Morocco: Accused of sexism, Booba's concert canceled

A Booba concert scheduled for June 21 in Casablanca has been canceled by local authorities, amid a boycott campaign accusing the French rapper of sexism, AFP learned from organizers on Tuesday.

Confirming information from the website of the Moroccan magazine Tel Quel , an official of the organization simply answered "yes" to the question of whether Booba 's show was canceled.

The same source, who requested anonymity, attributed the cancellation to a refusal from the prefecture of Casablanca-Anfa , where the rapper was to perform.

Very popular in Morocco , Booba - Elie Yaffa of his real name - has been questioned on Moroccan social networks for having made "degrading remarks towards Moroccan and North African women" in some of his songs.

Among the rapper's decried titles: "ELEPHANT" , where the star raps "little Moroccan fucks Berlusconi" , in reference to a Moroccan nicknamed Ruby who had participated in the "bunga bunga" evenings of the former Italian "Cavaliere" while she was a minor.

But also "Génération assassin" , when Booba sings: "I go to Chicha only for beurettes" .

"Unity is strength" , welcomed a surfer on Twitter after the announcement of the cancellation of the concert. "It feels good not to have made all this noise for nothing ," wrote an anti-Booba on the same social network. On the other hand, another Internet user was sorry for "hypocrisy, this is what is wrong in this country" .

An online petition to have the show canceled has so far collected nearly 4,500 signatures. "Moroccans felt offended to learn that rapper Booba was going to perform in Morocco ," reads the introduction to the petition.

The Club of Lawyers in Morocco , a professional association, filed a complaint against Booba "for defamation and insults against Moroccan women" , confirmed to AFP its president Mourad ElAddi , without further details.

The call for the cancellation of the "Duc de Boulogne" concert had been supported by French rapper of Moroccan origin Maes . The latter, a former protege of Booba, urged his Twitter followers to sign the petition and challenged him: "Know that you are not welcome" .

The Islamist opposition party Justice and Development (PJD) also demanded the cancellation of the concert in a written parliamentary question addressed to the Minister of Youth and Culture.

Despite the boycott campaign, the organizers still believed in the possibility of maintaining the event.

In 2017, the rapper performed at one of the most important festivals in the country, Mawazine Rhythms of the World in Rabat . There were then drained 100,000 spectators, according to local media.

If it has no direct relationship, it seems, the cancellation of the French rapper's concert is part of a context of persistent diplomatic freeze between Rabat and Paris.