While some would have been delighted to be involved in the preparation of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, others were not really keen on it. This is the case of Jocelyne Béroard, singer of Kassav’. Asked by Tele-Leisureshe explains why she finally reversed her decision.
Paris is preparing to host the most ambitious and anticipated sporting event: the Olympic Games. A few weeks before the festivities, its organization is at the heart of all discussions: prohibitive ticket prices, swimming in the Seine which is controversial… But also the choice of personalities involved in the opening ceremony or the torch relay. Embodying the image of France, this is a heavy stake that goes beyond the simple Olympic context! The absence of some, like that of Matt Pokora or David Guetta, and the presence of others, like the rapper Jul and that – yet hypothetical – of Aya Nakamura, gives rise to particularly virulent controversies. What does Jocelyne Béroard, singer of the group Kassav’, think about it, approached to carry the torch in Martinique? Interviewed by Tele-Leisureshe answers.
Why was Jocelyne Béroard approached by the Olympic Committee?
A French group with eternal hits, it has sold more than 5 million albums, filled 67 Zéniths in Paris – a record –, visited 83 countries, from the USSR to Japan… No, it’s neither Indochine nor Daft Punk but Kassav’. On May 18, 2024, the emblematic zouk group was reunited in a sold-out Bercy for its tribute tour to Jacob Desvarieux, who died of Covid in 2021. The concert, broadcast on Olympia TV on Sunday, July 7, 2024 at 9 p.m., recalls the rich musical heritage that we owe to these Guadeloupean artists. This is also why its singer, Jocelyne Béroard, was approached by the Olympic Committee to participate in the torch relay in Martinique. She says: “I think that’s how they convinced me, they told me we were an internationally renowned band.” Yet the 69-year-old artist said to himself “determined not to go.” For what ?
This sine qua non condition imposed by Jocelyne Béroard to participate in the Olympic torch relay
Despite their many successes, the members of Kassav’ have remained very simple. The first woman to have obtained a gold record in the Antilles explains her first decision to decline the invitation: “At first, I refused to do it because I thought it was necessary to encourage young people. Often, we take famous people, but it’s the young people who fight, it’s them who make the effort, who give us pleasure when we watch them. I found it a shame that there weren’t more young athletes represented.” But the two parties eventually found common ground: “I said I had one condition, that there had to be a young girl next to me, thinking they would refuse and in fact, they accepted. So I had to go.” she smiled. Met by Tele-Leisure The day after the festivities, Jocelyne Béroard does not regret her participation, accompanied by Isaia Anatole, disabled swimming champion: “I was the one who lit the cauldron. It was a wonderful moment.”
