Sacre bleu! The Olympic opening ceremony has come and gone, but the backlash is lingering.
On Friday, June 26, the Paris Olympics opening ceremony enchanted and enthralled us with its ode to French history and culture, with a Lady Gaga performance, art pieces, fashion and the glorious return of Celine Dion.
But, alas, two connected performances, meant to celebrate diversity and “the absurdity of violence between human beings,” have set the internet ablaze with commentary on blasphemy, idol worship, and a “blue smurf.” Let’s unpack what happened, what it means, and why many are probably overreacting.
The Controversies
The main controversy seems to stem from a tableau featuring queer DJ Barbara Butch, where she and several drag queens and a transgender model seemed to parody Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which depicts Jesus and his disciples at the meal where he reveals that one of them will betray him. Butch wore a crown which seemed to be a halo and sat in the middle, flanked by other members of the LGBTQIA community. The second controversy was when a mostly naked Blue man, surrounded by fruit, started performing.
What’s with the blue guy?
The Blue Man references the Greek god Dionysus or Bacchus in Latin. In Greek mythology, he is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. Feasts in honour of Bacchus, called Bacchanalia, were said to get wild. Although we know he was depicting a god, not many know he was depicted as blue in some art. The performer, Phillipe Katerine, said he was proud of his performance as the backlash grows. “It’s my culture,” he said. “We’re full of different people, and everyone lives their own way and, above all, has the right to do so. I loved doing it.”
So what’s the backlash all about?
The Catholic Church in France and Christians across the globe, including the religious right in America (you know, Trump’s people), have called the opening ceremony a range of things, including “demonic” and a “mockery of Christianity.” But the organisers say that is far from the truth. Thomas Jolly, the artistic director behind the opening ceremony, said the scene had not been inspired by “The Last Supper” and depicted a pagan feast linked to the gods of Olympus.
Olympics organisers have apologised to the Christian community, saying that 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 International Olympic Committee (IOC) removed the video from its YouTube channel.
Among the other “bad things” that upset the religious was the imagery of a knight on a white metal horse, which they say was one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. First of all, she was a horsewoman, and she represented the Spirit of the Seine River.
While it’s understandable why Christians were angry, the Olympic Games are about uniting different cultures, religions, and people. We should also remember that religions borrow from each other all the time. For instance, Jesus and Dionysus (or Bacchus) are often compared. Both are the sons of a god and are born of a virgin; both are sometimes depicted wearing a crown of thorns. And there’s that wine connection.
Maybe the performance was just that, a celebration of everything that makes the French…. French. And so what if the performance mirrored the Last Supper? It is said that the best form of flattery is imitation.
