The father of Marina Satti passed away at the age of 68. Reports indicate that he had serious health problems, but no further details have been released.
Born in Sudan on January 1, 1956, Ali Osman Satti, an anesthesiologist, arrived in Greece in 1972 and studied medicine. He was an Associate Professor at the National Kapodistrian University from 1983 to 1989 and a professor of anesthesiology at the National Medical School of Athens from 1989 to 1995.
In an earlier interview, the singer who will represent Greece at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden, in 2024 with the song "Zari," spoke about her beloved father.
Speaking on the "Studio 4" show, the singer said: "My mum grew up in Crete, my dad grew up in Sudan, he came to Athens as a student, and that's how they met. There are differences, as you understand, and they still exist. I think they managed to find a balance because of love, and then we, the children, came along. I admire my mum for that, for her unruly character. Growing up, I realised I said, 'Wow, magical.' My dad was the first black person my grandmother saw."
Marina Satti added, "Growing up and looking at photos recently, I saw some images that justify many things for the rest of my life. Like the images from Sudan, with the family and aunts, a very intense mix. I used to go to Sudan in the summers. The family there received me even more warmly than they received him in Greece. Sudanese culture was my normality. Let's say we come from a country where we are ahead in some things."
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Marina Satti and Silia Kapsis will not attend the Eurovision 2024 Red Carpet
ERT, RIK, and perhaps other public broadcasters from Orthodox countries complained about the rehearsal schedule and the Red Carpet event, which falls on Easter Sunday.
Greek public broadcaster ERT and RIK expressed dissatisfaction, stating they had hoped the Eurovision organisers would be more accommodating with all of the original programming and would not have scheduled this year’s event so that the rehearsals would coincide with the Orthodox Easter week.
They requested not to participate in the Red Carpet event on Sunday, May 5, which is also Easter Sunday for all Orthodox Christians. As a result, two more delegations will be missing from the event, following Israel, which will also not be there because that day is dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust.
On this significant day for all Greeks, the Greek and Cypriot delegations will attend the resurrection ceremony at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Malmö. Marina Satti and Silia Kapsis will be with the city’s Greek community on Easter Sunday, commemorating the holy day in a customary Greek manner.
ERT and RIK decided to pay tribute in this way to what is arguably the most sacred period of the year for Orthodox Christians because they believed that having the two performers on the Red Carpet on such a day would be a disrespect to the church.
READ MORE: On this day, Greek music legend Mitropanos was born.
