A date, spikes on the networks, a petition, a cancellation. At the end of a series of several weeks, the verdict has fallen: Booba will not be able to perform on June 21 on Moroccan soil. The concert of this size of French rap has been canceled by the authorities of the country. The official reason? Sexist remarks denigrating Moroccan women unearthed in the repertoire of the “Duke of Boulogne”.
Behind this story hides a former protege of Elie Yaffa (real name of Booba), a Moroccan Islamist opposition party and a petition having aggregated 4,500 signatures. 20 minutes looks back at the chronology of this story and the accusations of sexism aimed at the most famous pen of French rap:
What do the Moroccan authorities blame Booba for?
The prefecture of Casablanca-Anfa said no to the rapper, guilty according to her of having made sexist remarks in song. Two passages crystallized the tensions: “I’m going to the shisha for the beurettes”, pronounced by the rapper in the song “Génération Assassin”, and “little Moroccan who fucks Berlusconi”, sentence from the song “ELEPHANT”, in reference to a Moroccan woman nicknamed Ruby who had taken part in the “bunga bunga” evenings of the former Italian president when she was a minor.
These punchlines dating back several years have come to the ears of the Moroccan authorities after the launch of a petition and a complaint by the Club des Avocats du Maroc for “defamation and insults brought against Moroccan women”.
Without transposing the story with the situation in France, Benjamin Weillauthor of the book Who benefits from dirty, sexism, racism, capitalism in French rap, seems surprised by the Moroccan approach, and sees in it a more underhanded attack by the artist. “The substance of the approach seems more racist than feminist. The Moroccan government is not particularly sensitive to this type of question. Maes can perform in Morocco despite his sexist lyrics. We are more on a squabble between the two artists, with a sexist argument to veil a deeper racism. Like in France when we attack rap on its sexism”.
For our specialist, the sexism of the “rap game” is also “not so much due to the rappers themselves, but more to the producers and the media, who systematically point to the sexism of this genre. Behind, there is a racist unthought. »
A teleguided and politicized controversy?
Before reaching the judicial sphere, the controversy was first born on social networks. The call for cancellation was relayed by some influential Moroccan Internet profiles. Then the controversy was boosted by the support of Maes, at odds with Booba after collaborating with him at the start of his career. “We get a lot of complaints so that you don’t come and sing. Know that you are not welcome, ”tweeted the Aulnaysian rapper, who has Moroccan origins, last May. Before boasting of having “cancelled the concert” of Booba.
To protest against the coming of the artist, a sit-in was to be organized last May. It was finally canceled after the decision of the prefecture to cancel the concert a few weeks ago, resulting in a period of uncertainty until Wednesday, the organizers of the concert having not communicated on the subject.
The political sphere also got involved. Naïma Al-Fathaoui, an elected member of the Islamist opposition party PJD, had sent a written question to the Ministry of Culture, urging it to restore “respect for Moroccan women and the preservation of their dignity by banning concerts”. . As reminded France Interthe ministry had refused to take a position for this “private event”.
“In France, it is often the far right that agitates the threat of cancellations of concerts by rappers, recalls our specialist. This concert affair also points to the mixture of influence and political game played by certain artists.
A similar controversy in 2016… in Lyon
For now, Booba has not reacted. His last statement on the story dates back to May 15. “If the concert was canceled it would be regrettable: we love Morocco, we love Africa, we have never insulted any Moroccan or any African (…) It would be sad for women, for music, for Africa . And if it’s canceled, we’re sorry, “communicated “Kopp” on Twitter. It must be said that the former Lunatic is used to this kind of controversy.
Six years ago, the 46-year-old artist was forced to cancel a concert in the capital of Gaul for security reasons. In question, scuffles stoked by Bassem, a controversial influencer, since sentenced to suspended prison for homophobic remarks. At the time, Bassem, regularly author of racist projections, reproached Booba for his… “non-respect of beurettes”. A controversy on social networks, tensions, deprogramming… And a gendarmerie investigation. The same ingredients, for the same purpose.