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Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris, is refusing to back down after receiving backlash.
During the ceremony, viewers complained about a presentation featuring the Greek God Dionysus that many believed was mocking the Last Supper.
The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
Jolly insists that he was not mocking The Last Supper but was trying to depict a “pagan celebration” using the gods of Olympus.
Via BMFTV
“There’s Dionysus arriving on a table. Why is he there? First and foremost, he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology, and the tableau is called ‘Festivity’. He is also the god of wine, which is also one of the jewels of France, and the father of Séquana, the goddess of the river Seine. The idea was to depict a big pagan celebration linked to the gods of Olympus, and thus the Olympics.”
The French director took issue with people being angry over the presentation.
“We have the right to love who 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. These are values that are important to us. So, quite frankly, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet reacted to the Opening Ceremony backlash.
“We imagined the ceremony to show our values and our principles. We promised a magnificent ceremony, spectacular but also with strong messages. “The idea was really to trigger a reflection. We wanted to have a message as strong as possible.”