A Politically and Humanitarian Involved Singer
Since 1968, Balavoine was very interested in French political life. During the strikes in May of that year, he first thought about going into politics. But the end of the movement and General de Gaulle's come-back disappointed him, and he turned his mind to music.
Nonetheless, his political interest did not leave him. In 1980, he confronted François Mitterrand, who was at this time the National Secretary of the French Socialist Party and a French presidential candidate, during a France 2 Evening News broadcasting program, leaving the entire room speechless. During a 7-minute spontaneous speech, an angry Balavoine expressed how he felt about the political situation of the youth in France, namely that the youth was completely ignored by the political world, only interested in their own stuff. After this famous intervention, Balavoine became, in the eyes of France, the perfect spokesperson for a French youth that wanted political answers to their problems.
He supported his friend Coluche in his presidential bid. When Coluche finally abandoned, François Mitterrand, who was still impressed by the young artist's aura, asks him to join his campaign team. Balavoine performed during the first meetings, but finally left, feeling he was being used for political purposes.
More and more, he turned his mind toward humanitarian work, especially in Africa. A few months before his tragical death, he had joined an NGO called Action Ecole, a French charity supported by Sir Bob Geldof, which creates student communities to raise funds for Africa. He was in charge of managing the building of water wells in the Sahel. It is while supervising this project that he died tragically in the crash of Sabine's Ecureuil in Mali.
Balavoine was also appointed first Godfather of Les Restos du Cœur, founded by Coluche, and was one of the biggest representatives of SOS Racisme, whose president Harlem Désir gave him an award for Best song against Racism for his song l'Aziza.
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