French President Emmanuel Macron was forced to intervene during a youth session at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi after noise from the audience disrupted speakers on stage.
The incident happened while young speakers and artists were addressing participants during the summit attended by African leaders, entrepreneurs and international guests in Kenya’s capital.
As noise continued spreading across the venue, Macron stepped in and publicly criticized the behavior of some attendees, saying it was disrespectful to the people speaking on stage.
“Excuse me, everybody, hey, hey, hey, I’m sorry, guys, but it’s impossible to speak about culture, to have people like that, super inspired coming here, making a speech with such a noise,” Macron said.
“This is a total lack of respect,” he added before asking participants either to remain quiet or leave the hall.
The French president told attendees that anyone wishing to hold side conversations should move outside or use separate meeting rooms instead of disrupting the session.
“If you want to stay here, we listen to the people and we play in the same game,” Macron said before thanking the crowd after the room became quieter.
Videos of the moment quickly spread across social media, where reactions were mixed.
Some users praised Macron for defending young speakers and demanding respect during the event, while others argued the interruption reflected organizational problems at the summit itself.
The Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi is focused on strengthening ties between France and African countries through discussions on investment, innovation, entrepreneurship and cultural cooperation.
Macron is in Africa this week as part of a regional tour that also includes visits to Kenya, Egypt and Ethiopia.
The summit comes at a time when France is attempting to rebuild its image and influence across Africa after years of strained relations in several parts of the continent.
