Nigerian actress Juliana Olayode has voiced her strong disapproval of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, criticizing its depiction of religious themes. The ceremony’s controversial elements included a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s famed painting, The Last Supper, featuring drag queens, a transgender model, and a performer dressed as the Greek god Dionysus.
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Olayode took to Instagram to share her outrage, condemning the performance as “completely unacceptable,” “bizarre,” and “disrespectful.”
She expressed her dismay in a detailed post, stating, “This is completely unacceptable! This is bizarre, this is disrespectful and wrong in every way! Last time I checked, the Olympics are a sports event and should be about sporting events, not about religion or gender identity. NOT DISRESPECTING PEOPLE’S FAITH!”
The actress voiced frustration over what she views as a growing trend of disrespect towards Christianity, asserting, “I am actually very upset, I wasn’t even going to do this post, because I know that MY GOD CAN DEFEND HIMSELF! But as Christians, we have kept quiet for too long and that’s why we are where we are. People of other faiths would speak up, without hesitation at the sight of anything they found disrespectful to their religion. No matter how small.”
Olayode emphasized her belief that Christianity is frequently targeted across various media, including music, movies, and news, now extending to sports. “The world always fights the TRUTH. The world is constantly attacking/disrespecting Christianity, in music, movies, on the news, on some TV shows and now in sports. It is very disgusting and disrespectful! Whoever approved this for the Olympics opening ceremony should be checked,” she added.
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Her remarks follow global backlash from Catholics, Christians, and other conservatives.
In response, Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps addressed the controversy during a press conference, expressing regret over any perceived disrespect. “Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. The opening ceremony aimed to celebrate community tolerance. We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence, we are really sorry,” Descamps stated.
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