French President Emmanuel Macron dined with some of South Africa's most respected creatives during the G20.
Fashion designer Thebe Magugu, singer-songwriter Zoë Modiga, and poet Xabiso Vili were among the creatives dining with France’sPresident Emmanuel Macron, who was in South Africa for the G20 Summit.
“Dinner last night was so much fun,” said Magugu, reflecting on the Friday night dinner with Macron.
Magugu, a world-renowned fashion designer, shared that this wasn’t his first meeting with the French president. He said he first met Macron at his residence a few years ago.
“I asked him about it, and remember him saying he owes the fashion industry a lot because of what it has done for France. I never forgot the passion in which he spoke about our industry.”
Before heading to the dinner on Friday night, Macron was welcomed by Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie at Freedom Park in Tshwane, where, among other things, Macron unveiled the names of French nationals who supported the struggle, laying a wreath and delivering formal remarks.
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Macron hangs with SA’s creatives
Macron’s dinner with some of the country’s most celebrated creatives was hosted by the Embassy of France in South Africa on Friday night.
Other guests on the night included multidisciplinary artists William Kentridge and Mary Sibande, as well as visual artist Lawrence Lemaoana.
Former World Poetry Slam Champion Vili said that Lemaoana took images at the dinner, calling it a “picture of history”.
“So I take a picture of him taking a picture of Thebe Magugu chatting with William Kentridge, whilst Mary Sibande chats with Banele Khoza and Zoë Modiga chats with Anant Singh. What a wild, I don’t know if I’ll sleep tonight,” wrote Vili.
“To all the wallflowers in the world, you need not to change anything about yourself. Your strength is in you remaining yourself in all spaces,” wrote visual artist Banele Khoza.
“Thank you Mr President Emmanuel Macron for dinner, you affirmed that anything is possible.”
Reflecting on the significance of the dinner, Lemaoana juxtaposed it with the Berlin Conference of 1885, which divided the African continent among European leaders.
“After the Berlin Conference of 1885, after all the subsequent conferences where restitution, collaboration and engagement are on the table, comes this dinner hosted by the Embassy of France in South Africa,” wrote Lemaoana, who is married to artist Sibanda.
The dinner was hosted on the same day as the national shutdown against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in South Africa.
Modiga reflected on this.
“As the country, continent and world was painted purple at the condition of womanhood, African art practitioners across disciplines met with President Macron at the French Embassy. Conversing as if around the fire about the magnitude and collaboration in the art world.”
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