Tusse, Swedish candidate for Eurovision and target of the far right

Survivor of exile

Tousin Chiza, known as “Tusse”, was born on 1er January 2002 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. When he was 5 years old, his family fled the violence. On the road to exile, the child lost his parents, whom he had long believed to be dead. He then found himself in the care of his aunt, in a refugee camp in Uganda, of which he prefers to keep only good memories. “I went to school, I had my friends, lots of adults looking after me. I sang in church, every happy event was the occasion of a celebration. Still today, music, for me, is hope. “ The young man specifies that his cousins, whom he calls his brothers and sisters, have kept a completely different image. “They were older and only remember hunger and insecurity. “ Tusse has since discovered that his parents remained in the Congo. Her mother died in 2016.

Integrated despite racism

At the age of 7, he obtained refugee status in Sweden. Brinquebalé from one host family to another, he ended up landing in 2015 in Tällberg, a village of 900 inhabitants. This is where he has lived ever since, with his family “Bonus”, in the county of Dalarna: postcard Sweden with its red wooden houses, forests and lakes. But also neo-Nazis of the Nordic Resistance Movement (MNR), who made it their stronghold. To racism, insults and the “word in n” that we spit in his face, he responds in his own way: “Because I know what it’s like to have nothing, I take whatever possibilities are offered to me. ” He speaks Swedish perfectly, finishes high school (without any delay) and is preparing to enter university to study journalism.

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Mad about Eurovision

Tusse has always been singing. In 2018, its “Mamma bonus” Unknowingly registered him on the reality TV show “Talang”, where he made it to the semi-finals. A year later, he won the “Idol Sverige” tele-hook. Eurovision, he dreams of it since 2012. “I was 10 years old, I was watching the competition for the first time. I loved the music, the show. It was another world, and then there was this magical girl, Loreen, who started singing Euphoria. Since then, I have been obsessed with Eurovision. “ On March 13, 2021, 3.6 million spectators (in a country of 10 million inhabitants) watched the final of Melodifestivalen, the Swedish selections. In a red velvet suit, silver necklace and glittery heeled shoes, Tusse garnered 2,964,269 votes – a record in the history of the contest.

Political recovery

His victory sparked nauseating debates in Sweden, in a context where the issue of immigration dominates public debate. Days earlier, far-right leader Jimmie Akesson had said he wanted to suspend asylum. While he has long been kept at bay by other parties, his party, the Democrats of Sweden (SD), is now seen as a potential ally of the right, to lead the country after the 2022 elections.. “Tusse’s victory is a middle finger to racism”, reacted the newspaper Aftonbladet, close to the Social Democratic Party (SAP), stressing that the artist would not be in Sweden if the far right were in power. Thanked the Swedes for having designated “A refugee child” to represent their country in Rotterdam and dreams of becoming the first solo artist of color to win Eurovision Song Contest.

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