Photo: Fally Ipupa and Olivia Longott Saturday January 2nd 2010, Congolese singer Fally Ipupa will take possession of The Zenith in Paris from midnight to dawn. He will present his new album ‘Arsenal de Belles Mélodies’ to the French public. And this, after a triumphant tour on the African continent. With his song Droit Chemin (2006) he won a Trophée Arts Afro-Caribbean, and a gold record. He sold out stadiums in Africa, and performed with the popular group Kassav.
During the show in Paris he will receive a gold record for his achievements. He will be accompanied by the American R&B singer Olivia Longott, Longott was signed to the G Unit label of rapper 50 Cent. On January 2nd The Zenith will tremble on the sounds of this popular innovative artist, who wants to produce "world music another way".
For the first time in Paris, the Caribbean islands, combined with 42 African countries, will introduce a new journey called the 'Le Marché international de Noël tropical de Paris' (International Tropical Christmas Market of Paris).
It’s an Ultramarines mix of: crafts, clothing, jewelry, spices and other delicious cuisines.
Place: Paris La Villette, from 18 to 20 December 2009
Photo: Château des ducs de Bretagne in Nantes During the 18th century, prior to abolition of slavery, Nantes was the slave trade capital of France. This kind of trade caused Nantes to become the first port in France and a wealthy city.
Till 3th Januari 2010 there is an exhibit 'Traite négrière et esclavage: la traversée' (Slave Trade and Slavery: crossing) in the Château des ducs de Bretagne in Nantes.
Blogger Mademoiselle Nadia visited the exhibit. On her blog Bounjour France she wrote: "Seeing actual shackles and chains that slaves wore in person has the capability to hit you pretty hard. In cases for our viewing, there were shackles and chains that these that marked the end of the freedom of the African slaves who were brought over to the new world via la traversée." The very shackles that they wore...It was powerful." read her full story here.
Photo and copyright: Régis Durand de Girard: Marie-Luce Penchard & Mounia Mounia, the first black supermodel from France, has been honored by the French government and elevated to the ranks of Knight of the Order of Merit (Chevalier de l’Ordre de Mérite). She was awarded the honor on November 23th at the Ministery of the Overseas Territories in Paris.
In the name of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Marie-Luce Penchard (current Minister of Overseas Territories) described the model as she who had pushed the greatest grand couturiers to “rupture with aesthetique codes in vigor” of the time in order to include black women in their vision of elegance, sophistication and fashion. The American magazine, Essence Magazine, in 2005, placed her among the most famous black personalities. Her award was welcomed by the minister as a "tribute to the tenacity and fortitude of black women".
From 4 to 13 December 2009 the Caribbean Vibrations Festival (Le festival Vibrations Caraïbes), Festival of Contemporary Arts of the Americas and the Caribbean island will have its next edition in Paris. A festival with dialogues between the islands and the continents, at the Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris
For 2009, the theme of Caribbean Vibrations Festival is “AfricAméricA”. Which will be a mix of artists from the three continents, Africa, America, Europe. With Gwo ka Gnawa Jazz, Dub Poetry, Pop Folk Caribbean Creole, literary readings, photography and video art, and screenings of ethnographic documentaries in partnership with ARTE.
Featured artists: Randy Weston, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Karim Ziad, Kali feat. Manu Dibango, Dede St Prix Dub Poets and Brother Resistance and Mutabaruka, Orlando Poleo, Herve Samb and Simone Schwarz-Bart.
This year’s special guest will be singer/song writer Valerie Louri, from Martinique.
Maison des Cultures du Monde/ Fondation Alliance française 101 Blvd Raspail Paris 6ème. www.vibrationscaraibes.com
Harry Roselmack will present the TV program “derrière les murs de la cité” (behind the walls of the city). The most popular French journalist, according to a recent small survey, will plunge himself in the troubled French suburbs for a full month.
The concept is English: a journalist will take part and submerge himself in the daily live of a community. For the BBC it’s Louis Theroux, who is best known for his Gonzo style journalism, which is a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become central figures of their stories.
Roselmack’s program will cover the daily live in the French suburbs. He will first visit the Paris suburb Villiers-le-Bel, the place where the riots started in November 2007. Through the testimonies of the residents, he will will attempt to decipher the functioning of a notoriously difficult city.
Rémi Pernelet, editor-in-Chief of TV 1, is thrilled: "This show will find its public because it provides a different look at life in the suburbs." It will be a success."
The program will be aired by the commercial station TV1, starting on 24 November. I hope Roselmack will make a program that will change the perspective about people of the 'banlieues'. I don't hope he will become the new black Louis Theroux. That would just make the program look like an urban safari tour.
The film La Haine (The hate) of 1995 had to be a the wake up call!
New Lives is the new French TV and social media reality show on RFO. Eight people who live in, or have roots in the overseas French territories embark on a journey to change their lives by following their dreams. The show is aired on TV, but people can also participate by posting advice on the social media site. Go to Nouvelles Vies (New Lives) here
Corinne, originally from Martinique, is a professional dancer. Her specialty is the limbo. She is the mother of 3 boys. At 40 she dreams of starting a dance school. New Lives proposed to accompany her with the steps she undertook, supported by her relatives. Corinne was one of the singers of the eighties disco group Bony M.
Dominique (Guadeloupe) made her living as financial advisor, and is is 30 years old. She has lived all her youth in the Paris, but has decided to leave everything behind to start a new live from scratch on Guadeloupe. Is she not going to miss the city? Gwénaelle, 18, arrived in Fort-de-France and entered the prestigious school 'école de Sciences-Po Paris'. A real change of life for this young girl who has left her family and friends, and is preparing for a difficult course. The show follows her career, and her first few weeks of adjustment in the capital Paris.
Samuel , 31, lives in Réunion. He practices organic farming and wants to share his beliefs with other farmers in the region. He is preparing to organise the first eco festival of Réunion. His wife will take the opportunity to give bio cooking classes. We'll see if this pair manages to pass on this new lifestyle.
Nathalie is an expectant mother of twins and her life is not easy. This Martiniquaise 33 years will become a single mother, but she must find a new home, repair her car and organize her life. Preparing for the childbirth, and to her new life as a mother, we follow the change of life.
Audrey, 31, originally from Martinique, dropped her job as legal officer and wants to start a new career in producing films. But the path to the cinema is full of pitfalls.
Fabrice (Réunion) is a foreman in a garage during week and skipper in the weekend: his dream is to participate in the sailing contest Round Créolia. He must train and find a teammate, but parallel to its preparation, he was to inherit a land where he plans to mount lodgings. Arrive there at any juggle? Will he participate in the race?
Tiya earns his living by making Theatre and film costumes, but wants to record an album and pursue a singing career. She has already filmed the first clip and tries to make a name for herself.
A news report on France's controversial victory over Ireland in Paris that knocked the Irish out of the Football World Cup. Thierry Henry clearly handles the ball twice before he passes the ball to Gallas who scores France's crucial second goal
Today French-Senegalese writer Marie NDiaye (42) won France's top literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, for her novel Trois femmes puissantes [Three Strong Women], a novel on family, betrayal and the hellish ordeal of illegal migration from Africa. She is the black woman to win the prize.
Marie NDiaye was born in France, she is the daughter of a French mother and a Senegalese father. NDiaye was raised by her French mother in Pithiviers, a provincial town south of Paris. After her father returned to Senegal, she did not travel to Africa until she was in her 20s. She now lives in Berlin with her three children
Marie NDiaye is the sister of historian Pap NDiaye.
Marie NDiaye: “I grew up in a world that was 100 percent French. My African roots don’t mean much, except that people know of them because of the color of my skin and my name,” she said recently.
“I don’t represent anything or anyone,” she said. “I have met many French people raised in Africa who are more African than I am.” While she rages at the discrimination still faced by French blacks, NDiaye says she has been sheltered by her writer career.
“I have always had a quite special, marginal life, the life of a writer lucky enough not to have to ask anyone for anything,” she said.(AP)
It’s great achievement for a black woman in France, and it’s also a sign that France is changing. But there’s one thing about Marie N Diaye that leaves me puzzled. She says her African roots don’t mean much to her, but she does write about Dakar and the black migration experience. Apparently roots does matter.
Trois femmes puissantes [Three Strong Women] is the book beneath the French media’s spotlight this rentrée. Three, tenuously linked narratives. At their heart, three women who say no.
Forty year-old Norah arrives at the home of her father in Africa. An egocentric tyrant, he has now become silent and bulimic, and spends his nights perched in a tree in the courtyard. Why did he ask her to come? The answer, Norah discovers, is worse than she could have ever imagined.
Fanta, who used to teach French in Dakar, had to follow her partner, Rudy, to France. Here, Rudy proves incapable of providing her with the rich and joyful life she deserves. He remains under the morbid influence of his mother, who dedicates her life to convincing her entourage of the existence of angels.
Destabilised, Rudy wanders through an angry reality, while Fanta, by his side, is a rock. Khady Demba is a young African widow. Penniless, she tries to find her distant cousin, Fanta, in France. The long journey of emigration she pursues will be punctuated with unspeakable suffering. (source: French book news)
Le Festival Gospel de Paris – Sunday October 31st in Paris (50. av. dur President Wilson 92310 La Plaine St-Denis) with Marvin Sapp and Total Praise.
After Kirk Franklin and Bebe Winans, ‘Le Festival Gospel de Paris’ invites the gospel and R & B star Marvin Sapp. The reputation of Marvin Sapp has gained momentum in 2008 with his hit "Never Would Have Made It” from the album Thirsty. The song peaked at 1st on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs and 14th in U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2008 Sapp received the BET AWARDS for Best Gospel Artist.
The Former member of legendary group Commissioned will perform for the first time in France at the Gospel Festival 2009. He will be joined by 180 singers and musicians of Total Praise. Total Praise has performed with Barbara Kendrics, Jessye Norman, Johnny Hallyday and many other famous artists.
The concert will be preceded by a plateau of young modern gospel talent such as Dré Bonny (ex Poetic Lover) and Leah Vincent (Lion King).
The musical Tismee, Sept 18th till Nov 11th 2009 in Theatre de la Reine Blanche in Paris
The musical Tismee is a musical about ordinary racism. It’s about words and telling jokes that are not often considered evil, but can hurt. It’s about bias, prejudice and the colour of one's skin. It’s about living in two cultures, at a time when more and more people carry two cultures and two lives in them: one where they are, the other where they come from. It’s about the difficult duality where the solitude of exile and feelings of rejection regularly overwhelms.
Sounds very dramatic, but with this line up no tears will be shed.
With Aurélie Konaté – Singer, dancer and comedian Félix Sabal Lecco – Singer, musician and comedian Khalil Maouene – Singer, musician and comedian
According to the US political blog Booker Rising French secretary Rama Yade (32) seemed to have said: "Some Folks Are Saying That I'm Leading France's Modern-Day Black Power Movement". Read the full story here
But the real news is that she will be in Washington this week, to attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual legislative conference.
Short history. French President Sarkozy appointed Yade as the secretary of human rights and called her the French Condoleezza Rice. Rama Yade became, after the riots, Sarkozy’s television-friendly integration symbol during his presidential campaign. After the elections she became the only black and the youngest member of the French cabinet But after a while Sarkozy asked her to run for the European Parliament, which she refused. After her refusal Sark became ‘disappointed’ in her and she was dropped. After a cabinet reshuffle she was appointed as the Secretary of State for Sports.
This week she will be in the US. The Washington post wrote: “The Yade act will be on tour this week in Washington, where aides said the young minister has been invited to attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual legislative conference. President Obama is likely to attend, they added, inviting a comparison with the U.S. leader whose charisma, like Yade's, seems to eclipse racial considerations.”
And maybe they are right, Rama Yade is still a symbol. I don’t doubt her commitment to the cause. In 2007 she wrote the book Noirs de France (Blacks in France) as a response about the way the French media reported the death of Afro-Caribbean people in a pension fire. Although people from the French Antilles are officially French citizens, in the newspapers they where portrayed as foreigners.
But most articles about Yade are about her appearance, not about her competence. And to be frank, it is easy to point a finger at the white establishment and yell: ‘there are no blacks in da house!’. Changes are she will become the French Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Or better, she will end up like Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Ali became popular as politician in The Netherlands, but ended up as writer in the US.
So I hope that Yada will indeed transcend the role of Sarkozy's television-friendly integration symbol, and perhaps really become the leader of France's Modern-Day Black Power Movement.
Photo and copyright: Régis Durand de Girard It's official now. The Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens 2009 (the French Caribbean Arts Awards) have been given to the winners. Most interesting detail, the theme of most winners is slavery or black history. Best clip, best essay and best documentary have a slavery theme, and best film fiction is a film about a true story of colonial French black history. So listen and see the best of Afro-France in 2009. Also read the read the report of fxgpariscaraibe (French) here
Music
ARTISTE DE L'ANNÉE (Artist of the year) Davy Sicard Origin: Réunion
MEILLEUR GROUPE(Best group) Magic System - Origin Ivory Coast
RÉVÉLATION DE L'ANNÉE (Revelation of the Year) Erik Origin: Guadeloupe
MEILLEUR ALBUM (Best Album) Inspiration information vol 3 - Mulatu Astatké Origin: Ethiopia / Grande-Bretagne
Literature
MEILLEUR ROMAN (Best novel): Les Caracteres sexuels secondaires - Tania de Montaigne The anti-depression novel crucial for moments when you're having the blues, according to ELLE magazine It's the 3rd novel by Tania de Montaigne. The book is about a woman who got married and then left. A woman who returns home to her mother and asks how to be a woman like everyone else.
MEILLEUR ESSAI (Best essay): La France a-te-elle Aboli l’esclavage? - Nelly Schmidt 1848 marked the end of slavery for “the country of the rights of Man;” however, upon reading Nelly Schmidt’s scrupulous historical exploration, the question remains: “La France a-t-elle aboli l’esclavage?” [Did France abolish slavery?] or did it discretely pursue colonial politics in such a way as to secure a reservoir of cheap manpower and the control of overseas economy? In 1848, when France abolished slavery for the second time in its history, new colonial policies were set into place opening access to citizenship in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana. Nevertheless, one century later, in the midst of social and economic disaster, the conditions of the “nouveaux libres” were not much different from the previous. Why?
Film
MEILLEURE FICTION (Best fiction): Aliker - Guy Deslauriers Aliker, a new film by Guy Deslauriers, narrates the story of André Aliker, the Martinican journalist assassinated in 1934. The film is based on a script by Martinican novelist Patrick Chamoiseau.
André Aliker, a communist militant who wrote for Justice, the newspaper of the Martinican Communist Party, became widely known throughout the island as a champion of journalism as a form of free expression and as the means for the pursuit of the truth in the colonial context of Martinique in the 1930s. This commitment to free journalistic practice would cost him his life. The film, critics have said, shows what can be accomplished by a Creole film industry without access to the usual big budgets available in the industry. Read full story here
MEILLEUR DOCUMENTAIRE(Best documentary) Le pays à l’envers - Sylvaine Dampierre Filmmaker Sylvaine Dampierre goes in search of her roots and personal history. Along the way, she intends to find the origin of her surname
France: Tonight the Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens will be held for the fourth time, but before the event François-Xavier Guillerm of FXG interviewed Guadeloupian Joseph Dunoyer, director general of Afro-Caribbean Arts Awards.
Dunoyer feels good about this year. “A year older, means one year more experience, and when you look at the progress since 23 October 2006, the picture is very positive despite the different waves that we have met during our crusade! “
Dunyor emphasis the location. “ The event will held at the Theater du Chatelet in Paris, a mythical place in the capital and in the French culture.” Personalities that could give greater visibility to the award ceremony will attend the event. Dunoyer: “ Minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand, Teddy Riner World champion in judo, Franz-Olivier Giesbert, Patricia Renel, a Caribbean artist who has exhibited in over 47 countries, Sebastien Follin, Willian Galas Sonia Rolland, Antonhy Kavanagh, Omar, Jean-Marc Thibaudier, host of Tele Guadeloupe, Fany J, the revelation of last year, Jacques Martial, Aissa Maiga and many others! For them it is an honour to participate in an event of this size in France.
But the award ceremony also has a deeper meaning. The famous French poet Aimé Césaire told Dunoyer that this event has everything to brotherhood.
Read the interview with Dunoyer on the blog fxgpariscaraibe (French). (Photo and copyright: Régis Durand de Girard)
After the post about the first black mayor in the Netherlands I got intrigued by the presence of black people in European politics. I did some research and found out that in all Western European countries, from Norway to Italy you could find at least one black face in parliament, and several people of non European descent representing their regions on different levels of government.
The more people of foreign origin in a country, the more they will be represented politically Therefore countries like France and the UK have the largest portion of black politicians, up to ministries and chief secretaries. Women and men. In all other countries, except for the Netherlands, their representation is very small, but it is there and that’s what matters.
I think of the Secretary of State for Sports in France, Rama Yade or the chief Secretary to the Treasury Paul Boateng in the UK. Both are part of a recent phenomenon but it is clear that many will follow in their footsteps. It is therefore no illusion that one day France could elect a black president (the current one is half Hungarian, and has some Greek-Jewish ancestry on his mother side…) and England will have a black prime minister. The colour of their skin doesn’t matter, in a true democratic system, the best candidate (whatever his origins) should eventually take office.
We shouldn’t forget either that the population of African ancestry in Western Europe is very small. In countries like France (without its Caribbean territories), the Netherlands and the UK they represent approx. 3% to 5% of the population (mixed race included). However, you’ll find high concentrations in the cities, predominantly in certain areas of London and Paris. But even then, rarely do black people represent more than 50% of a municipality’s population.
In this context I did some research to the election of Black mayors throughout Europe. Although I can’t guarantee that I researched the topic thoroughly enough, I think I can give you an idea here. What is surprising is that the presence of a lot of black people in a municipality doesn’t mean you have a greater chance to find a black mayor. On the contrary, all black mayors were elected in rather small towns, with very few black people. They were elected not because of the colour of their skin, but because the people thought that she/he was the right person for that job. It all started in 1904 in Thetford, Norfolk.
The first in the UK
Picture of John Archer
John Richard Archer is generally believed to be the first black mayor in the UK, elected (nominated) in Battersea in 1913, a municipality in the London area. However it was found that Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns (1858-1930), elected Mayor of the town of Thetford, Norfolk in 1904, was the first black man to become a mayor in Britain. He was a doctor, surgeon and politician. However, there is very little information about him. Much more is known about John Archer and therefore he is often mentioned as the first black mayor of Britain.
John Archer was born in Liverpool in 1863. His father was from Barbados and worked as a ship’s steward. His mother was Irish. Nothing is known about Archer’s education but as a young man he travelled the world probably spending some time in the West Indies and North America. During this time he met and married Bertha, a black Canadian.
Archer and his wife settled in Battersea in the 1890s and in 1913 he became Mayor of Battersea. Read more about him on this website and this website too
The first in France
Raphaël Elizé
In France we will have to wait until 1929 before the First black mayor is elected. Raphaël Elizé was elected as mayor of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, a rural town in the department Pays de la Loire (central western France) of around 12.000 inhabitants. Raphaël Elizé was born on the Caribbean island of Martinique in 1891. He graduated as veterinary from the university of Lyon, France and during World War I he served for the French army in Europe. After WWI he settles in Sablé and starts a political career with the Socialist Party. During World War II he was part of the Résistance. He was deported to Buchenwald and died there in 1945. Phillippe Bérenger, a French filmmaker, is working on a film about this man ‘Le Nègre de Sablé’.
Below I post a little youtube documentary about Elizé, (unfortunately only for those who understand French)
More info?
Except for John Archer, Allan Minns and Rafaël Elizé I have no knowledge of other people of African descent who became mayors in the then so-called Mother Countries in Europe. In England and the UK there might have been other cases but I do not know of any and couldn’t find any.
However several black political activist and politicians past and present have been active in the UK, at various levels of government. For a list check wikipedia’s Black British politician page .
France recently
It is not clear who is the next black mayor in France after Elizé. France is kind of mysterious about race and colour of skin. The official story is that it doesn’t exist and so official reports on the issue are nonexistent. It’s quite sure that it is Auguste Senghor (a nephew of Léopold Sedar Senghor) who was the next black mayor in Franc after Elizé, but sources contradict each other on the year of his taking office as a mayor. He was mayor of Le May-sur-Èvre (Maine-et-Loire, 3,891 inhabitants) several times. However the Wikipedia page of May-sur-Evre states Auguste Senghor was their mayor from 1977 till 1989 and from 1995 till 2008. This makes him the second black mayor in France and the longest ever running black mayor in France.
Last year he moved to another town on the Atlantic shores of Bretagne, (Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, 1900 inhabitants) and was recently elected mayor there. We are certain that Kofi Yamgnane who is originally from Togo, became mayor of Saint Coulitz in the department of Finistère, a tiny little village (approx. 400 inhabitants) in Bretagne, western France. He must be confused when he mentions on his webpage that he actually is the first black mayor of France. Not exactly but close. Fact is that in France race is taboo. It is illegal to classify people according to race, therefore the election of a black mayor will only be informally registered. But reading below what happened in 2008, you’ll discover that the government in Paris seems to be hypocritical about race.
The 2008 elections in France
In 2008 several black French mayors were elected, one of them Kader Atteye in the tiny village of Morey (180 inhabitants, central France, department Saône-et-Loire). He was born and raised in the region, his parents were immigrants from Djibouti. This election was not without problems because more than a third of the municipal council members (5 out of 11) have resigned in protest of the election of a black person with a Muslim background (though I doubt he is still a practicing Muslim, I didn’t find anything about it though. What is certain is that he has two kids and lives together with the mother of both kids in a tiny village of 180 people …). The mayor didn't have to run for reelection but stayed in office, however 5 new council members had to be elected. read more on this racist controversy here(in French) and on this link (in French) . A similar scenario occurred in another small town where the people elected a Frenchmen of Algerian origin.
Kader Atteye, mayor of a tiny village of 180 inhabitants
During the local elections in 2008 4 municipalities elected a mayor of African origin. One of them was Kader Atteye. All were small rural municipalities of less than 5000 people, and with no significant black population. Two mayors are of Afro Caribbean ancestry and 2 of African ancestry. More info via wikipedia
Spain
Hector Julio Castillo Figueroa
Spain just has a recent democratic history. As soon as 4 years after General Franco’s death the first black mayor is elected in Spain. On the 3rd of April 1979 Héctor Julio Castillo Figueroa is elected as mayor of Isla Cristina, a coastal town of 20.000 people on the Atlantic shores of southern Spain (close to the city of Cadiz). Figueroa was a native from the Dominican Republic. He is a doctor and currently still lives in Isla Cristina. If you read Spanish you can find more about him here
Until 2007 there is no info of any other black mayor in Spain. More recently Juan Antonio de la Morena Doca was elected mayor of the town of Villamantilla in 2007, a municipality in the greater Madrid area of just 800 people. His father is Spanish, his mother comes from Equatorial Guinea in Western Africa. You can read an interview with him on line in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo or there is also an article via this link. Juan Antonio de la Morena Doca
Italy
Sandy Cane
In Italy we have Sandy Cane, who is African American and Italian and was elected this year (2009) mayor of Viggiu (5000 inhabitants) a small town in the Italian Alps. The first mayor of African ancestry in Italy’s modern history (I say ‘modern’, as some research states that during the Roman empire, some 2000 years ago, people of African ancestry settled in Italy and were actively involved in local affairs and politics, read more here and here. I don't want to go into any discussion about this topic, as I am convinced that the concepts of race, as we understand it today, do not apply to that era). She was backed by the alleged xenophobic Lega Nord
Ireland
Rotimi Adebari
Ireland also elected its first black mayor. Rotimi Adebari, a native of Nigeria, was elected mayor of Portlaoise Town in 2007. Portlaoise(pronounced something like Portleash) is a town in central Ireland of approx. 14.000 inhabitants. However there is some controversy on the person of Rotimi Abedari as he would have lied about his troubles in Nigeria (and whereabouts previous to his life in Ireland) applying for the procedure to get legal residence in Ireland. More details about this issue are mentioned on the Wikipedia page here.
Netherlands
Joyce Sylvester
In the Netherlands Joyce Sylvester recently became mayor of Naarden, replacing the fromer mayor Anna Paulowna. As such she became the first black woman to become a mayor in the Netherlands. Naarden is a beautiful medieval town in Holland worth a touristic visit. It was recently elected as the most pleasant town to live in the Netherlands. Naarden is rather small, and also doesn’t have a predominantly black population, rather predominantly white. Sylvester is born in Amsterdam and from Surinamese origins.
But Joyce Sylvester was not the first black person to become a mayor of a Dutch municipality. This was Headly Binderhagel , a Surinam born creole man, who was mayor of Nuth from 2002 to 2008. Nuth is small town of 15.000 people in the southern province of Limburg in the Netherlands.
Headly Binderhagel
Sylvester and Binderhagel became, like all the other AfroEuropean mayors, the mayor of a town because of their person, their communication skills, theri political skills, their character, … not because of race, not because of affirmative action …
Russia?
And as a last little thing this picture that I found on this link about an African running for mayor of a Russian town. Is this real or hoax? I don’t know, but it is worth a thorough research.
Slovenia
Peter Bossman
Peter Bossman (born 2 November 1955) is a Ghanaian-born Slovenian doctor and politician. He is currently the elected mayor of Piran, a city and municipality on the Gulf of Piran in south-western Slovenia. A member of the centre-left Social Democrats, he defeated the incumbent mayor in the October 2010 mayoral election to become Slovenia's first black mayor.
Erik (Erik Chayé Kow), the 22 year old singer from Guadeloupe is one of the nominees of the Trophées des Arts Afro-Caribéens in the category Artist Revelation de L'annee (best newcomer of the year).
The French award ceremony will take place on Monday September 21th in Paris.
Erik's music is a mix of dancehall and Caribbean Jazz, but it also has a Zouk flavour in it. He is born in Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe, and grew up in a family of musicians. According to his MySpace bio:" At 22 he has taken his place in a new generation of highly talented and innovative West Indian singers."
I think he will be one of the artists who will walk away with an award on Monday September 21th.
Photo and copyright: Linda Garrison (Arc de Triomphe) Summer news. We, a Dutch black-brown blogger couple, travelled to Paris by train from Amsterdam Central Station to Paris Gare du Nord. This train station is the busiest station in Europe, and one of the busiest railway stations in the world. The female blogger will write her own story on her Dutch Blog.
Most important travel choice. Taking the car was an option, but is was a four hour drive, stops not included. Driving in Paris wasn’t an option, because you have to be a Parisian to drive a car in Paris.
Most interesting train experience. On the Thalys fast train we met a Dutch Moroccan couple who were going to Paris to visit family. It appeared they only lived a few blocks away. What a coincidence!
Most worst metro experience. We had to jump out of a metro carriage into a dark metro tunnel. Everything went smootly when we took the metro to our destination, but when we took the metro back to the city the trouble started. While we were heading to Gare du Nord the metro suddenly stopped in the tunnel. It was a crowded metro on a hot summer's day. There was no message from the metro operator as to why we had stopped. After about ten minutes we heard people opening the door of the metro. And suddenly we found ourselves standing in the door opening of metro carriage, but without the station platform. We had to jump from the metro carriage into a dark subway tunnel. It was like jumping from the top of a bunk. After a two minute walk we saw the lights of the metro station Gare du Nord. It appeared the train was broke. I hate to say this, but this is so French.
Most interesting bus experience. When we arrived at Gare du Nord we took the city bus 42 to the Champs-Élysées. In the bus we met a Dutch Caribbean couple who were heading to the Eiffel Tower. They where in Paris for the second time, because they wanted to show an another family member the culture of Paris. Small world! We also talked to the French folks on the bus. Real city people. Always in for a small talk.
Most interesting black experience. You see black people everywhere. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that in the recent past black people in France were afraid of calling themselves black or “noirs”. Afraid of not conforming to the French principle that all people are French and equal. It was the French black organisation CRAN who activaly began adressing the issue that visible minorities in France faced discrimination. The front man, Patrick lozes wrote the book 'Nous, Les Noirs de France'(We, the blacks of France').
Last ethnic detail. Two black people in the metro were calling us 'Caribe'. Some people are always trying to label you.
Most interesting city experience. Of course we got lost in Paris. So we asked a bus driver which bus we had to take to Gare du Nord. He first pointed us to a bus station in a nearby street, but while we were walking towards the bus station we heard a yell. It was the bus driver. He had left his bus to tell us he knew a shorter route. Great guy. We waved at him as he drove by.
Most notable difference between Paris and Amsterdam. People in Paris ride scooters like people in Amsterdam ride bicycles.
Most favourite French author I was suddenly thinking of. Of course Alexandre Dumas, author of the The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. I still remember the moment when I found out he was black. Dumas was reburied in 2002 in the Panthéon of Paris, the great mausoleum where French luminaries are interred. Former French President Jacques Chirac acknowledged that racism was the reason why he hadn't been enshrined in the past. Dumas was the greatest.
Dumas reminded me of a video of a school trip of French children from an urban school. They were on a excursion to get to know the famous French author Honoré De Balzac. Interesting detail, the children are from the neighbourhood where the ethnic riots broke out.
Carnaval Tropical de Paris 2009 was the 8the edition of the French carnival, which was held on July 14th in the streets of Paris.
This year 2009 the carnival had something new, the election of the Queen of the Carnival. The winning group received a ticket for the Nottinghill Carnival in London.
Photo and copyright: Régis Durand de Girard On July 13th 2009 the French Overseas Departments had their annual garden party. The invited guests are seen as a reflexion of who is in and who is out of the black socio political spotlight in France. See the photos here.
On the photo (right) Marie-luce Penchard, the new appointed Secretary of State for Overseas Territories, and host of the garden party. Penchard replaced Yves Jégo, who was a mayor player in the 2009 French Caribbean general strikes. Olivier Biancarelli (left) is the special overseas territories advisor and top aid of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The photo comment on the Paris blog (see photos) states: "Qui est le chef maintenant? (Who is the boss now?)." The Overseas Departments and Territories (French: départements d'outre-mer and territoires d'outre-mer or DOM-TOM) are the Caribbean islands Martinique, Guadeloupe, the South American country French Guiana, and the African island Réunion. The other countries have a different status. People from the d' outre-mer are French citizens.
Not only government officials were invited at the garden party. Actrice Firmine Richard and Zouk singer Claudy Siar were also present. But also professionals, young potentials and people who play an active role in the French black community were invited. Lucette Michaux-Chevry, the powerful mother of Marie-luce Penchard, also attended the party.
The important question is if Marie-luce Penchard will be able to stabilise the explosive political situation on the French Caribbean Island Guadeloupe. According to critics Penchard is not a political powerhouse, but the fact that she is born in Guadeloupe is seen as a positive factor in the conflict.
But what happened to Christine Kelly? The glamorous black French TV presenter and writer who had come to the attention of star-struck president Nicolas Sarkozy for the post of Secretary of State for Overseas Territories. The latest news: she has turned green.
Photo and copyright: Lola Akinmade How do black people experience travelling in Europe? Do they feel stared at, feel welcome, or is it a bit of both. And in which Western European countries do they feel most comfortable?
To find out I sampled the experiences (2008 and 2009) from Rick Steves’s Minority Travelers Forum. Most experiences are from African-Americans who visited Europe.
I could have asked photographer and travel writer Lola Akinmade about her travel experience, but on her blog are all the answers. In pictures and in stories. See Lola's blog Geotraveler's Niche. So I stayed on Steves's forum.
To get a big picture of all the experiences I placed the reactions in the categories negative, neutral and positive. Negative means when someone felt being treated negatively. Neutral means, no problems. Positive speaks for itself. Click on the image to enlarge
1. In England or the UK – Most travellers had a great time. No stares, hardly any discrimination. With 2 negative and 9 positive reactions the absolute winner.
2. Germany – Second best with 1 negative reaction, 1 neutral and 3 positive reactions.
3. The Netherlands – One traveller felt very race conscious in the Netherlands. With 2 negative reactions, 1 neutral and 3 positive reactions third place.
4. France - Very mixed responses. Most black travellers liked it, but the French language barrier remained. Most Americans had neutral feelings about France, but over all they weren’t negative. With 2 negative reactions, 7 neutral and 4 positive reactions fourth place.
5. Italy – Here things started to get dramatically negative. Some loved Italy, others were less positive. Some reported being stared at. To put it in perspective, 4negative reactions, 2 neutral and 3 positive. Fifth place
6. Spain – This country is considered the worst Western European travel destination by most African-Americans on the forum. Most travellers see Spain as a very racist country. However one traveller was aware of racial climate in Spain, but still went. He had a great time in Spain. With 6 negative reactions, 2 neutral and 3 positive reactions it’s a country that leaves a lot of black travellers with some bad memories, but with good ones as well.
Countries as Belgium, Zweden, Austria, Creece and Ireland I didn't include because there were just one or two reactions.
Of course you can’t get a good impression if you have nine responses or less of each country. And it also depends where travellers had their experiences: big city or country side.
Minority Lola Akinmade is using her blackness to experience traveling to the max. In an interview she explained why she loves traveling as a minority. "Being able to seamlessly move because people automatically assume I’m a local impoverished immigrant allows me to observe and immerse without sticking out like a sore thumb in some places. I get to experience the true attitudes of locals towards others very different from them – both great and bad.
I have experienced everything from utmost rejection to gawks of fascination that a lot of bright-eyed backpackers could never endure. It is at the low times I question the purpose of travel and then Mark Twain’s quote always comes to mind….“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."…… Mark Twain." Read the whole interview here
The musical 
MEILLEUR GROUPE(Best group)
