‘We have right not to be worshippers’: Olympics opening ceremony director defends ‘Last Supper’ parody
Olympics opening ceremony parodying the 'Last Supper'
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony has defended the production as a symbol of 'inclusion'. Jolly's vision included a parody of the 'Last Supper' with drag queens, transgenders and naked dancers involvedwhich invited worldwide criticism.
Addressing the reporters on Sunday (Jul 28), Jolly said 'diversity' was the key point of the opening ceremony and thisis what his production intended to achieve.
“Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together,” Jolly said.
Jolly, a French native from Normandy, who works as a theatre artist added that France was a free country and that it was artistic freedom on display during the ceremony.
“We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver," said Jolly.
"In France, we are a republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey," he added.
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Paris 2024 organisers apologise
While Jolly defended the ceremony, Paris 2024 organisers apologised to Catholics and other Christian groups angered after various artistsposedlike Jesus and his Twelve Apostles from Leonardo da Vinci's painting.
"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. (The opening ceremony) tried to celebrate community tolerance," Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference.
"We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry."
The Catholic church in France had deplored the ceremony saying it "includedscenes of derision and mockery of Christianity".
Meanwhile, ArchbishopCharles Scicluna, the highest-ranking Catholic official in Malta and part of the Vatican'spowerful doctrinal office said he had France's ambassador to Malta to complain about the "gratuitous insult".
(More to follow)