During a solemn ceremony with President Macron, a coffin was carried into the Panthéon this afternoon. The box contained soil from the places where Baker lived. Her remains remain in Monaco, where she died and is buried. The coffin will be placed in a tomb as a monument.
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Baker was born in Saint Louis, USA. As a penniless child she worked as a maid and as a teenager she was homeless for a long time. In 1925 she started performing in Paris. Her ‘banana skirt’ was controversial. The singer, dancer and actress has become one of the highest paid artists in France.
Secret agent
Baker acquired French nationality in 1937. During World War II she was a secret agent, resistance fighter and non-commissioned officer of the French Air Force. She has received several high French awards. Baker campaigned for the rights of black Americans in her native country, including alongside activist and pastor Martin Luther King (1929-1968).
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The famous Empire State Building in New York already paid tribute to Baker before the ceremony in the Panthéon. The tower was lit in the colors of the French flag.
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