The director of cultural affairs at the city of Paris, Aurélie Filippetti, protests against the directive received by programmers and theater managers to suspend collaborations with Nigerien, Burkinabé and Malian artists.
Aurélie Filippetti, director of cultural affairs at Paris town hall and former minister of Culture under François Hollande, denounced a decision on Friday September 15 on franceinfo “scandalous and aberrant” Who “really damages the image of our country”.
The world of culture is in turmoil after the discovery of an administration directive asking French professionals to suspend any collaboration with artists from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso for security reasons.
>> Putsch in Africa: cultural actors encouraged to no longer issue new invitations to artists from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso
Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak tried to calm the anger by explaining that he was not “no question of stopping exchanging with artists” of these three countries. “She must obtain a reversal from the Quai d’Orsay on this scandalous decision”reacts Aurélie Filippetti. “I imagine that the Minister of Culture must have wanted to oppose this decision, that for the moment, she has not won her arbitration.”
Unions denounce reprisals against artists
In a press release published Thursday, the Syndeac (National Union of Artistic and Cultural Enterprises) and its counterparts, the Aac, the Accn, the A-CDCN, the ACDN and the ASN reacted strongly to the letter from the regional managements cultural affairs, “written on the instructions of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs”. They denounce a “your commiseration”. The directive “gave the impression that it was a retaliatory measure against the artists. Between the lines, one could have the impression that the artists were in some way fake artists and that they were suspected of coming to France for something other than their art”protests the former Minister of Culture.
Rima Abdul-Malak assured that artists who have already obtained a visa could perform in France. But according to Aurélie Filippetti, “four interpreters from Burkina Faso and Niger will not be able to come” at the Paris-Villette Theater for the Génération A African dance festival, for example. “These artists are punished in an absolutely unfair manner”she believes.
“We can give them visas from France for the shows they are involved in”
Aurélie Filippettifranceinfo
Rima Abdul-Malak justified this directive by explaining that visa services were no longer operating in these countries and that it was “materially” impossible to “issue visas to come to France”. Aurélie Filippetti rejects the argument: “We can give them visas from France for the shows in which they are engaged. The concrete result of this aberrant and scandalous measure is that these artists will not be able to come to France for their engagement with French structures”she explains.
The former Minister of Culture denounces the treatment inflicted on these countries:
“It is not because it is Africa that we should treat its artists and the nationals of these countries worse. It is unacceptable. This decision by the Quai d’Orsay is truly aberrant and scandalous. I think it’s unheard of. It’s a huge mistake that they made and they need to go back.”she says.