The elected official says “he was trapped” by a person who “did not prove himself worthy of (his) trust”. The poet Yohan Leforestier transformed the town hall’s Christmas advent calendar into a political forum on the Gaza Strip.
An outing that leaves a mark. Since 1is December, the Caen town hall hosts a gigantic Advent calendar on its facade. Every day at 6 p.m., residents come together to smile and open a new hut among the 24 that decorate the windows of the building for a month. Until this Sunday, December 15, when joy and good humor gave way to incomprehension.
The Caennais were used to mini-concerts, tightrope shows and brass bands. Surprises for young and old, who found themselves in increasing numbers in front of the Town Hall every evening. Last Sunday, therefore, they opened the 15e window. And surprise! The crowd heard the first notes of accordion and guitar…
Poetic or political?
Before the arrival of Yohan Leforestier, an artist from Caen, also nicknamed Yo le Milieu. Local residents know him for his slams – a form of rhythmic, urban oral poetry, which takes place in a public place and which takes the form of a meeting or a show. They will now know him for his controversy. The artist’s performance was tainted because it looked more like a political stance than a concert.
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« Things are going bad in Gaza »he said from the first notes of the introductory piece. Poetic or political? The crowd quickly understood that they were dealing with an activist rather than Arthur Rimbaud. His “poem”, which described in 10 minutes the Christmas of a child in Gaza, was not to the taste of the city’s mayor, Aristide Olivier. « We were trapped… »he denounced a few hours after the event.
« Not the place »
The elected official said he « has chosen a Caen artist recognized in this field with the sole order of producing a family show in the spirit of the end-of-year celebrations ». But his opinion of Yohan Leforestier has changed a lot since this performance. « Sunday, poetry was to be in the spotlighthe said sorry. Unfortunately, […] the specifications were not respected and [Yohan Leforestier] has not shown himself worthy of our trust.” Before adding: « This was absolutely not the place for such a divisive militant position. ».
« If I had done it from the perspective of a Ukrainian child and not a Gazan child, there would probably be no controversy today. »
Yohan Leforestier
To which the artist hastened to respond that he had not « wanted to trap anyone ». Yo the Middle assumes: « I was aware that the remarks could be disturbing. But I also got a lot of feedback from people who appreciated ». And explains that he simply wanted to convey « a message of peace » and show the world « that there are places where Christmas is not like here ». « If I had done it from the perspective of a Ukrainian child and not a Gazan child, there would probably be no controversy today. »he notes. A peak at the mayor? There is no doubt that this reaction will once again bring out the town hall services, affected by this controversy. However, the matter should stop at these simple statements.
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