French-Malian pop star faces racist backlash over possible Olympics show

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura has come under racist attack over a suggestion that she may perform a song at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics this summer.

French far-right group Les Natifs (The Natives) posted a photo Sunday on X of some of its members holding a banner that says: "There is no way Aya. It's Paris here. Not the Bamako market," referring to a line in one of her hit songs.

They also criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for "despising the French population and its culture" after Nakamura reportedly discussed the possibility of performing a song by the iconic 20th-century French singer Edith Piaf at the Games when she met him last month.

Nakamura responded on X, saying: “You can be racist but not deaf…That’s what hurts you! I’m becoming a number 1 state subject in debates…but what do I really owe you? Nada.”

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera backed the 28-year-old singer on X on Monday, saying: "It does not matter, we love you."

Nakamura is the most streamed French artist on digital platforms.

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics will be held on July 26, for the first time outside a stadium. Around 10,500 athletes will parade through the heart of the capital on boats on the Seine River along a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route.