The second semi-final of the Star Academy takes place this Saturday January 18 on TF1. The telecrochet pits two candidates against each other, both black: young Ebony and Franck. Ebony is of West Indian origin and Franck was born in Congo.
Ebony, 20, has been the victim of a wave of racist and misogynistic attacks on social networks for several weeks. TF1 was even forced to publish a press release to denounce this cyberharassment suffered by candidate Ebony. His relatives and fans, in Paris and in the West Indies, are also mobilizing to give him their support.
This mobilization to defend Ebony is very strong in Guadeloupe, where her father, himself an artist, comes from. A support committee was set up by a fan of the young singer. Marie-Laure, horrified by the racist comments she discovered day after day on social networks, decided to act. “'The tan go home', 'I can't see that monkey', 'you monkey climb your tree', 'go back to Africa', there was everything. Ebony is full of talent and we have felt like she was being criticized for being black and talented. It's downright unbearable.” confides Marie-Laure.
Before Ebony, Aya Nakamura and Miss France also suffered this cyberharassment, because they are black and because they are women. It’s “misogynoire”, a contraction between “misogynist” and “black”, explains Estelle Ndjandjo, journalist, specialist in gender issues. “A mixture between racism and sexism is in fact discrimination at the intersection of these two discriminations. But we feel a lack of information around racism, that is to say, not putting these attacks in the context of structural racism.”
-Fortunately, Ebony is not aware of everything that happens outside the castle, says the singer's father. “Otherwise it would undermine the poor little thing, the poor darling. Besides, Ebony is a child who is hypersensitive,” he confides. Thierry Cham, zouk star, passed on his passion for music to his only daughter, whose talent exploded thanks to the Star Academy.
Ebony's father only wants to keep the good sides of things. “Obviously, what's the point of feeding on hateful comments and negative things that pollute the brain? We have the choice to be on the side of light or on the side of darkness. I've always done the choice of light is what I teach my daughter and when she comes out of this, she will always be in the light.
