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Aya Nakamura is a proud Black woman. Is that why she’s not 'French enough’ for the Paris Olympics? | Rokhaya Diallo
She is the world’s most listened-to French-speaking artist – but in France, hostility to her goes beyond the far right, says Guardian Europe columnist Rokhaya Diallo
Anxiety is running high about the readiness of the City of Light to host the games, manage the millions of fans expected to converge on the capital and put on a spectacular opening show that will be judged by the world. In 2022, the award for best female artist went to Pomme, a white singer who institutional racism and spoke of feeling uncomfortable about her win over Nakamura, “a Black girl who doesn’t come from central Paris and who isn’t as privileged as me”. As a beauty brand ambassador, she challenges the classical image of the Parisienne, making tall and dark-skinned features mainstream instead.Almost as punishment, her words are policed and her lyrics are made fun of, read out with condescension on TV shows – as if they were not meant to be accompanied by music.
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