Le Monde on Thursday cited a letter from the General Directorates for Cultural Affairs (DRAC) as saying that the French government has ordered the country’s performing arts sector to stop any cooperation with the former colonies of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Currently, the military controls all three nations.
The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs’ instruction, according to the site, ordered the suspension of financial support for cultural organisations and individual artists in the three West African countries.
The letter demanded that “all cooperation projects that your establishments or your services are engaged in with institutions or nationals of these three countries must be suspended, without delay and without any exception.”
In addition, no invitations from citizens of these nations should be extended “until further notice.”
The National Union of Artistic and Cultural Enterprises (Syndeac), which has its headquarters in Paris, announced on Thursday that it had received a letter “with a threatening tone” requesting that its members stop all cooperation with the African countries until further notice.
The union claimed that the decision to halt any artistic collaboration with Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso was “viewed as an unprecedented measure, which raises significant questions regarding international cultural policy.”
The French government is not prohibiting African artists, according to Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak, who also stated that the “extremely deteriorated” security conditions in the three concerned nations made the move necessary.
French embassy and consulate staff had to be reduced, and visa services had to be discontinued. So it is physically impossible to deliver visas to artists or anybody else travelling to France from those nations, Malak said.
The French Ambassador Sylvain Itte’s diplomatic immunity was lost last month, according to Niger’s new military rulers, who declared themselves in charge after a coup in July. They also instructed police to deport Itte after his original departure time had passed.
Since the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, Niamey’s relations with the French government have been strained. Similar to this, there has been an increase in anti-French sentiment in Burkina Faso and Mali, where the military seized control in 2022 and 2020, respectively.
