Manizja came to Russia as a little girl. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a bloody war broke out in Tajikistan, and her parents fled with her to Moscow. “My mother left all her dreams behind to give us a better life. She had five jobs so I could study music,” Manizja remembers her childhood.
From the age of 15 Manizja started writing songs and performing. But she only really became known through Instagram, where she shared her music and video clips. Participating in the Eurovision Song Contest is a dream come true now. Although that dream is overshadowed by a wave of xenophobia and misogyny by conservative Russians.
“You are a gypsy with kebab on your head. You are dirty. Go back to your own country, even if Russia is just my country,” Manizja says, reading a number of responses from her phone. “Some people even wish me death. They hope that my plane to Rotterdam will crash next month. That really goes beyond all limits.”
She puts her phone away. “You know, I don’t want to read too many of these kinds of messages. With that I give those reactions too much power. I now try to focus mainly on the people who do support me. My team, my friends, my fans.”
‘Insult to the woman’
Apart from the messages Manizja receives on social media, official authorities in Russia are also turning against her. The Russian Union of Orthodox Women called for the song to be banned. The song is said to be ‘an affront to women’ and ‘a threat to traditional values in Russia’.
And her participation is now also being questioned at higher levels. Valentina Matvijenko, the chair of the Russian Federation Council, demanded a review of the selection process at a session of parliament last week.
Manizja admits she is concerned. “When I read all those messages, I just wanted to sit in the corner and cry. But that’s exactly what they want.”
Example for young girls
Manizja wants to show her fans that it is important to show that she does not succumb to the pressure, she says. Despite the hate reports, official investigations and threats, she wants to go to the Eurovision Song Contest at all costs. “I will not let myself be broken. I can picture the young girls who watch the Eurovision Song Contest all over the world. I do it for them, I want to be an example for them”.
She sees it as a great opportunity to talk to the world about topics that matter to her and to break stereotypes on both sides. “I am Tajik, but Russia has accepted and educated me. I want the world to see our country as I know it: generous, with lots of loving, strong and smart people. We are much more alike than we think.”
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