“I can assure you that the whole ceremony promises surprises much stronger, more radical than the presence or not of Aya Nakamura, which I nevertheless ardently hope for
,” declared Thomas Jolly interviewed by
Télérama
.
A few months before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, its artistic director is still providing more information on the design of the event. An event over which hangs the shadow of the controversy surrounding the possible presence of the French singer of Malian origin.
A controversy that he deplores, harshly judging the attacks against the artist:
“Of course, by mixing rap, zouk and r'n'b in her afro-urban pop, Aya does not please everyone. But the racism, the “classism”, the sexism of which she was a victim are unacceptable
,” believes the artistic director. Aiming to
“resonate and shine what France embodies in its history and its plurality”
, Aya Nakamura fits perfectly into this objective, for the artistic director.
“There are people in France who like Aya Nakamura, Georges Brassens and Pascal Dusapin. No cultural discrimination.”
“
If a “cultural object” divides, it may simply be that it is not in the right place, poorly placed, poorly staged. It's up to me to think about it (...). My job is to integrate as many people as possible,”
considers the director.
Also read: Aya Nakamura at the Olympics: Marine Le Pen sees it as an attempt to “humiliate the French people”
Since the revelations of
L'Express
, at the end of February, on the potential participation of the Franco-Malian singer in the opening ceremony, criticism from the far right has increased against Aya Nakamura. Faced with this hostility, the 28-year-old singer expressed her irritation on social networks:
“You can be racist but not deaf... That's what hurts you. I become a number 1 state subject in debates, etc. But what do I really owe you? Kedal,”
she retorted. Friday March 29, Aya Nakamura made fun of her detractors in
Doggy
, a new song which does not depart from her style, decried by an extreme right put off by the idea that she could sing at the Olympics.
The singer of Malian origin can nevertheless count on the support of her peers, including Benjamin Biolay, Patrick Bruel and Hughes Aufray. Without forgetting the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, who denounces behind this outcry “pure and harsh racism.