The German Twitch streamer Jens “Knossi” Knossala teamed up with the rappers Capital Bra, Kontra K, and Kalazh44. In the spontaneous live broadcast, the 4 stars promoted a donation page where money is raised for emergency aid in Ukraine. Knossi himself says: over 100,000 euros were raised.
That was the stream:
- On March 1st, Capital Bra started a donation stream on Twitch. He was joined by his rapper colleagues Kalazh44 and Kontra K.
- Spontaneously, the German Twitch star Knossi joined in, shortly after his 5th ban on the platform.
- The stream lasted nearly two and a half hours. At its peak, over 30,000 people watched (via sullygnome).
How much money was raised? In a tweet from Knossi, it is mentioned that over 100,000 euros in donations for Ukraine were raised that evening, and “probably significantly more.”
The exact amount at the end is not 100% verifiable. Even the four streamers can only estimate, as they promoted the donation platform Betterplace.org during the stream.
Here, a fundraising campaign for emergency aid in Ukraine was set up. However, many donations are anonymous and not only come from viewers of the stream. The goal of Knossi and Co. was the mark of 750,000 euros. By now, over a million has been raised.
Our expertise at MeinMMO relates to gaming. For those who want to learn more about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we recommend checking official sites or news magazines:
- Ukraine live blog (via Zeit)
- War in Ukraine: Belarusian troops reportedly invade Ukraine (via nzz)
- Solidarity with Ukraine (via Foreign Office)
Important note: If you are struggling with dark thoughts due to the current situation: You are not alone. Please seek help. For example, from the telephone counseling service at 0800/111 0 111 or the online counseling, where you can also use chat. It is free and nationwide.
Reach on Twitch raises awareness of the war and generates donations
Capital Bra is often active on Twitch. There, he frequently showcases role-playing sessions in GTA V Online or simply chats with his viewers. He is apparently now using this to draw attention to the conflict in Eastern Europe.
The 3 rappers all have Ukrainian roots or relatives or another connection to Ukraine and are well-known in Germany. They are using their action to mobilize people on Twitch who otherwise have little to do with the topic.
Capital Bra and Kontra K even released a joint song against the war on March 2nd:
Knossi used his immense reach on Twitch to appeal to his community: come to Capi’s stream. He directed all his fans to the ongoing donation stream there to draw more attention.
The war in Ukraine also polarizes in gaming and even prompts entire development studios and publishers to take a stand. It is a recurring topic where gaming streamers and figures worldwide struggle with themselves.
The conflict between entertainment and addressing the war is also observed among many German entertainers. Notable figures such as Nils Bomhoff from the RocketBeans or the YouTuber Hand Of Blood have already commented on this:
To distract or not? How German gaming streamers react to the invasion of Ukraine
