After the debate and controversy surrounding Ghali's participation in the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, which will be held tomorrow at the San Siro Stadium, the rapper released a writing: “I know that my thoughts cannot be expressed, I also know that my silence makes noise.”
In January Andrea Abodi, Minister for Sport and Youth in the Meloni government, said that “the opening ceremony is based on respect” and that “Ghali's thoughts will not be expressed on stage”. The reference is to the rapper's stance on Gaza, particularly at Sanremo 2024, when he spoke of genocide. And again: «I believe that a country must be able to withstand the impact of an artist who has expressed a thought that we do not share and that will not be expressed on that stage».
For the League it is «truly incredible to find at the opening ceremony a hater of Israel and the center-right, already the protagonist of embarrassing and vulgar scenes. Italy and the Games deserve an artist, not a pro-Pal fanatic.” Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, said that «I hope that Ghali has received indications and guidelines on the role he must play. I therefore hope that he will understand what to do in that context and at that moment.”
There was talk of preventive censorship. For Irene Manzi, PD group leader in the Chamber's Culture Committee, the attacks against the rapper «are completely unacceptable», Abodi «would like preventive censorship» the League «attacks him with unspeakable insults. Art is free and cannot be exploited for political or ideological reasons.” For the M5S members of the commission, «when a minister allows himself the luxury of saying that an artist “will not express his thoughts on stage”, he is not talking about respect or ethics: he is demanding preventive censorship».
Ghali had not yet expressed himself. He has now done so in a short text addressed “to everyone” which we report here in full and which is accompanied by the appointment “see you tomorrow”.
I know.
I know when an entry is accepted.
I know when it's corrected.
I know when it becomes too much.
I know why they want someone like ne.
I also know why they wouldn't want me.
I know why they invited me.
I also know why I was no longer able to sing the Italian anthem.
I know why they asked me to recite a poem about peace.
I know it could have contained more than one language.
I know that one language, Arabic, was too many at the end.
I know that my thoughts cannot be expressed.
I also know that my silence makes noise.
I know it's all great theatre.
