Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak has affirmed that France has no intentions to sever cultural ties with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Abdul-Malak made this statement in response to strong criticism from the entertainment industry following a recent decision to prohibit any collaborations with artists from these African nations.
‘France has always been an open and welcoming nation for artists, so this is not a shift in policy.’
‘It’s an adaptation to an extremely deteriorated security context,’ she told RTL radio.
Niger’s government was deposed in a military coup in July, while Burkina Faso has faced the persistent challenge of hardline militants for years.
Mali’s military has been actively combating a rebel alliance since August, which has resulted in France’s decision to bar visas and terminate development aid for all three nations.
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Abdul-Malak’s comments appeared to be a strategic move to ease tensions with SYNDEAC, the union of artistic and cultural businesses. This came after her ministry issued a directive to halt all cooperation and financial aid to institutions from the three countries, prompting SYNDEAC’s demand for a meeting.
SYNDEAC had described the ban as ‘completely unprecedented’.
‘This total ban on three countries experiencing very serious crises makes no sense from an artistic point of view and is a major mistake from a political point of view’, the union said in a statement.
In light of the uproar, Abdul-Malak mentioned that she had instructed her ministry to dispatch “clarifications” to the entertainment sector.
She stated that the ban would exclusively affect new projects involving artists who require travel visas, assuring that existing partnerships would remain unaffected.
A sizable community in France has strong ties to the three African countries, and musicians from this region, notably, are widely acclaimed at festivals.