What's Lost in Translation?

Meocha Belle 6/29

Today at the Paris Hip-Hop 2010 Summit, Def Jam President Kevin Liles spoke on education, empowerment and entrepreneurship through hip-hop. He does not speak French, so he had a translator. While the translator was saying what Mr. Liles did in French, I noticed that she was not replicating his statements. The French language is comprised of more words to equal those of the English language. And the translator oftentimes spoke in a shorter breath than Mr. Liles previously talked. This then made me think of the re-occurring seminar question of what's lost or added in translation?
Both in the literal and figurative sense, things that are translated have a great possibility of being changed as the message is passed on. At times this may be a good thing, others a bad thing. What is scary is the level of influence even a word holds when entire sentences are taken out of context, great danger may be near. It is quite possible that someone in Belgium governance omitted or supplemented a message of the Rwandans and this in turn could have caused the lives of 80 million and more.

~Paris Noir 2010

Rwanda

Meocha Belle 6/28

At different moments, Diop uses the perspectives of characters to contest the idea that their is a merit to being alive. This is seen at the most direct level when Jessica affirms that "the fear of death...would almost be in bad taste. My life isn't worth anymore than that of the thousands of people who perish each day." But then this statement is countered by Simeon's statement to Cornelius that also affirms, "don't regret living because you deserved to live more than anyone...your mother, Nathalie, brought you into this world running, to escape from the people who wanted to kill her." Using these statements as a part of my analysis, I question whether or not these moments work effectively together to measure self-determination?
What also complicates the states of life and death, are that even after surviving, breathing does not constitute as living. "The young woman in black," is a testament to this and backed by the statement, "after such an ordeal, there was a little bit of death in everyone" (Diop 181). Are these two states explicit or implicit with luck or cowardice of the survivor? Does this mean a fight wasn't put up?
I hope the Rwanda panel can offer greater insight on the loaded subject tomorrow.

~Paris Noir 2010

Hip-Hop Block Party 2010

Meocha Belle 6/27

Today we went to the Paris Hip-Hop Block Party in Stalingrad. All the elements of the culture were represented. There was emcee'n, dj'n, graffiti writing and break dancing. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. We were outside and the sun was beaming directly onto my skin, but I did not mind because I was pleased with the entertainment.
I was captivated by the power of Hip-Hop and how it drew such a large congregation of various races and ages.
My favorite element was the rap freestyle show featuring French Hip-Hop crew: End of the Weak. Despite the language barrier, it was clear in the tone, delivery, mannerisms and call-all-response, what they were saying. I could still understand the message and appreciate the efforts of their crew without literal translation.
The fact that I was able to feel what was being said without knowing the French language is telling of the strength of the hip-hop language. In the hip-hop language, people immersed in the culture are able to send and receive information through gestures, pitch and response. This ability to communicate void of a nation's linguistic literacy is exclusive to the hip-hop culture.

See what I mean!


After hearing Hip-Hop historian and Paris Noir Alum, Samir Ali, equate hip-hop as our generation's Negritude movement, such a hypothesis is supported by the culture. Hip-hop allows for its followers to innovatively respond to global politics, while joining people to together that would otherwise never meet and unseen in previous generations. As Samir explained of its impact, hip-hop brings about a "solidarity unknown to their elders" (Mercer Cook). In true hip-hop, Todas Iguais- "we are all the same," which is a strong statement in Portuguese. A graffiti artist from Brazil dedicated his piece at the Paris Hip-Hop Block Party to further communicate this.



The crowds below were all formed in the celebration of Hip-Hop in Paris!





~Paris Noir 2010

CAONA Women of SOUL

Meocha Belle 6/26

Tonight I went to the CAONA Women of SOUL musical event, along with my roommate. The three different sets and groups that performed all had amazing voices and music. There were powerful messages transmitted through their song lyrics. Being a music lover who frequents concerts, I have a very critical ear and eye for the delivery, content and stage presence of musical artists. And I definitely think each performer was amazing! If I was a music executive for a major record label, I would sign Kadja Nse without hesitation! I was touched by everyone but her voice and songs resounded for me.
Through out the four hours that I was there, the women managed to mix spoken word, rap, funk, reggae, rhythm and blues and jazz into their performances together and separate. The greatest messages I received from their display of artistry were the statements, "I am home...I'm going home," and "No city owns me. I walk free with myself." Coming from a group of women who all were not originally from France, this spoke volumes!
Up to this point in the Paris Noir seminar, we have learned that, "some blacks left the U.S. expressly to escape the burdens of discrimination that came to Paris as self-conscious refugees from racism." Other blacks saw "the label expatriate inappropriate, arguing that because the U.S. had never really accepted them or been their home in any fundamental sense, they should not be considered exiles from it," among several other viewpoints (From Harlem to Paris).
Tonight, these women claimed and named their own home and did not let their location dictate their sense of belonging. Ferricia, who spoke at one of our panels, used spoken word during a couple of her songs to speak for the silence that reverberates in the French culture and as a mode to express her political stance.
It was refreshing to see a group of women happily working together! And afterwords, Ferricia introduced us to her co-stars and engaged in conversation about their performances and American and French governing.

Here's a video from the night!



~Paris Noir 2010

Give Thanks

Meocha Belle 6/25

Today I made it a point to contact those that made it possible for me to attend Paris Noir 2010, again. Just as quickly as I sent my thank-you's out, the responses came in. And the common reception was that of appreciation. I recognize that you have to show people you are appreciative of them and that it is also a factor in how those after you are received.
After doing this, I traveled all around Paris on the Metro to have time to myself.
I wanted to just explore places that I have not been to yet and also visit some of my favorite places. It was very refreshing and even got a chance go to Jardin de Luxemburg to get started reading Murambi: the Book of Bones.
After viewing Sometimes in April, this morning, I was not really surprised by the graphic nature of the text. Laying out the function of the text in the introduction and foreword in comparison to other works on the subject matter-Rwandan genocide- and providing larger questions and answers, the writers took away from active reading and further objectified Rwandan's as "the others" instead of meeting its intentions of drawing on outreach and responsibility.

~Paris Noir 2010

Food, Fun & Fellowship!

Meocha Belle 6/24

Yesterday class was cancelled because of transportation strikes. This gave me a chance to catch up on my personal responsibilities and get ahead on my course readings, so I appreciated the time.
Thankfully, we still had our weekly dinner at L'Equator- a Cameroonian restaurant. It ranked next to my previous meal had on the first day of Paris Noir! From start to finish, my meal, company and service was great! The plantains were the sweetest I have had and just the right texture, the hibiscus juice had the perfect twist of tang, my chicken was flavorful, tender and juicy, and the macaroon and sorbet was sweet and crisp! The guests and my fellows at my table kept me laughing and also educated on the transportation strikes in the winter of 1995 in Paris. The restaurant staff was pleasant and complimentary of special needs. We had such a good time that we stayed at L'Equator until 11:30pm after taking our seats at 8pm. We would have stayed longer if the metro station did not close at 12am, because we all were enjoying each other's company and sharing our research project ideas and findings.
We did end up getting the last train in time and decided to all go out to the club together.

~Paris Noir 2010

C Train to Versailles

Meocha Belle 6/23

Today myself, Gabrielle and Alana decided to go to Versailles after class. We wanted a change of scenery to get our reading done, so we went to Versailles. The train we took there rode us for about two hours. We did not expect the traveling time to be so long, but we just relaxed and took a nap. The ride ended up being very refreshing and scenic, it also gave us time to get through much of the reading.
Once we arrived in Versailles, we had to take a bus to the garden. While on the bus, we befriended an American-born, bus driver from New York and discussed opportunities in France versus those within America. He believed, a white man in his forty's, America just sells its people a dream. France however, in his opinion, had much better governance, benefits, access, education and culture than America.

~Paris Noir 2010