Musician Ronja Maltzahn was originally scheduled to perform at a large FridaysForFuture demonstration in Hanover on Friday, March 25, 2022. But nothing comes of this performance because the FFF local group from Hanover has objections to her hairstyle: the singer wears dreadlocks. According to FFF Hannover, this is cultural appropriation that cannot be tolerated.
The singer herself published her rejection of Ronja Maltzahn on social media in the form of a composite screenshot. This image is now being spread and heavily discussed in many places:
“Dreadlocks on white people are a form of cultural appropriation because (…) it was used by white people as a sign of oppression during the times of slavery.”

Offer: cut off dreadlocks
In addition to the aspect of “appropriation”, the Hanover group’s offering is also generating a lot of buzz on social media. According to the screenshot, FridaysForFuture Hannover offers that the singer could definitely perform if she dealt with the topic and cut off her dreadlocks by Friday.
We hope that you will deal with this and, if necessary, we will offer you an opportunity to discuss this in the days after the demo. If you decide to cut off your dreadlocks by Friday, we would of course welcome you to the demo and let you play.
Caused a lot of attention!
The publication of the cancellation caused quite a stir. FridayForFuture Hannover has already reacted to the publication in a statement. The group apologizes to the singer, but sticks to its own statement in the statement
Statement
https://fridaysforfuture-hannover.de/2022/03/23/statement/
We would like to address the events of March 23, 2022.
First of all, it is important for us to make it clear that we stand behind our decision.
Nevertheless, we would like to officially apologize to Ronja Maltzahn. The message or rejection was worded insensitively and should not have been sent like that.
It wasn't okay, as we put it, that cutting off your hair would make it possible to perform with us again. This is an invasion of the artist's privacy that should not have happened. Especially considering the fact that women in this sexist society are often reprimanded because of their appearance and are not free to dress and present themselves as they want, the message was worded across borders. Even if we don't know Ronja Maltzahn's motives, the wearing of dreadlocks by white people is a matter of cultural appropriation.
We would like to briefly explain why we made our decision this way: Dreadlocks were first brought to the USA through the enslavement of black people from African countries and India, where they later became a symbol of resistance in black people's civil rights movements. Wearing dreadlocks meant oppression - and the hairstyle is a symbol of resistance among black people. when a white person wears dreadlocks, it is cultural appropriation because as white people we do not have to deal with the history or collective trauma of oppression because of our privilege. (We deliberately write here in the “we” form because as Fridays for Future Germany we are a predominantly white movement.) Furthermore, as white people we receive compliments for the same hairstyle for which black people are treated with racist hostility. That’s why “black symbols of resistance […] have no place on white heads.” (1) And, reformulated from the you form into the we form: “[It should be clear to us as white people] that because of [our] whiteness, [we can] draw from every culture and still be in charge. .”
(2) This is precisely why it is important to us as Fridays for Future Hannover to give BiPoC's (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) space within the climate justice movement, which has not yet been given them enough, but has already been demanded often enough.
(3) And this must happen consistently because the appearance of a white person with dreadlocks on our stage can give BiPoCs the impression that this movement is not a safe space for them. And this impression is valid and justified. That's why we decided to cancel Ronja Maltzahn. (1) “Black resistance symbols on white heads”, source: https://maedchenmannschaft.net/schwarze-widerssymbole-auf-weissen-koepfen/ last accessed on March 23, 2022
(2) Sow, Noah (2009): Germany Black White : Everyday racism.
Munich: W. Goldmann, pp. 251-252 quoted in (1). (3) “Open letter from BPoC's to the climate camp and others”, source: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n42ly8wbgyl0mhu/Offener%20Brief%20von%20BPoCs%20an%20das%20Klimacamp%20und%20andere.pdf ?dl=0 last accessed on March 23, 2022
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