A drama for 71-year-old tango legend Omar Mollo and his wife Graciela. The couple has lived in Amsterdam since 2004, but that may soon come to an end. Last October they received a letter from the IND that they have to leave the country. Friends and fans started a petition.
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“It’s very emotional for me,” Mollo says with tears in his eyes. The Spanish singer and guitarist is world famous in Argentina, but has lived in Amsterdam for almost 20 years. “I have traveled a lot, but always came back to Amsterdam.” Mollo has Spanish nationality and his wife is Argentinean. In the Netherlands they are so-called Union citizens. They can only stay here if they are financially self-reliant.
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“The soul of the tango, as it is so important in Argentina, he interprets”
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Due to the corona crisis, the tango artist can no longer perform and because the couple are officially not Dutch, they are not eligible for the TOZO schemes. In order to make ends meet, they applied for an AOW benefit, but the IND believes that the couple is taxing the economic system too much.
Violinist and colleague Emma Breedveld is upset. “We had the plan for a new tour. It was actually already in the pipeline, but it did not go ahead. The public and the fans expect that.”
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Beloved
According to Breedveld, the singer is very important for the tango scene. “He has such an enormous power of persuasion. He interprets the soul of the tango, as it is so important in Argentina.” To ensure that the musician can stay, the violinist organizes a benefit concert.
A total of 10,000 euros must be collected. “That is what the lawyer said and that is the amount that the IND wants to see in his account,” Breedveld said. “We want to show that he is loved here and how wonderfully he sings. We don’t want to lose him.”
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