A Quebec provincial cabinet minister has apologized after mistakenly saying at an awards ceremony Saturday that a renowned Black artist was dead.
Benoit Charette, the minister responsible for the fight against racism, was speaking at the Dynastie Gala, which celebrates Black artists and performers, when the mistake was made.
Charette was paying tribute to Black artists who had died in the past year when he incorrectly included Lamine Touré’s name.
Touré, who owns famed Montreal venue the Balattou and founded the Nuits d’Afrique festival, was very much alive and in attendance — and was set to be honoured for his work.
Touré and those around him began to stand
