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Quebec’s Minister for the Fight Against Racism is attempting to chuckle off a clumsy scenario on the Dynastie Gala. On stage on the sixth version of the occasion honouring Black artists on March 5, Minister Benoit Charette started itemizing names of lately deceased cultural contributors. That listing included membership Balattou and Festival International Nuits d’Afrique founder Lamine Touré.
The downside: Touré may be very a lot alive — and was simply metres from Charette within the gala viewers that evening.
A video circulating on social media exhibits viewers members pointing at Touré earlier than Charette apologizes for the error amid hollers and laughter.
In an announcement shared with MTL Blog, Charette’s workplace mentioned “the Minister’s speech contained an ambiguous phrase and in trying to get out of his text, he misinterpreted it, leading to the incident in question.”
On Twitter, Charette mentioned he and Touré “were able to laugh about it together.” The minister’s workplace can also be bucking criticism, claiming that “contrary” to some studies, “most” gala attendees handled the error “as a joke.”
In a Facebook put up, nevertheless, the Fondation Dynastie mentioned the incident created “unease” and underlined the Quebec authorities’s remoteness from the group.
“This incident reminds us of the unacceptable gap that still separates our communities,” the inspiration wrote. “It demonstrates the urgent need for the government to forge real ties with the various communities it serves, to listen to them and to recognize their excellence.”
Charette took on his present portfolio in February 2021 after a authorities report beneficial a brand new cabinet-level place devoted to the combat towards racism.
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