Rumours of Aya Nakamura performing on the Paris Olympics has sparked an enormous outrage from far-right critics.
In line with French newspaper Le Monde, native media reported that the French-Malian musician met with President Emmanuel Macron final month to debate singing a track by iconic French artist Edith Piaf. Nakamura has racked up over 1billion views on YouTube for her 2018 hit ‘Djadja’, while Le Mondehas dubbed her “the world’s hottest French-speaking artist”.
While these stories haven’t been confirmed by both Macron or Nakamura, the rumours brought about vital fury with the far-right. The Reconquest occasion, who held a rally on Sunday led by ex-presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, introduced Nakamura’s title which elicited boos from their crowd.
In the meantime, one other extremist group known as The Natives hung a banner by the River Seine: “There’s no means Aya; that is Paris, not the Bamako market.” In line with NBC, French officers have confirmed they’re investigating racist assaults focusing on Nakamura.
Nakamura has responded to a photograph of the banner on social media, replying (as translated by The Guardian): “You will be racist however not deaf … That’s what hurts you! I’m changing into a no 1 state topic in debates … however what do I actually owe you? Nada.”
Vous pouvez être raciste mais pas sourd 🧏.. C’est sa qui vous fait mal ! Je deviens un sujet d’état numéro 1 en débats ect mais je vous dois quoi en vrai ? Kedal https://t.co/rgnGeAAOfD
The Olympics organising committee has stated it provides Nakamura “complete assist” on Monday, including: “Now we have been very shocked by the racist assaults in opposition to Aya Nakamura in latest days. (We provide our) complete assist to essentially the most listened-to French artist on this planet.”
Different French officers have weighed in on the controversy, with sports activities minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra saying to Nakamura: “It doesn’t matter, individuals love you. Don’t fear about something.”
In the meantime, Antoine Léaument of the leftwing LFI occasion wrote: “They declare to like their nation however they wish to exclude essentially the most listened-to French-speaking singer on this planet since Édith Piaf. We can’t be racist and patriotic in France.”
Nakamura, who makes Afrobeats/zouk-inspired music that makes use of “unorthodox spelling” and “slang-infused lyrics”, has beforehand responded to solutions that she is mocking the French language: “I can perceive why some individuals say: ‘Who does she assume she is, mocking us in our French language?’”
“But it surely’s vital to simply accept the tradition of others, and, me, I’ve two cultures,” she stated to AFP.
