Before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, the performance of an Italian rapper caused a stir. Ghali is known for his pro-Palestinian positions. On Instagram he discusses his attitude – and a guess.
Shortly before the start of the Winter Olympics, there is anger over one of the performances at the opening ceremony in Milan: The Italian rapper Ghali has claimed to have been excluded from singing the Italian national anthem. The 32-year-old – little known outside Italy but a superstar in the country – is one of the artists scheduled to perform at the opening show in front of more than 70,000 spectators at the San Siro Stadium. The anthem is said to come from the Italian singer Laura Pausini.
Ghali, whose surname is Amdouni, wrote on his Instagram account: “I know why I was no longer allowed to sing the Italian national anthem. I also know that my silence makes noise. I know that everything is a big theater.” However, he failed to provide a more detailed explanation.
Ghali was born in Milan to Tunisian parents. He grew up in Baggio, on the outskirts of Milan. The rapper is known for his pro-Palestinian positions. During a performance at the Sanremo Music Festival two years ago, after his singing performance, he said “Stop the genocide!” and thus caused heated controversy. At the time, Israel’s ambassador in Rome accused Ghali of spreading “hatred and provocations.”
Right-wing coalition previously criticized Ghali
There had previously been criticism of Ghali’s appearance at the opening ceremony from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing three-party coalition, which is in government in Rome. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi announced that the rapper would “not express his opinion on stage.” “Principles of Olympic values” must be adhered to at the opening ceremony. The smaller government party Lega previously accused Ghali of wanting to “humiliate” Italy.
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Musicians such as Andrea Bocelli, Cecilia Bartoli, Lang Lang and Mariah Carey will also perform at the opening ceremony. The Italian skiers Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni are being discussed as the final torchbearers.
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