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A destiny, a commitment, an American who became French. Emmanuel Macron and the French paid a vibrant tribute to Joséphine Baker. She became the first black woman in the Pantheon on November 30, 2021.
It is on the forecourt of the Pantheon that a coffin filled with earth was carried to the interior of the monument, because the family of Joséphine Baker wanted her remains to remain in Monaco. The date of his pantheonization is no coincidence, because it was on November 30, 1937 that the artist was granted French nationality.
Once inside the monument, its famous title sounds “I have two loves”, accompanied by an orchestra. 2,000 people were present for this ceremony chaired by Emmanuel Macron. “Its cause was universalism, the unity of the human race, the equality of all before the identity of each (…) My France is Joséphine”, declared the President of the Republic. In the crowd present were artists, relatives of Josephine Baker, but also school groups. The facade of the Pantheon served as a broadcasting screen, and thus witnessed all the stages of her life, from the music hall, to activism, including her motherhood.
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