Josephine Baker first black woman to receive Paris burial honour

Josephine Baker appears on stage with a young elephant during a 1968 gala premiere at the Olympia Theatre in Paris (AP)

The remains of American-born singer and dancer Josephine Baker will be reinterred at the Pantheon monument in Paris, making the entertainer the first black woman to receive the country’s highest honour.

French President Emmanuel Macron is organising a ceremony on November 30 at the Paris monument, which houses the remains of scientist Marie Curie, French philosopher Voltaire, writer Victor Hugo and other French luminaries.