Emmanuel Macron wants French electronic music to have UNESCO heritage status
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for his country’s electronic music to be granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
The president was speaking in a recent interview on a French radio station when he compared the pioneering genre to the status received by techno music from Berlin, noting: “We’re going to do that too.”
Macron added: “I love Germany — you know how pro-European I am. But we don’t have to take lessons from anyone. We are the inventors of electro. We have that French touch.”
Berlin techno is a relatively recent addition to the UNESCO list, having joined the ranks in June 2024 alongside genres such as Colombian marimba, Jamaican reggae, the Cuban rumba and others.
If Macron is successful in his calls, French electronic music will be recognised as “significant manifestations of humanity’s intangible heritage,” as the status is awarded in order to protect countries’ musical and artistic output as part of appreciation of its culture.
Some of the most pioneering minds of electronic music have hailed from France, including Daft Punk, David Guetta, and Cassius, who have each racked up hits all over the world and created a seismic presence for the genre on the scene.
Macron’s statements about safeguarding French culture come as he recently also unveiled plans to majorly invest in the redevelopment of the world-famous Louvre gallery in Paris, which houses Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa.
However, these proposals have been met with some criticism for the time they will take to enact, with work not set to finish until 2031. As such, with pressing issues such as crumbling infrastructure and chronic overcrowding, staff at the Louvre recently staged a strike, leading to a rare closure of the tourist attraction.
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