Thursday, June 30, 2011

An Overview of Paris Reflections: Walks through African-American Paris

I have recently been approached by several people with requests to purchase or to autograph copies of Paris Reflections: Walks through African-American Paris. I co-authored this book with Christiann Anderson to call attention to the rich history of African Americans in the French capital. The book features six abbreviated versions of walks that I have created for Discover Paris’ Entrée to Black Paris. Christiann provided the illustrations. The following is an overview of what you will find in Paris Reflections.

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The Sorbonne/Mouffetard walk provides a tour of the 5th arrondissment. You will see the illustrious University of Paris Sorbonne, learn a little about the ancient history of this area (it was settled by the Romans centuries ago), and visit one of Paris’ most celebrated shopping streets, rue Mouffetard. Against this backdrop, you will learn about several African Americans who have studied at the Sorbonne as well as see sites frequented by many of our writers and artists, including William Gardner Smith and Loïs Mailou Jones. You will also learn about the Nardal Sisters, black women from Martinique who were instrumental in the launching of the Négritude movement (a cause devoted to affirming black culture through literature) in France.

The walk through Saint-Germain-des-Près (6th arrondissement) is circular, meaning that you begin and end in the same place. The world famous trio of cafés, the Deux Magots, the Flore and the Brasserie Lipp mark the starting point, and the importance of café life for African Americans is emphasized. You will work your way past the magnificent place Saint-Sulpice to the edge of the beautiful Luxembourg Garden to see where a major hangout for African Americans writers of the post-World War II era still exists. A visit to the garden follows, then a walk past the theater where the great playwrights Alexandre Dumas and Victor Séjour saw their works performed. A stroll in a quarter where jazz was once king leads you back to the Café Flore and the end of the tour.

The Saint-Michel/Musée d’Orsay walk takes you through the upper part of the 6th and 7th arrondissements. Here, the word “upper” means the part of the district that is closest to the Seine. Art galleries are prominent in this area of the 6th, and you will see many where African Americans have exhibited their work. Additionally, you will be able to visit the shops of several dealers of African art and artifacts. Walking by the French Institute, you will learn of an African American who excelled as a Shakespearean actor in the nineteenth century. Moving on to the 7th arrondissement, you will find out more about many of our famous writers and painters while surveying the plethora of antique stores for which this quarter is known. You will end the walk at the Legion of Honor museum where you will learn of several African Americans who have received this prestigious award, and the Musée d’Orsay, which contains several works depicting people of color.

Plate 2. James Baldwin
© Christiann Anderson

The Montparnasse walk (lower 6th and 14th arrondissements) emphasizes the lives and work of artists. While parts of this walk take you to areas frequented by tourists, you will also go into neighborhoods that are “off-the-beaten-path”. Montparnasse has been steeped in artistic tradition since the early 1900s, and African-American artists such as Augusta Savage and Laura Wheeler Waring of the “Negro Colony” of the 1920s and 1930s and abstract artists Ed Clark and Beauford Delaney of the post-World War II era settled here in keeping with that tradition. You will see where they lived and worked, and visit the cafés that were as important to life in this district as the Deux Magots and the Flore were to life in Saint-Germain-des-Près. You will also see the famous Bobino Theater, where Josephine Baker made a triumphant comeback to the Paris stage and performed her last show ever, and the square that was dedicated in her honor.

Plate 4. The Funeral of Josephine Baker in Paris
© Christiann Anderson

Our Notre-Dame-de-Lorette/Opéra walk in the 9th arrondissement is another “off-the-beaten-path” walk that takes you to the area where African Americans first established a community in Paris after World War I. The night club scene is what made “Pig Alley” (a tortured pronunciation of Pigalle, the name of a street and a square found in the area) renowned in its day. Here you will learn about the players – Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker and Bricktop were among them – who turned this district into “the Harlem of Paris”. Leaving the Pigalle area and moving back toward an area more frequented by tourists, you will see the theater where Sidney Bechet inspired such a frenzy in his French audience that they rioted, and the opera house where W. E. B. DuBois and Countee Cullen enjoyed performances.

The final walk presented in Paris Reflections covers the most well known and popular area of Paris, that of the Louvre (1st arrondissement) and the Champs-Elysées (8th arrondissement). Here you will see Paris in all of its grand style: the Tuileries Garden, place de la Concorde, the twin facades of La Madeleine church and the Assemblée Nationale, and the grandest of avenues – the Champs-Elysées – capped by the splendid Arc de Triomphe. A wide variety of African American activity took place here, from a civil rights march in support of Dr. King’s March on Washington to a state funeral for Josephine Baker. Some of our artists’ best work has been exhibited and honored with awards at the Grand Palais just off the Champs-Elysées. More recently, an African American left his indelible mark on the Louvre when he remodeled part of its recently renovated Richelieu wing. You will learn of all these things and more on the Louvre/Arc de Triomphe walk.

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Thursday, June 23, 2011

Bakary Sangaré Brings Color to the Comédie Française

The 323-year old Comédie Française – the most prestigious of French theaters – opened membership of its permanent troupe to a black man almost nine years ago when it elected Bakary Sangaré, a Malian of considerable reputation on stage and screen, to be a member of its permanent troupe. On September 1, 2002, Sangaré was the 673rd person to be elected to the troupe.
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Bakary Sangaré
© Christophe Reynaud de Lage

Before joining the troupe, Sangaré studied theater at the National School of the Arts and Theater Techniques in Paris, where he fulfilled an apprenticeship under the supervision of Marcel Bozonnet during the late 1980s. It is Bozonnet who, as director of the theater troupe, submitted Sangaré’s name for election to the Comédie Française cast.

Sangaré has played Shakespearean roles such as Ariel (1989) and Hamlet (1996) on the French stage under the direction of Britain’s Peter Brooks. He performed in a theatrical rendition of Aimé Césaire’s Cahier d'un Retour au Pays Natal (Notebook of a Return to the Native Land) at the TILF in 1993, and staged his own production of James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time in 2000 – 2002. And he starred in a critically acclaimed African film entitled Samba Traore in 1992.

Sangaré’s debut at the Comédie Française was coupled with another historic event – for the first time in its history, the troupe produced a play written by an African playwright. Papa Doit Manger (Papa Must Eat), by Franco-Senegalese Marie NDiaye, made its debut in the Salle Richelieu of the revered theater on February 22, 2003. The story centers around the return of a wayward African man to his French wife and two metisse daughters after a 10-year absence, and the havoc that it wreaks on the household. Sangaré played the glib, apparently contrite Papa, and delivered a masterful performance in his first role as a member of the Comédie Française. Papa Doit Manger is also the first play performed at the Comédie Française to be written by a woman.

While Sangaré is the first African to be admitted to the Comédie Française, he is not the first black person. In 1967, Jacques Maline (aka Georges Aminel, whose father was from Martinique) was elected to the troupe. He was with the theater for only five years – he resigned in 1972 after the Comédie Française was strongly criticized for having him portray Sophocles’ Oedipus. The theater’s director replaced him in the role with the promise that he would be asked to play Othello at a later time.

At the time of his acceptance to the troupe, the theater expressed its commitment to have Sangaré play roles that are not based on racial personifications. This is significant because the Comédie Française produces almost exclusively classical French works, very few of which portray black characters. It has lived up to this commitment – to date Sangaré has played the Lion in Fables de La Fontaine, Organ in Molière’s Tartuffe, Antione Vitez in Conversations avec Antoine Vitez, and Sebastian in Shakespeare’s La Nuit des Rois (The Twelvth Night). In another bold move by the Comédie Française to modernize and become more interdisciplinary, the theater cast Sangaré to play Titus in the Jean Racine play Berenice – which it commissioned from a Congolese choreographer.

Sangaré was fervent admirer of Martinican poet, playright, and statesman Aimé Césaire. He and two other members of the Comédie Française paid homage to Césaire at the ceremony organized by the Assemblée Nationale after Césaire’s death in 2008.

Bakary Sangaré, Mariann Mathéus, Muriel Mayette, and Pierre Vial pay tribute to Aimé Césaire
© Assemblée Nationale

Sangaré has stated his belief that other blacks will follow him and take their place on this stage. “If theater is a mirror of society, then necessarily, one day all the faces of our mosaic society can be reflected there,” he said.

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

La Charrette Créole - Cuisine from the Indian Ocean

Recently, Tom and I had the occasion to dine at La Charrette Créole, a friendly little Indian Ocean oasis in the heart of Montparnasse. It is located next door to the former address of Chez Honey, an art gallery/night club operated by Herb Gentry and his first wife, Honey Johnson, during the heyday of the post World War II African-American expat era. The restaurant won the coveted Marmite d'Or award in 2009, so we were anxious to sample the dishes that they prepare.

Façade of La Charrette Créole
© Discover Paris!

We were greeted warmly by the proprietor, Sylvain, who is from Mauritius. He heard us speaking English as we perused the menu outside, and he instantly began speaking to us in English as he welcomed us inside. His wife, Sidonie (from Madagascar) was equally friendly.

We were seated at a corner table next to the short side of the bar, as much of the small dining room was occupied by tables for four to eight persons. Several large parties arrived during the evening, and we were grateful to have our privacy.

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We were in the mood for culinary exploration that evening, so we began by ordering rhum arrangés (flavored rums). Mine was ginger-flavored, and Tom's was flavored with a citrus fruit called combava, which is native to the region. I envied Tom his drink, because I found it to be much more to my liking than my ginger concoction!

The condiments for our meal were placed on the table at the same time that our drinks were served. They consisted of rougail tomates (a sort of tomato salsa), rougail cacahuetes (a grainy, peanut paste), and piment (pulverized hot, green peppers in a thick sauce).

Condiments
© Discover Paris!

For the first course, I ordered bouchons saucisses and Tom ordered beignets de chouchou (christophène). We failed to remember that portions in Creole restaurants tend to be copious, and were surprised to find six morsels of our selected entrée plus a generous salad of achards de légumes (a slaw) on our plates. Tom consumed his entire dish, while I prudently left room for the courses that would follow.

Beignets de chouchou
© Discover Paris!


Bouchons saucisses
© Discover Paris!

For the main course, both Tom and I selected cabri massalé, which was stewed goat marinated in numerous spices. It was served with red beans and basmati rice. We both found the goat to be scrumptious! I was happy that I did not finish my starter so that I could fully enjoy this dish. Again, I prudently forewent eating a full serving of rice and beans during this course so that I could save room for dessert.

Cabri massalé
© Discover Paris!

Tom ordered a Madagascan beer - Three Horses - to accompany his meal. It was a pilsner, and he thought it was of average quality.

Desserts are always on the simple side in Creole restaurants. We both opted for ice cream and/or sorbet for this course. The restaurant offers three scoops of one or more flavors on their list. I decided to take advantage of my ability to choose multiple flavors, and selected corrosol, lime, and ginger. Tom chose to order three scoops of corrosol (soursop). The scoops were moderately sized, and each was topped with a dollop of whipped cream. We both found our selections to be light and not overly sweet. They were the perfect culmination to our meal.

When we asked for the check, we were served a complimentary rhum arrangé that is called simply "rhum arrangé." Flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla, we found it to be quite good. Next time we visit La Charrette Créole, we may well order this particular drink as our apéritif.
Rhum arrangé
© Discover Paris!

Service was friendly though somewhat uneven, with multiple servers coming to our table throughout the evening. The most exuberant of our servers was Lucie from Madagascar, pictured below.
Lucie, our server
© Discover Paris!

Dinner for two was a modest 57 euros. Based on the quality of the food and the prices on the menu, we intend to return to La Charrette Créole!

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Drum Planet – One Beat, One World

African percussion provides a basis for universal communication for all human beings.
– Drum Planet

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On Tuesday morning last week, Tom and I had the distinct pleasure and privilege of visiting the Dapper Museum for a morning that included an animated, interactive percussion lesson and a private visit to the Angola: Figures de Pouvoir exposition.

Upon our arrival, we were offered a light breakfast buffet in the contemporary art exposition room, where works by Angolan artist António Ole are on display.

Breakfast Buffet
© Discover Paris!


Our server
© Discover Paris!

The beverages included a lovely jus de bissap (hibiscus juice), which I took for grape juice at first glance. This is a common drink in many parts of Africa.

Jus de bissap
© Discover Paris!

After chatting with representatives of the museum and fellow participants, we were ushered up the stairs to the museum’s auditorium, where the djembé rhythms were already calling us for assembly. When we entered the auditorium, we saw that each seat contained a djembé and a colorful plastic tube called a boomwhacker. Four drummers were on stage, beating their instruments furiously to get us into the spirit of what was in store for us.

The djembés were of various sizes and therefore emitted tones of different quality. The same was true of the boomwhackers, which were of different lengths that produced the same effect. The instructor, Alphonse Sehi bi Sany, asked participants to fill the seats at the front of the auditorium first so that he could interact with us more easily and so that the sounds that we produced would have more impact. He immediately asked us to pick up our drums and strike the heads to produce tonic and bass tones so that we could get into the spirit of the morning.

Alphonse Sehi bi Sany directing the audience with a boomwhacker
© Discover Paris!

About twenty minutes into our lesson, Alphonse asked us to lay down our instruments and do some stretches for our wrists and shoulders.

Audience loosening wrists
© Discover Paris!

He then asked us to turn to our left and reach out to the person next to us and provide a shoulder massage for that person. By this time, the audience was sufficiently engaged that it did not seem at all strange to perform massage on a stranger! Alphonse then asked us to turn to our right so that we could massage the person who had just finished massaging us.

Alphonse introduced (or recalled, in my case) the concept of “call and response” to the audience, and we practiced this throughout the lesson. Near the end, the drummers on stage provided the drum beats while the audience provided the boomwhacker beats for a stirring, interactive finale.

Audience with boomwhackers
© Discover Paris!

During this last musical interlude, the drummers truly gave us a show, with Alphonse providing a stunning performance.



After the drum lesson, a young man whom we met during the breakfast buffet took the stage and explained the mission of Drum Planet. The group conducts these musical sessions as team building events for major corporations! Its interactive drumming sessions help lift employee spirits, release their stress, build relationships, and improve communication among staff and between management and staff. All of this leads to increased efficiency and productivity in the workplace.

Ermann Zannou presents Drum Planet
© Discover Paris!

Upon hearing this explanation, I realized that the massages that we gave each other had a purpose other than loosening muscles and joints and relieving cramps!

After this eye-opening presentation, Rémy Pecot, the events coordinator at the Dapper, gave a brief presentation about the services that the museum has to offer with regard to conferences, film screenings, and other events. The Café Dapper, an open space located in the basement of the museum, plays an integral role in this function.

Though not the focus of the morning event, participants had free access to the museum’s extraordinary exposition entitled Angola: Figures de Pouvoir after the drumming session. This is the first exposition to feature Angolan art. Tom and I found the masks used during an initiation rite called la mukanda to be the most striking works presented. But there were also exquisite “thrones” and headrests, crucifixes portraying Jesus with Negroid features, enormous knives with intricate sheaths, and more. There are also numerous works from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo on display. Photography is not allowed inside the exposition rooms. This is a must-see exposition that will remain open to the public until July 10, 2011.

Flier for Angola: Figures de Pouvoir


Drum Planet
93, allée Saint Héier
35000 Rennes
Telephone: 02.99.65.00.17; 06.42.53.22.41
E-mail: info@drum-planet.com
Internet: www.drum-planet.com

Musée Dapper
35 bis, rue Paul Valéry
75116 Paris
Telephone: 01.45.0.91.75
E-mail: dapper@dapper.com.fr
Internet: www.dapper.com.fr For events: www.dapperevenement.com
Metro: Victor Hugo (Line 2), Charles de Gaulle-Etoile (Lines 1, 2, 6), Kléber (Line 6)
RER: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile (Line A)
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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Black Paris Profiles™: Kimberley Petyt

Kim Petyt is “living the life” in Paris! Originally from Chicago, she’s married to a Frenchman, has two children, and operates a successful wedding- and event-planning business called parisian events. She has become so well known because of her business that she was recently featured in the The New York Times Style Magazine. As you might imagine, her story is a unique one.

Kimberley Petyt
© One and Only Paris Photography

When Kim was small, she was inspired to move to Paris after seeing the film Le Ballon Rouge. She didn’t have the opportunity to visit the city until she was in her early 20s, but once she did, she found it to be everything that she had dreamt it would be. Due to her circumstances at that time, she thought that it would just have to be her favorite vacation spot. But years later, she met her husband-to-be while on vacation in Paris and eventually got married here, and then moved here when his job called for a transfer. They settled in the City of Light in 2001.

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