Egnu s skin color plight: The history of racial discrimination protests that Italian genius responds

"They called me chimpanzees, but I smashed their bias with spikes." - Paula Egnu said when facing the camera after winning the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Italian women's volleyball team's "nuclear weapon" blasted the opponent's defense with a heavy snatch of 99 kilometers per hour, but it was unable to defeat the high wall of racial discrimination rooted in the hearts of our compatriots. From a girl who was insulted and "going back to Africa" ​​to an Olympic champion wearing the national flag, Egnu's career is a cruel struggle than any international event.

1. The pain of tearing the black skin and the blue jersey

Born in Egnu, Italy in 1998, he has been discriminated against for his Nigerian descent since childhood. When she first entered the volleyball world at the age of 12, her opponent's parents imitated the monkey's call and humiliated her; during the Youth League, insulting slogans such as "black slaves" often broke out in the audience. Faced with malice, she turned her anger into strength: "I want to shut them up with spikes."

This sense of tearing accompanied her growth: although she considered herself "African Italian", she was always a "outsider" in the legal sense until her father obtained nationality. At the 2015 U18 World Championships, she led the team to win the championship and was elected as MVP, but some media still emphasized her "African gene" rather than Italian glory.

2. The double-sided attack between national heroes and cyber mobs

2022 World Championships became a turning point. After losing to Brazil in the semi-finals, tens of thousands of attacks poured into social media: "mercenaries", "an African monkey", "you ruined Italy". Even though she led the team to win the bronze medal, she still sat alone on the court and covered her face and cried bitterly, announcing her temporary leave of the national team: "As long as you lose, it's all because I'm a black man."

More ironic is that when she scored 22 points in the 2024 Paris Olympic final and won the first gold medal for Italy, far-right politician Vannache still publicly questioned: "Her physical characteristics do not represent Italians." Honor and prejudice are like the starting line when she smashes - always parallel and never intersect.

3. Silent Counterattack and Flag Manifesto

Egnu's way of fighting is full of metaphor:

- Body Narrative: Take a nude photo with his teammates, and only use the Italian flag to cover the body. The dark skin color and blue, white and red color form a strong visual impact, facing the accusation of "impurity of blood".

- Data Violence: With 45 points in a single game in the World Championships and Olympic MVP, the abuse of racists is crushed into cold numbers on the technical statistics table.

- Public Voice: When I was invited to the TV show in 2025, malicious photo albums and "chimpanzee" comments were flooded again. She chose to publicly fight back: "My skin color is the battle robe, not the bull's eye."

4. The mirror image of Italian society behind the dilemma

Egnu's encounter reflects the deep contradictions in Italy:

- Identity separation: About 10% of the population is immigrant descendants, but "Italianity" is still narrowly defined as white and Catholic.

- Double standards of competitive sports: Negative black athletes’ explosive power to win the championship, but refuse to recognize their cultural belongings. As netizens sarcastically said: "When she wins, she is 'our Paula', and when she loses, she becomes 'African'."

- Generational Conflict: The younger generation launched the #NoRazzismo (anti-racism) campaign on social platforms to support Egnu, forming a tug-of-war with conservative forces.

When Egnu received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2030 retirement ceremony, the Italian Volleyball Association Chairman choked and said, "We owe her an apology." Behind the audience, a group of extreme fans quietly left the court with a banner that "real Italy does not need black people" - this struggle has never ended, and the next "Egnu" may be counting the bruises on the skin on the court of a small town, waiting to deduct the first revenge ball with a speed of over 100 per hour.