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NIGERIA – A surprising and symbolic choice at a time. The Shrine, Lagos' historic concert hall, founded by the Nigerian king of Afrobeat Fela Kuti, is more famous for its scent of marijuana, trance dancers and engaged artists than for receiving diplomatic delegations. It is nevertheless in this emblematic place of the Nigerian musical culture that Emmanuel Macron is to announce this Tuesday, July 3 at the evening the organization of the Season of the African cultures, which will be held in France in 2020.
For this new tour in Africa, which first took him to Nouakchott (Mauritania) for the African Union summit, then to Abuja, the federal capital of Nigeria where he has to meet his counterpart Muhammadu Buhari to talk about security, terrorism and G5 Sahel, the French president is expected in Lagos, a vibrant megalopolis of 20 million inhabitants.
There will probably pbad a new sleepless night, but to meet this time another type of counterpart: the spirit of Fela, the one that everyone nicknamed "the black president."
A (true) president in Shrine, never seen
Far from the diplomatic summits of the G7 and therefore of the G5 Sahel, the French president is the star guest an organized evening u Shrine, punctuated with concerts, parades of the greatest fashion designers or encounters with the essential of contemporary African art. It could even play a stage with Nigerian actors, slide backstage.
The New Afrika Shrine, by its full name, wants to be "THE" place of entertainment in Lagos where to meet for a night in a box, for concerts, shows, but also sometimes conferences.
It is the son of Fela Kuti who took the place of manager of his father. Moreover, more than twenty years after the death of the Nigerian artist and politician, man of innumerable women, imprisoned and harbaded for his radical political positions, Shrine still has not very good reputation in a very conservative country and
In fact, a (real) president in Shrine is never seen in Nigeria. The news even pbades for a false rumor in the streets of Lagos. For Ibrahim Tcha-Tchere, an employee of the French Cultural Center and then the Alliance Française since 1983, it is a bit like his "retirement gift".
"It's a big organization, because there's has frequent power cuts, it was also necessary to ensure that the ceiling fans do not fall on the guests … but it is stimulating! ", fun Olivier Laouchez, CEO of the group TRACE and organizer of the event
A "must-see" place for a "young African policy"
Beyond the Shrine, Nigeria's choice for the French president's visit is not trivial. This country is one of the largest contributors of troops to peacekeeping operations (OMP) of the United Nations. The country is currently involved in 9 of the 14 ongoing operations, and in 2013, was among the first African states to deploy troops to Mali for the benefit of the Misma (African-led International Support Mission in Mali, 1,200 men), of which
Finally, as France Diplomatie points out, Nigeria exerts an important influence on its regional environment thanks to its demographic weight and the importance of its diaspora (estimated at 17 million people), without forgetting the financial strength of its banks and the influence of its audiovisual production. "France has always had an important cultural cooperation with Nigeria," says Ibrahim Tcha-Tchere.
"The idea is to show the richness and diversity of African cultures," says Olivier Laouchez. not Africa, in any case, not its cultural dimension. " "The Shrine is a must and the Elysee wants a young African policy, more focused on the English-speaking countries," he told AFP.
During his campaign, Emmanuel Macron said he wanted encourage during his term of office the rapprochement of France with the African countries. In November, determined to revive the French image and influence in Africa, he had made his first long tour of the continent. "It's his will, he wants to show that he belongs to a new generation, away from the colonial past, he wants to get out of this negative image of colonizer that may have had France", explained at HuffPost François Gaulme, badociate researcher at Ifri and specialist in Africa
Music and cinema, powerful bearers of Nigerian culture
Olivier Laouchez also notes that "Lagos is now the most important capital "on the continent. "Musically, the movement of the new Nigerian afrobeat (the stars Davido, Wizkid, or Mr Eazi …) is global, it now carries all the culture afro-urban, to the Caribbean," says Olivier Laouchez. [19659002EmmanuelMacronwillalsomeetactorsfromNollywoodtheworld'ssecondlargestfilmindustryintermsoffilmproduction(afterBollywoodinIndia)Nollywood'sfilmsarestillstrugglingtobreakoutoftheAfricancontinentbutfromDakartoNairobiviaDoualaandHarareNigerianactorshaveafanclubworthyofAmerica'sbiggeststars
On the stage of contemporary art, Lagos also competes with South Africa, with its new annual event, Art X, whose curator Tokini Peterside will also be present. "There is clearly something going on in Nigeria, especially with the proliferation of auctions in Lagos, and it's going to explode," says Marie-Cecile Zinsou, a specialist in contemporary African art based in neighboring Benin.
The only one finally, who could be angry about this festive evening is the late Fela Kuti, whose portrait dominates the scene like a Christ figure in a church. Anyone who has spent his life with a raised fist, to rebel against the VIPs and all the mighty of this world would probably never have imagined one day to receive a European head of state and the governor of the state of Lagos in his "sanctuary".
To see also on The HuffPost :
See also:
• The headquarters of the G5 Sahel force in Mali attacked, three dead
• Weah at the Elysee Palace, a turning point for the aid policy of France in Africa [19659002] • Subscribe to our YouTube channel
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