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About four months remain until the start of the Olympic Games in Paris and in France a storm has been bubbling for two weeks that is sweeping away politicians from the extreme fringes - but not only.
In the spotlight is Aya Nakamura, one of the country's most successful singers, who is responsible for huge hits such as Djadja.
On February 29, the weekly L'Express published that Nakamura met with French President Emmanuel Macron and that in their conversation it was agreed that she would appear at the opening ceremony of the Olympics and sing a song by Edith Piaf.
So it was still a rumor and to this day it has not been confirmed or denied - but on the right side of the political map they were seething.
A few days later, a march was held with the permission of Eric Zemor, who is running for president in 2022 (and intends to run again in 2027), and repeated calls were heard against the singer's participation in the opening ceremony in the capital.
Along one of the banks of the Seine, the participants in the march hung a sign: "There's no chance Nakamura, this is Paris - not a market in Mako (the capital of Mali and Nakamura's hometown)."
Singer Aya Nakamura/GettyImages, Kristy Sparow
In the last two weeks, the 28-year-old singer, who was born in Mali and only received French citizenship at the age of 26, has become a tool in the hands of politicians.
Those on the right beat her and those on the left support her - to beat those on the right.
"You can be racist, but not deaf," she wrote on social media, "I have become the hottest topic in political discussions, but what do I owe you? Nothing."
Yesterday (Sunday), the offices of the "National Union" party owned by Marion Le Pen, became a pilgrimage center for activists from a local organization that works against racism.
They waved signs, played the DJADJA song, danced and chanted against Le Pen and her friends.
They dedicated the events to Nakamura.
The English "Guardian" published an article in which they tried to explain why the intention to put Nakamura on stage at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics causes unease - and not only in the extreme circles.
According to the English newspaper, a survey was conducted in France in which 73 percent of the respondents claimed that "Nakamura's music is not French".
63 percent of the respondents oppose her appearing at the opening ceremony.
Although Nakamura is considered one of the most successful singers in France, she is not really accepted by the old mainstream of music in the country.
She broke out already in 2018, but until 2021 she did not receive any NRJ award which is considered the most prestigious in France.
That's why the "Guardian" accused France of old and institutional racism, even of those who don't go out on the street and call out against the singer.
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In France this is not a new matter.
Before Euro 2020 (which took place in 2021 due to the corona virus), the task of writing the team's "tournament song" was assigned to the rapper Yusuf.
Since this is a singer of Congolese origin, who often sings about the origins and called Marine Le Pen a bitch in 2006, there is a broad call on the political right to replace him.
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2024 Olympics
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