egonu himself is wearing the national team jersey and the gold medal he won shortly before.
Egonu was born in northern Italy to two Nigerian immigrants and has been an Italian citizen since 2014. She has been the victim of racism on several occasions. Recently, a passage from the scandalous book by the Italian ex-army general and MEP Roberto Vannacci caused great outrage. In it, he writes that Egonu’s “physical characteristics” do not represent “Italianità”. According to Laika, the lettering under the mural is an allusion to Vannacci.
Outrage at the mayor
Several politicians were outraged. Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri described the graffiti as a “disgrace, a vile insult to a great Italian who brought the colors of our country to the top of the world.” It is sad to see that in 2024 there are still racists who are trapped in their own ignorance. Italy’s sports minister Andrea Abodi expressed his solidarity with Egonu.
Source: Stern
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