Joseph Chialo (born 1970) is a German music manager, politician (CDU) and singer of Tanzanian descent who has been serving as State Minister (Senator) for Culture and Social Cohesion in the government of Governing Mayor Kai Wegner since 2023.[1]
Joe Chialo | |
|---|---|
 Joe Chialo in 2023 | |
| Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion | |
| Assumed office 27 April 2023 | |
| Governing Mayor | Kai Wegner |
| Preceded by | Klaus Lederer (as Senator for Culture and Europe) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1970 (age 53–54) Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany (now Germany) |
| Political party | CDU (since 2016) |
| Other political affiliations | Alliance 90/The Greens (1990s) |
Early life and career edit
The son of Tanzanian diplomats, Chialo was born in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia in 1970. He stated that he and his brother were the only two Black students at the school he attended growing up.[2] Before dropping out, Chialo attended the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen, where he studied history, economics, and political science.[3]
Chialo started his singing career with Blue Manner Haze after receiving a record deal with Sony Music.
Political career edit
In the 1990s, Chialo was a member of The Greens – exclusively because he was a political admirer of Joschka Fischer. While Chialo supported the German government sending Bundeswehr missions in the Balkans, the Green party base did not, prompting Chialo to leave the party.[4] Chialo joined the CDU in 2016 because of his Christian upbringing and values, he said.[5]
Ahead of the 2021 elections, CDU chairman Armin Laschet included Chialo in his eight-member shadow cabinet for the Christian Democrats' campaign.[6][2] He also ran to represent the party in the election in the Berlin-Spandau – Charlottenburg North constituency. However, he only garnered 23.5% of votes to the 32.8% received by SPD candidate Helmut Kleebank, and therefore lost the election.[7]
In early 2022, Chialo was elected to the national leadership of the CDU.[8]
Personal life edit
Chialo is married and has one daughter.[3] He is a Roman Catholic.[9] He attended the Catholic boarding school at the Marienhausen Monastery in Rüdesheim-Aulhausen on the Rhine. In response to a wave of abuse scandals that rocket the German Catholic Church in 2011, Chialo founded an explicitly Catholic band that was to be a positive counterpoint to bad headlines. Explaining his decision, Chialo stated: "Because I owe a lot to the Catholic Church and because the Church is so much more than these incidents of abuse."[10]
References edit
- ^ Jan Heidtmann (10 April 2023, Türsteher, Sänger, Senatorn Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ a b "Germany's diversity shows as immigrants run for parliament". AP NEWS. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Meine Story – Joe Chialo" (in German). Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ Meck, Georg. "Bundestagskandidat Joe Chialo: "Ich bin nicht der Quoten-Schwarze"". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ Alberti, Stefan (18 July 2021). "Der erste PoC-Kandidat der Berliner CDU: "Ich hab so ein Problem mit Quoten"". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ Fatina Keilani and Christoph Prantner (3 September 2021), Personen statt Positionen: Laschet bringt sein «Zukunftsteam» in Stellung Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
- ^ "Bundestagswahl 2021: Alle Ergebnisse der Wahlkreise". www.waz.de (in German). 27 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ Robert Roßmann (22 January 2022), Dämpfer für Spahn – und die Chefin der Frauen Union scheitert ganz Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ Westholt, Mona (27 April 2023). "Politik in cool: Joe Chialo wird Berlins Kultursenator". Deutsche Welle (in German).
- ^ Schumacher, Jörn (20 October 2022). "Als einziger Schwarzer im CDU-Bundesvorstand: Der Katholik Joe Chialo". pro-medienmagazin.de (in German).
External links edit
Media related to Joe Chialo at Wikimedia Commons
