Italian-Tunisian singer Ghali Amdani renewed his demand to stop the genocide in Gaza (Shutterstock)

Italian singer of Tunisian origin, Ghali Amdani, expressed his shock at the reaction of the Israeli ambassador to Rome, Alon Bar, to his demand to stop the genocide in Gaza from the stage of the Italian song festival “San Remo”.

Ghali told the “Dominica In” program, which was broadcast on the local “Rai” channel, “I have always spoken about these issues, since I was a child, and not since October 7, 2023... The truth is that the ambassador’s speech is unfortunate, as the policy of terrorism continues, and people fear that They say stop the war, stop the genocide. We live in a moment where people feel they are losing something if they say we want peace.”

✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/ezMNpXgPwE

- Ghali (@GhaliFoh) February 11, 2024

Ghali is not alone

The San Remo Italian Song Festival, which is considered the largest event in the field of the entertainment industry in Italy, was criticized by the Israeli ambassador after the rapper demanded an end to the genocide in Gaza during his appearance on stage, especially after Ghali followed in his call with a number of singers, and they made statements. Against the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

Singer Eros Ramazzotti said, "No more blood, no more wars," while rapper Dargin D'Amico said, "There are children under bombs, without water and without food. Our silence is a shared responsibility."

For his part, the Israeli ambassador to Rome, Alon Bar, told Rai TV that the festival, which attracts millions of television viewers and is used to select the Italian candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest, was exploited "to spread hatred and provocation in a superficial and irresponsible manner."

Barr accused Palestinian resistance members of slaughtering children and raping women in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on October 7, 2023, on social media, and wrote, “In the October 7 massacre, among the 1,200 victims, more than 360 young men were slaughtered and raped during the Nova Festival.” Musician.” He added, “40 others were kidnapped and are still in the hands of terrorists. The San Remo Festival could have expressed solidarity with them. It is a shame that this did not happen."

The head of the Union of Jewish Communities in Italy, Noemi De Segni, joined the ambassador, telling the Italian news agency ANSA that she was disappointed that the platform was not used to demand the release of the hostages. “They also have the right to listen to music and return to their homes.”

The San Remo Festival is constantly subjected to criticism by far-right parties in Italy, as the British newspaper The Guardian said that Lucio Malan, a member of the Senate for the Brotherhood of Italy party - led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - said, “The music festival is not the place "It is appropriate to talk about an international crisis, especially if it is done in one direction."

Expensive popularity

Ghali Amdouni, born in 1993, is an Italian-Tunisian rapper and producer who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, and originally began his career using the pseudonym “Phobia”.

The artist of Tunisian origins is considered one of the pioneers of Italian rap music, as he released two albums that reached the top ten positions in album sales in Italy, and released many successful singles, and since 2020, his works have sold more than one million and 600 thousand copies in the country, in cooperation with Many international Italian artists.

In October 2016, Ghali released his very successful single, “Ninna Nanna,” exclusively on the Spotify platform, becoming the first song to rise to first place during its live broadcast, and selling more than 200,000 copies. Her video also achieved 100 million views on YouTube.

Ghali is respected in the Italian media, as writer Roberto Saviano considered him a “blessing” in an article in the newspaper “La Repubblica,” while writer Fani Santoni praised his poetic skills in the newspaper “Il Corriere della Sera.” In 2017, the collection of songs he released under the name “Album” won the “Lunitzia Rap” award for literary musical value.

The San Remo Festival is the official festival of Italian song, and through its annual competition a representative of Italian song is chosen in a European-wide singing competition. Italian singer Angelina Mango won the song "La Noia" at the 74th San Remo Festival, which gives her the right to represent Italy at Eurovision.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies