Today, Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron defended the possibility of Aya Nakamura, the French singer from Mali, participating in the opening or closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics that will be held in Paris next July.
Macron said that the singer “fully has her place in the opening or closing ceremonies” of the Olympic Games, and he saw that as “a good thing.”
The possibility of Nakamura participating in the celebrations related to the Paris Olympics angered right-wing and far-right parties, which saw in him a way to “insult” the French and cause division among them.
President Macron stressed that the decision rests with the organizers of the celebrations regarding the participation of Aya, who is considered the most attractive listener among French-speaking singers in the world.
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French singer Aya Nakamura
The controversy began when the French weekly magazine L'Express reported that Nakamura had discussed with President Emmanuel Macron the possibility of her participating in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games (July 26 – August 11), with the possibility of performing songs by the famous French singer Edith Piaf.
Although there was no official confirmation of this possibility, neither from the singer, nor from the Olympic organizers, nor from the French presidency, the issue became the subject of intense political controversy.
Sit-ins and demonstrations were held, rejecting Nakamura's participation and others supporting it.
Nakamura, whose account on the X platform is followed by about 1.3 million people and on Instagram by nearly four million, responded on social media, accusing her critics of being “racists.”
“It has become one of the main topics of the state,” she added, “and this is what bothers you,” adding, “What do I owe you?”
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