Outrage from the far right over rumours of a performance at the opening ceremony has exposed deep divisions in France
he is the most listened-to French singer in the world, whose relentlessly catchy hits about love and betrayal have been streamed 7bn times and who made history last year when she sold out three Paris gigs in 15 minutes.
Rachida Dati, the culture minister, warned against “pure racism”, and Lilian Thuram the former French footballer said: “When people say Aya Nakamura can’t represent France, what criteria do they base it on? I know the criteria, because when I was a footballer, some also said this isn’t the French team because there are too many Blacks.”. Born Aya Danioko in Mali, she arrived in France as a baby.
Mekolo Biligui, a rap journalist, said: “This row says a lot about what racism is in France. It’s not the first polemic of its kind. When the rapper Youssoupha was chosen by the French football team to record their anthem for the Euro 2021, there was a polemic by the far right. When the rapper Black M was due to perform at the centenary of the battle of Verdun, there was a polemic fed by the right. It’s starting to be a long list. What these performers have in common is they are Black.
“My measure of how popular an artist is in France is when they start being played at weddings,” Biligui said. “You hear Nakamura played absolutely everywhere, particularly at weddings because she is so popular, she is the soundtrack to all parts of people’s lives … There is a classist element to criticising her French just because she includes slang.
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