It has a symbolic value for ethnic minorities that Princess Märtha Louise plans to marry a black American man. That is the opinion of Lisa Esohel Knudsen. She is an adviser to the minority political think tank Minotenk. This week it became known that the princess is engaged to the self-proclaimed shaman Durek Verrett. The engagement will be important for many beyond the royal family, says Esohel Knudsen. SOCIAL DEBATE: Lisa Esohel Knudsen is also a social debater and has written the book «It is personal. About racism and freedom of expression ».Photo: Artur do Carmo / NRKPhoto: Artur do Carmo / news Because it is important that children and young people with different backgrounds can see people who are similar to themselves in different roles in society, she believes. Although there are few who dream of becoming royal: – But to see someone who is similar to oneself who can also take that place, is positive. Diverse royal family She believes Durek Verrett can make the royal family more diverse. – In that way you can say that they want to reflect the people better, says Esohel Knudsen. When the couple announced the engagement, they wrote, among other things, that they are happy to have found each other across continents, ethnicity and social background. TOGETHER FOR THREE YEARS: Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett have received congratulations from the entire royal family after the engagement became known. Photo: Daryl Henderson / NTB scanpixPhoto: Daryl Henderson / NTB scanpix Important for multicultural couples And maybe the future marriage can make multicultural couples more everyday. At least the leader of the Anti-Racist Center, Hatem Ben Mansour, hopes so. – I think it is a normalization that you are part of the population and reflect the population. That’s what’s a little beautiful about our royal family. – Why is this normalization important? – We remember when Mette-Marit married Haakon Magnus. Then there was a bit of an uproar about a single mother marrying the Crown Prince. But now no one reacts to the fact that she was a single mother. In the same way, Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett can be role models for multicultural couples, he hopes. NOT SURPRISED: The leader of the anti-racist center, Hatem Ben Mansour, is not surprised that the princess and Durek Verrett experienced racism when their relationship became known in 2019. Photo: Artur do Carmo / NRKPhoto: Artur do Carmo / news Has experienced racism Another royal who has married an African-American is British Prince Harry. The leader of the Anti-Racist Center does not think the hatred will stop now that the couple is getting married. – There will probably be some hateful reactions and some incitement. You can not ignore that. That is the world we live in, unfortunately, says Ben Mansour. CRASH COURSE IN RACISM: Princess Märtha Louise has been open about the racism the couple has experienced. She writes on her Instagram profile that she has been given a crash course in racism by Durek Verrett. Photo: Screenshot / Instagram Photo: Screenshot / Instagram Controversial shaman Durek Verrett is a self-proclaimed shaman from the USA who has Hollywood celebrities on his client list – among them Gwyneth Paltrow and Selma Blair. HEALER: Here Durek Verrett performs a shamanistic treatment in London. Photo: Henrik Myhr Nielsen / NRKPhoto: Henrik Myhr Nielsen / news In 2021, he attracted attention when he said in a longer post on Instagram that he is a hybrid of a reptile and Andromeda. A post he later removed. Esohel Knudsen believes, however, that these things can overshadow the diversity of the royal family. – He has a great personality, is an eccentric person and I perceive that as one of the first things people think of. But when Verrett will eventually become part of the royal family is still unclear. No date has been set for the wedding, and the couple will continue to live on different continents in the future.
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Social debater believes Durek Verrett and Princess Märtha Louise give the royal family more diversity – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
