Rachida Dati is the new French culture minister, but the appointment has sparked controversy and criticism

Rachida Dati is the new French minister of culture, formerly the minister of justice from 2007 to 2009 under Nicolas Sarkozy. The newly appointed minister, who succeeds Rima Abdul Malak, was appointed by President Macron at the suggestion of young Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, sparking quite a bit of controversy in both the political and cultural worlds. The French press reports that the puzzlement and criticism stems first and foremost from her foreignness to the world of culture and the fact that Dati was investigated in 2021 for bribery for consulting services to a Renault-Nissan subsidiary, charges she has denied. A conservative and former member of France’s Les Républicains (LR) party, from which she was excluded soon after her appointment as culture minister, this appointment was also seen as a replacement in a reshuffle that shifted the French government to the right.

The official handover from Rima Abdul Malak (appointed in May 2022) to Rachida Dati at the helm of the Ministry of Culture took place on Friday, January 12, and in her inauguration speech she said, “I know how rich the capital (Paris) is in culture and I will ensure that it is maintained by taking an interest in its heritage and in particular in the realization of the challenge launched by the President of the Republic in 2019: the reopening of Notre-Dame this year. But I want culture to be even more present in all cities and regions, in all territories. We need to build a new popular culture for everyone, from neighborhoods to rural areas. This can only be done in close connection with local authorities in metropolitan France and overseas who can count on me to support their initiatives.”

“It is important,” he continued, “that culture is accessible to everyone, especially young people. This is the purpose of the Culture Pass. It must be a tool for popular education. I believe in the importance of culture in educating the younger generation. This will be one of the priorities that I will share with my colleague Minister of Education. I also believe that the essential foundation of Europe is the culture that we share and that we must bring to life together.” “Culture is a daily battle in a world where there are so many challenges. My great weapon is combativeness and I will put it at the service of culture, its representatives, its professionals, its artists and the French people who need more culture and more access to it,” she concluded. “As you can see, I am determined to act and to listen to all those involved in our country’s culture.”

Rachida Dati is the new French culture minister, but the appointment has sparked controversy and criticism

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