The minister says France won’t cut cultural ties with Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso. After criticism from the entertainment industry this week regarding a decision to prohibit any partnerships with artists from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the French minister of culture stated on Friday that France does not seek to sever cultural relations with the aforementioned African nations.
“There has never been a change in France’s policy regarding the treatment of artists because the country has traditionally maintained an open door policy.” According to the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, on RTL radio, “It is an adaptation to an extremely deteriorated security context.”
While Burkina Faso has been under the control of extremist rebels for some years, the government of Niger was deposed in July due to a military coup. Since August, Mali’s military has also been in a conflict with a rebel coalition since August. As a result of this conflict, France has suspended all development assistance and banned visas for all three nations.
The comments made by Abdul-Malak appeared to be an attempt to defuse a dispute with the union of artistic and cultural businesses known as SYNDEAC. SYNDEAC had sought to meet with her after her ministry issued a mandate to stop all cooperation and financial support to institutions from the three nations. Abdul-Malak’s words appeared to be an attempt to settle the confrontation.
SYNDEAC referred to the restriction as “completely unprecedented” before.
“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. “This total ban on three countries experiencing very serious crises is a major mistake.”
In response to the public outcry, Abdul-Malak stated that she had requested that her ministry provide “clarifications” to the entertainment industries. She also stated that the prohibition would not impact any current agreements; rather, it would only apply to new ventures requiring travel permits for artists.
A sizable group of people with ties to the three African countries may be found in France, which also hosts many entertainers from the region, particularly musicians.
