by Philipp Requat
BERLIN, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Recent nomination of hip-hop duo "Kollegah" & "Farid Bang" for an Echo music prize has aroused condemnation in Germany.
In a decision which has left the German cultural scene reeling, the two controversial musicians were awarded the title of "Best hip-hop album of 2018" for a record which is widely condemned for its misogynistic but, above all, anti-Semitic message.
Previous award winners, senior politicians and Jewish advocacy groups reacted with dismay.
On Tuesday, classical music conductor Enoch zu Guttenberg joined a host of musicians who renounced their own Echo prizes in protest.
Given that the prize had now also been awarded to "the authors of disgusting anti-Semitic tirades" without any intervention on behalf of the Echo ethics committee, Zu Guttenberg wrote that it would be a "disgrace" to keep his own prize from the year 2008.
"The former symbol of good artisanal work has transformed into dirty warning sign for a development in our country which causes us great concern", the conductor added on behalf of his orchestra in an open letter to Echo.
Earlier, the pianist and Echo award winner Igor Levit said it was "unbearable" that "anti-Semitic slogans" had been given a platform by a once prestigious music prize in Germany. The singer Peter Maffay went even further and urged those responsible for organizing the 2018 Echo award ceremony to collectively resign from their posts.
The Federal Association of the Music Industry (BVMI) which organizes the annual Echo award has expressed "deep regret" that several previous winners had chosen to return their prizes but said it "respected" their decision.
BVMI director Florian Druecke further announced a renewal of the music prize's concept in response to lasting public outrage at the incident. "As a consequence, the director has decided to redevelop the prize", a statement by Druecke read.
