Friday 3 April 2009

Hitkrant, January 1983: "Nuclear weapons must be fought by all means"

This article was printed in Dutch magazine Hitkrant in 1983. It's quite obvious that it was published during the time that the cold war was still in full swing.
With every hour that passes, she’s gaining a small fortune. After ten years of ABBA, she doesn’t even know how much money is in her bank account. She is worshipped by millions of fans and gets hundreds of marriage proposals on a daily basis. Every dream she had as a teenager became reality. But still Agnetha refuses to alienate from the world she’s living in. She is very well aware of the current problems and is prepared to do her bit to help matters.

“What’s the use of all that money when there won’t be a future anymore for our children,” she says. “Very often I think about the nuclear armament and the impending danger of an all-destructive war. The politicians are playing a dangerous game and I think everyone should raise their voice to that. I’m a member of several peace movements and I attend their meetings on a regular basis. Only recently, I walked along in a demonstration in Stockholm. It was very moving. All participants joined hands and formed a human chain of five kilometres between the Russian and the American embassy. I was extremely proud of this initiative. I’m convinced that it will lead to results as well. Politicians are out to get votes and that’s why they pay attention to the masses. The more we show our discontent in public, the more chances we have to succeed. After all, it’s about our life and our children’s future.”

Agnetha’s social awareness reaches even further. She’s also an active member of a couple of anti-alcohol and anti-drugs associations.
“I make television commercials for these campaigns that are broadcast by Swedish television,” according to Agnetha. “Due to the imminent conflicts in the world and the crisis, the hope of the youngsters is severely damaged and they are looking for an escape in booze and drugs. That’s what I call pure self-destruction. It’s almost as bad as the nuclear bomb! The associations that I’ve joined up with, want to educate the adolescents about the fact that drugs and alcohol will not bring a solution, on the contrary. Obviously, I make use of my popularity to support these movements. I just think it’s my duty. After all, I have all those people to thank for my wealth and my success. But that’s not all. My own life is at stake as well and I want a better world for my children. If everyone would think the same about that, the world would rapidly be a lot better and more beautiful place.”

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