Moroccan Singer Oum Addresses Flag Controversy After Abidjan Concert

The show given by singer Oum in Abidjan brought together a crowd and was going well until the moment when an excited music lover climbed onto the stage. Indeed, he emerged from the back of the stage and placed a large Moroccan flag behind the artist. As soon as he had accomplished his gesture, the individual disappeared, reports Le360.

Surprised by the gesture and especially embarrassed by the flag that was preventing her from moving easily during the performance, Oum then decides to gently place it on the stage. It was then that the man, visibly embarrassed, climbed back onto the stage to "take back the flag, wave it in front of the crowd and kiss it under the applause of the public", indicates the same source.

On the web, the singer was attacked by Internet users who, in a heated controversy, accused her of "disrespect and disdain towards the national emblem". Immediately, Oum, who says she does not "understand that an individual comes on stage behind her to cover her with the flag of his country".

"To those who have misinterpreted my gesture, know that, like you, I love to raise our flag to support our teams in international sports competitions. But in the context of my work, wearing the flag on stage while singing sounds like a pleonasm. Because, my faith, I am at my humble level a voice and a face of Morocco," said the artist who also clarified: "My identity is expressed through my music, my lyrics, my stage clothes, my speech and my actions wherever I am."

Finally, Oum invited "those who have isolated this video excerpt to prove that I do not honor my country, to broadcast the full recording of the concert filmed by the national TV channels, and to lend an ear, to grasp the substance of my speech".