Manya Valerija
Manya Valerija | |
|---|---|
| File:ManyaValerija.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 19, NMR 2347 (age 29) Kovdor, Txotai Prefecture, Shanpei |
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | NMR 2366 - NMR 2370 |
Manya Valerija (Маня Валериджа, born July 19, NMR 2347) is a singer of Otekian ethnicity. After supporting Otekian independence during the NMR 2370 Txotai unrest, she was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for inciting separatism. She remains incarcerated in Nanniwan Detention Facility, being one of the prison's prominent inmates.
Biography
Valerija was born in July 19, NMR 2347 in Kovdor, Txotai (then part of Shanpei). She came from a family that had varying views on Otekian independence - her grandfather, Ilya Valerija, was a rebel who fought for the Second Republic of Oteki and later disappeared. Her mother was the sister of a Knights of Saint Luther militant who was shot and killed by the Namorese Liberation Army, while her father fought on the side of Namorese forces because he did not get along with many of his classmates who sided with the rebels.
She took up singing at the age of five, and became especially good at it. In school, she befriended many people, including some who were ethnic Kannei. Valerija was noted by others for her skills at songwriting, but she did not acquire much fame until she entered college at the University of Kusef. At age 19, she entered Sing Namor!, a nationwide song contest, and got first place. It was then when her career as a professional musician began.
Her first album, titled Uni ("One"), was released in NMR 2368, consisting of singles in both Namorese and Luziycan. Uni was extremely popular in Namor due to many of its songs reflecting friendship and trust between Kannei and Otekians. The Liberator called Valerija "the voice of togetherness." Some of Valerija's songs were subtly critical of government policies in Txotai and their effects towards Otekian people, such as Mo nanei imon ("I'm not like them") and Just A Person. None of them advocated separatism and instead focused on the frustration Otekians face when having to deal with people who associate them with terrorists.
Imprisonment
Valerija's views took a radical swing in the other direction in the aftermath of the shooting of Feliks Oleg, when protests culminated into a region-wide unrest. In a phone interview with the Esquarian City Independent, Valerija said she no longer identifies with Namor and considers herself an Otekian in the country of Oteki.
I am an Otekian and a human being first. My skin color is that of an Otekian, not a Namorese, and I have a duty, a responsibility to speak the grievances of my people, if not sing it out...I was there [in Kovdor], and I met with many of my fellow people. They are ordinary people, they are humans, they have been discriminated against from the policies of the Namorese government. The government wants to suppress their way of life, the government wants to have them dead...I now know Namor as it is - a disgusting racist state. Do I think Namor is better than Arnborg? No, Arnborg is better, better than Namor. At least Arnborg has a leader that is willing to look into the problems the oppressed minority has. Namor is always led by Kannei who couldn't care less about us. They ignore us. We exist, but they pretend we don't.
Valerija said she had been told by her friends to seek asylum in Luziyca before authorities could imprison her, but she refused. She showed herself holding the Otekian flag on Twitter.
After the period of unrest, Valerija was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison for inciting separatism and "inflaming tensions between ethnic groups." She is currently being held in Nanniwan Detention Facility. According to sources close to Valerija, people were "shocked" by her behavior, with one anonymous source claiming to be Valerija's friend telling the Mojing Sibo: "This is not the Manya I'm used to. I think she must've been drunk or something." Valerija's father, who worked for the regional armed police force during the unrest, said he was "ashamed" by her conduct and said he wishes the authorities could handle the case properly. Within the Otekian exile community, Valerija was praised and looked up to as someone who criticized Namorese rule.
Since Valerija's imprisonment, she has had little contact with the outside world, as are many inmates inside Nanniwan.