He promised it. “I will bring the medal back to Kazakhstan! », Repeats Beknur Zhanibekuly with an infectious laugh. The 9-year-old boy is about to live “an extraordinary dream”. Sunday, he will be on the set of La Seine Musicale, in Paris, for the Eurovision junior.
“It sends a superb message”, appreciates his father Janibek Bektemissov. Since the birth without arms of his son, he fights with his wife so that their eldest has the right to the same opportunities as other children. Seeing him in an international song contest is one of them. “It shows that all people are equal. That he is a normal child with a normal life ”, continues the diplomat at the Kazakh consulate general in Strasbourg.
Enrolling him in a public school in the suburbs of the Alsatian capital contributes to this reasoning. There, Beknur Zhanibekuly has “lots of friends and girlfriends.” “I became a bit of a star in the court with Eurovision,” he laughs in almost perfect French. It is precisely in this language, practiced for two years and his arrival in Strasbourg, that he will sing on Sunday. In duet with Alinur Khamzin, both having obtained the same score during the selections in their country.
“He had more votes from the jury, and I from the public,” recalls the one who claims to be a fan of the German artist “TheFatRat, not too many French singers”. This does not prevent him from resuming Santiano, Hugues Aufray, or The Marseillaise in videos posted on Youtube. On his channel entitled, not without self-mockery, “HandZero”. Also referring to that of “Hand Solo”, which belongs to the former candidate of the show “Lego Masters”, David Aguilar.
Lego prosthesis
Since August, the two have been linked. Born without forearms, the student from Andorra created a Lego prosthesis in Beknur Zhanibekuly. In particular, it allows him to grab anything thanks to a clamp that he controls thanks to a rope connected to his left foot. “It really helped him feel better. It was very good for his personal confidence, ”explains his father. “A classic prosthesis, too large and too heavy, would not have been good for her spine,” adds her mother, Zaure Bektemissova.
“I don’t put it on every day, only when it’s important. Otherwise, it could break, ”resumes the little boy, who writes for example with his feet at school. “But no, it’s not hard! », He laughs again, before talking about his passions. “I don’t know why I like to sing! But I also love table tennis, the train and the visual arts. “
What to give yourself some ideas for the future? Beknur Zhanibekuly sees himself well “diplomat or youtubeur later, we’ll see. ” No hurry. He already has a competition to win Sunday at the Eurovision junior. He promised it to Kazakhstan.