PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has a reputation for disarming hostile audiences with repartee and humor, but his latest verbal jousting on a trip to Africa has drawn criticism at home.
In an interview broadcast late on Wednesday, Macron dismissed as “ridiculous” suggestions he had offended Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Kabore when he quipped with students that Kabore had left the room to fix the air-conditioning.
The exchange came during a boisterous 90-minute question-and-answer session at Ouagadougou University earlier this week that followed Macron’s promise of a new era in relations between France and Africa.
When one of the students in the audience grilled Macron over what he would do about Burkina Faso’s constant power cuts, the 39-year-old replied: “You speak to me like I’m a colonial power, but I don’t want to look after electricity in Burkina Faso. That’s the job of your president.”
Earlier heckles turned into laughter and applause.
When Kabore later left the hall, Macron joked: “You see, he’s gone. He’s left to fix the air-conditioning.” Shortly after, a smiling Kabore returned to his seat.
Macron’s remark touched off a social media frenzy, splitting those who defended it as lighthearted banter and others who complained of paternalistic overtones.
Far-right rivals accused him of “bordering on racism.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Macron said in an interview with France 24. “We have a relationship of equals, that means we can joke with one another.”
Macron has courted trouble with his language before. He was widely criticized this summer after saying that Africa faced “civilizational” problems.
In France he has provoked anger by describing opponents as “slackers” and urging workers to “stop kicking up a bloody mess.”
Firing back at his critics, Macron said it was those who deemed it inappropriate to joke with an African leader who were guilty of patronizing the continent.
“I would have had a laugh about it with any European leader with whom I have this kind of relationship. I don’t with (German Chancellor) Angela Merkel, but I do for example with (European Commission president) Jean-Claude Juncker,” he said.
(Reporting by Richard Lough)
What’s wrong with a joke? Macron defends air-conditioning gag in Africa
What’s wrong with a joke? Macron defends air-conditioning gag in Africa
Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an
MAKKAH: The Holy Qur’an Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is showcasing a monumental handwritten copy of the Holy Qur’an, recognized as the largest Qur’an of its kind in the world.
The manuscript measures 312 cm by 220 cm and comprises 700 pages, earning the museum recognition from Guinness World Records for displaying the world’s largest Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The manuscript is a magnified reproduction of a historic Qur’an dating back to the 16th century, the SPA stated.
The original copy measures 45 cm by 30 cm, with the chapters written primarily in Thuluth script, while Surah Al-Fatiha was penned in Naskh, reflecting the refined artistic choices and calligraphic diversity of the era.
The Qur’an is a unique example of Arabic calligraphy, gilding and bookbinding, showcasing Islamic art through intricate decorations, sun-shaped motifs on the opening folio, and elaborately designed frontispiece and title pages that reflect a high level of artistic mastery.
The manuscript was endowed as a waqf in 1883. Its original version is currently preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, serving as a lasting testament to Muslims’ enduring reverence for the Qur’an and the richness of Islamic arts across the centuries.
