As
Anti-Dictator
Song of
Norwegian
Girls in GA Is
Censored, UN
Has No
Comment
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 3 -- Not
only does the
UN censor a
Norwegian
children's
choir from
singing
against
dictators in
the General
Assembly Hall.
The UN,
Secretariat
and GA
President,
refuse to
comment on the
censorship,
passing the
buck with both
issues
statements
about Syria
and other
matters.
At
the July
2 noon
briefing of
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky,
Inner City
Press asked
about the
censorship:
Inner
City
Press: There
was a concert,
or an event
here, held in
the GA
Hall on
Saturday. The
PGA attended
and others.
But there’s
been
some
complaints
that a
Norwegian
chorus that
sought to
perform had
been scheduled
to perform and
they had said,
we were going
to sing a
song called
[inaudible],
which
denounced
dictators,
most of them
dead
— Hitler,
Mussolini,
Stalin... but
also mentioned
Robert Mugabe.
They were told
they could not
perform in the
GA Hall. A
newspaper in
Norway sought
UN comment,
couldn’t
receive any.
Maybe I’m
missing
something
here, but if
you haven’t
heard of it,
maybe you
can get the
explanation of
this is.
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Okay.
But
when a
response came,
it was not
from Ban's
Nesirky, but
rather the
PGA's
spokesperson:
Subject:
Your
Question on
Saturday's
concert
From: PGA
spokesperson
[at]
un.org
Date: Mon, Jul
2, 2012 at
1:26 PM
To: matthew
russell
lee [at]
innercitypress.com
Dear
Matthew,
The SG's
Spokesperson's
office has
forwarded me
your
question about
a song, you
mentioned,
that a
Norwegian
choral group
wanted to
perform. We
are not aware
of this story
you mentioned
and
the PGA and
his team do
not interfere
in the
selection of
the songs
by the choirs
in any
concert.
Inner
City Press
immediately
replied:
Thanks.
Here
is one version
of the story:
http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/norwegian-choir-censored/
I
would really
like some
comment, if
you can. And
one with
Google
translate,
from Norway:
http://www.nrk.no/kultur-og-underholdning/1.8228955
Google
translate:
Maja
Ratkje
is the
composer
behind the
play,
"Ro-Unrest,"
which
is about war
and peace.
Towards the
end of the
play call
girls in the
Norwegian
Girls' Choir
out the names
of several
power users,
including
Hitler, Stalin
and Mugabe.
Saturday
was
female choir
perform the
play in the UN
building in
New York, as
part of the
festival
'Rhythms of
one world.'
They had
already
entered
the work at
the Lincoln
Center earlier
during the
festival, a
performance
that led to
the praise of
coverage in
the New York
Times.
-
We had
sound-checks
in the United
Nations, and
would only
give a
message to
light man. He
would have no
words to stay
for. In the
play
we cry among
other things,
historical
power abusers
as Stalin. It
reacted very,
says director
Anne Karin
Sundal-Ash to
NRK...It
provokes a
composer Maja
Ratkje, who
think it is a
scandal to
censor
art in a free
world... This
is a
completely
innocent
plants. It's
about war and
peace, but it
is anything
but
outrageous.
What is
scandalous is
that it is
censored, says
Maja Ratkje...
NRK has not
been able to
get a comment
from the UN.
To
this, the
PGA's
spokesperson
simply
returned the
same (non)
response:
Subject:
Re:
Renewed
Question on
Saturday's
concert,
Norwegian
choir blocked
from singing,
would really
like some
explanation /
comment, here
are
2 articles,
thanks,
-Matthew
From: PGA
Spokesperson
[at]
UN.org
Date: Mon, Jul
2, 2012 at
2:06 PM
To: matthew
russell
lee [at]
innercitypress.com
Matthew,
I have just
sent you my
response. Here
it is again:
The PGA and
his
team do not
interfere in
any way in the
selection of
songs/content
of
performances.
You may want
to speak with
the
organizers.
This is the
only response
I have.
But
is it a
sufficient
response, for
the UN, to
censorship?
And where is
the Norwegian
media
ostensibly
covering the
UN? Too
close to the
UN? Too
distracted by
Obama - Romney
to cover
Norwegians
getting
censored in
New York, at
the UN? Watch
this
site.
, 
