Taylor Swift and the American elections, Mati Diop and the decolonization of the imagination: two women who are committed

Wednesday September 11 in “Tout Public”, the influence of Taylor Swift on American voting intentions, and the director Mati Diop for her documentary “Dahomey”.

Singer Taylor Swift has just announced her support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris following her debate with Donald Trump. What impact will this have on the American presidential campaign? Elsa Grassy, ​​lecturer in American studies at the University of Strasbourg, is the guest of “Tout Public” to answer our questions on the subject.

The academic insists that the artist has considerable influence, particularly in terms of voter registration. “In 2023, when Taylor Swift asked potential American voters to register, there was a huge influx of people on the Vote.org website.”she says. The singer’s commitment could make a difference to the younger generation in particular. “Young people are a population that rarely votes, she explains, […] and so pushing them to the polls by telling them that their voice must be heard, that can make a significant difference.”

The support of personalities from the world of entertainment and music in the American political landscape is not a new thing, Yann Bertrand offers a retrospective, from Bruce Springsteen’s show to the election of Joe Biden, to the iconic “Happy Birthday Mr President” of Marilyn Monroe for President Kennedy.

Mati Diop, who received the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for his first film Atlanticthis time wins the Golden Bear for his new documentary Dahomeywhich she describes as “counter-narrative”The filmmaker follows the restitution of 26 Beninese works looted by France during the colonial invasion in 1892. But instead of showing the official story, that of the repatriation of the works from the Quai Branly museum to the presidential palace in Cotonou, Mati Diop tells the story of the Beninese people’s relationship with this rediscovered heritage. “It was an opportunity to bring the debate down from the top to the bottom and to make this issue heard from an African point of view (…) and above all to hear from African youth who had never been heard on the issue, even though they are the primary recipients.”

The director recalls the importance for Benin to free itself from its colonial heritage, and calls on the Ministry of Culture to accelerate the adoption of the framework law concerning African heritage.

“It’s a question of political will. (…) So I strongly urge the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, to take charge of this issue which absolutely must move forward.”

She also recommends that the current Minister of Culture, her successors, and all other people who want to deconstruct and decolonize their imagination, go and discover Dahomey. In theaters today, Wednesday September 11, 2024.

A program with the participation of journalists Nicolas Teillard from the international editorial staff of Radio France, Yves Bertrand and Anne Chépeau from the culture service of franceinfo.