Emmanuel Macron stops Africa-France summit session to scold noisy crowd: ‘This is a total lack of respect’
Emmanuel Macron said it was “impossible to speak about culture” amid the noise in the room and that those wanting to hold side conversations should either move to “bilateral rooms” or “go outside.”
A viral video from the event shows Macron rising from his seat as an African speaker addressed the audience. Walking toward the stage and cutting through the ongoing speech. French President Emmanuel Macron briefly halted proceedings at the 2026 Africa Forward Summit after becoming visibly frustrated with the noise inside the venue during a session at Nairobi University in Kenya on Monday.
A viral video from the event shows Macron rising from his seat as an African speaker addressed the audience. Walking toward the stage and cutting through the ongoing speech, he drew a lighthearted remark from one of the panellists, who joked, “Already? You’re not waiting for your turn.”
Moments later, Macron took the microphone and addressed the crowd directly. “Excuse me, everybody,” he said, before repeatedly calling out “Hey” in an attempt to quiet the room.
“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,” he said in English. “This is a total lack of respect, so I suggest if you want to have bilaterals or speak about something else, you have bilateral rooms or you go outside.”
“If you want to stay here, we listen to the people and we’re playing the same game. Okay? Thank you,” he said.
The audience applauded following his remarks.
Watch the video:
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The clip quickly spread across social media, where users shared mixed but largely supportive reactions.
One person wrote, “This is what real leadership looks like. Showing empathy and compassion.” Another commented, “Bravo France. We have much to learn again.”
Others praised Macron’s intervention, with one user saying, “and this ladies and gentlemen is called leadership,” while another joked that the French president “would make an awesome Vice Principal.”
Macron is currently in Kenya for the Africa Forward Summit, an event jointly hosted by France and Kenya, being attended by more than 30 African heads of state, business leaders, and young entrepreneurs. The summit is focused on boosting political and economic cooperation and highlighting Africa’s growing role in innovation and global partnerships.
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