Last Updated on Thursday, 1 August, 2024 at 9:23 am by Andre Camilleri
Last weekend, I took the opportunity to watch the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The last time I watched the opening ceremony with so much interest was in 2012, when the Summer Olympics were hosted in London. At that time, I was still living in the UK. On a flight back to Malta, I remember the pilot telling us that we were passing over London, where the Summer Olympics were being held. It was a bit of promotion for the capital city of London.
Frankly, at a moment where the Far-right is rising in France and elsewhere in Europe, the opening ceremony provided a bit of fresh air for the civilised Europeans. Indeed, in a political context of making refugees and now even economic migrants the scapegoats of the European election results, the French taught us the meaning of liberty and equality in a civilised Europe. Those who never had the opportunity to think critically, will obviously disagree with me. Honestly, it is their problem. Going forward, I will carry on writing freely to defend minorities. I never hid the fact that I am a liberal. This is what I believe in, and it must be professed more under the S of ESG. The more our broken system tells me that this is wrong, the more I need to push ahead with the liberal agenda, which includes inter alia, the protection of freedom of expression and defending human rights.
Going back to the opening ceremony, the artistic choreography truly displayed the meaning of the French Republic. France is a country built on liberty, equality and fraternity. Those who never lived abroad might not understand the French culture. Personally, I had the opportunity to partially learn their language, and work with them. I find them quite direct but at the same time polite and cultured. Undiplomatically put, the uncultured cannot understand the notion of freedom of expression, free thinking, the freedom to be a believer and a non-believer, secularism, as well as critical thinking and creativity in France. Arts and the way they are expressed counts as part of our heritage and freedom of expression. And it is highly encouraged in France and contemporary Europe.
For the benefit of my readers, a controversy gushed on social media because of a scene, where some, uncultured or not, thought it was a mockery of the Last Supper. Indeed, it reached a nadir when several mistook Dionysus at the table. There were even women on Facebook complaining about the opening ceremony, and in tandem, uploading their images seated at a cafe in Sliema, carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. Nothing wrong with that. Perhaps, they did not even realise that the French designer brand was widely promoted in the opening ceremony. Adieu, the flaunting of the monogram. Alas, their knowledge about the French culture stops with purchasing a Louis Vuitton bag. However, I do expect better from those who position themselves as cultured.
As succinctly expressed by the French Ambassador to Malta, certainly, France is proud of its heritage and patrimony, and the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games enchanted the world. Thumbs up to the artistic director and to the French people. Indeed, it marked history. Personally, I believe that the opening ceremony manifested liberty, equality and fraternity, defying the Far-right political narrative in France. Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen had to lump it, not to forget Matteo Salvini in Italy, as well as many other radical political groups. We have to use even cultural and sports diplomacy to counter Far-right and radical politics.
Indeed, when the French Ambassador cited the verse of Saint John, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”, I was weeping with laughter. Her Excellency the Ambassador of France chose to answer eloquently to those, who in Malta rushed to officially write to her as a diplomat. H.E.’s reply was indeed witty, French humour. Let’s leave our former Minister of Finance Tonio Fenech for a while, who in 2011, was sure about the sorrowfulness of Our Lady given Malta was considering introducing divorce legislation. However, I never expected it from someone who must be ahead of everyone when it comes to culture.
Quoting the artistic director, he reaffirmed that the inspiration was not taken from the Last Supper. The appearance of Dionysus coming to the table was quite clear. In fact, when Ray and I read that there were objections because of the parody linked to the Last Supper, we literally gazed at each other because we did not watch anything of the sort. The artistic director chose Dionysus because in Greek mythology, he is the god of celebration, which is also linked to the painting known as Les Festivités. Additionally, Dionysus is the god of wine and pleasure in Greek mythology, and an important symbol in France. The artistic director reiterated that Dionysus is the father of Sequana, the goddess connected to the river Seine. In fact, the artistic director’s intention was to organise an opening ceremony that would repair and reconcile, by reaffirming the values of the French Republic, involving liberty, equality and fraternity. Au contraire, he reiterated that they will never find in him any desire to mock or denigrate.
When I was a child, at primary school we were taught that the French are bad because Napoleon came to rob us, while the British protected us. Honestly, I always found that part of the lesson boring and repetitive. We were told that our forefathers had to coat a silver gate to con the French. Certainly, we never had the opportunity to study French history in Malta. When I chose history as a major subject at secondary school, it was only about Malta and the British period. Forget the 1802 Treaty of Amiens though, where Malta features prominently. I had to learn about it in international relations. Nevertheless, I was always intrigued by the French history. Funnily as it may sound, my interest in French history is attributed to the cartoons Lady Oscar, also known as La Rose de Versailles. Indeed, the cartoons Lady Oscar was widely watched by kids on Canale 5 in the 1980s and 1990s. Back then, we had no satellite or cable. It was about a free to air aerial. This was the first time, where I learnt about Versailles, the Queen of France Marie Antoinette – who also featured in every window beheaded and holding her head in a mix of heavy metal and opera in the opening ceremony – Bastille and the French Revolution. Later, I read and learnt more about the French history, as well as their diplomacy.
To conclude, those venting on Facebook about the opening ceremony must read some French history. And while shopping in London at Harrods for an LV bag, please do take the liberty to visit a theatre to watch the world’s longest running musical Les Misérables.
