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

The Dissemination of Knowledge

Meocha Belle 6/22


While speaking with the staff of Anibwe bookstore, they mentioned the influence of George Jackson and Cheikh Anta Diop had on their work. They also drew parallels to the social issues happening in France to past movements in the United States. A major question that was brought into conversation was whether or not the education of our children should be left to schools. To put reason into why there is great mis-education and/or a lack of education of Afrikan Presence, the United States will be used as a reference point, since the struggles of Diaspora are very similar no matter where in the world study is drawn on.
To keep the authoritarian position, the United States’ and French governments both use its schools to mobilize the myth that the Pan-Africans have no history, as discussed in Cheikh Anta Diop’s The Afrikan Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality. This level of mis-education suggests that the ruling culture does not want blacks to recognize or appreciate their craft and strength, nor claim the fruits of their labor (Jackson 57).
George Jackson clearly communicated from his findings that “the most damaging thing a people in a colonial situation can do is to allow their children to attend any educational facility organized by the dominant enemy culture” (Soledad Brother 12). His reasoning stems from the following expose, “…the mass public school system was developed to assimilate an essentially immigrant working population into the economic, social, and political structure of the American Way of Life,” found in Grace Lee Boggs’ piece, “Education: The Great Obsession”. Since, “…the school system was organized to prepare the children of the well-born and well-to-do to govern over the less wellborn and not so well-to-do,” blacks, and other peoples of color, need to educate themselves through non-traditional ways of learning. Even though this statement was made of standard American culture, similar class struggles exist and occur in France and therefore apply.
Clearly, the movement of knowledge is dependent upon those in power and is oftentimes favorable of the teacher's views. This is why there is a mis-education and lack of education of Afrikan Presence, within a variety of mediums. Baldwin's No Name in the Street, Lamar's Ghosts of Saint Michel, Stovall's Paris Noir, Fabre's From Harlem to Paris, tour guides of Paris, Musee du quai Branly exibits, and conversations with the Anibwe bookstore staff has validated this, while here in Paris.

~Paris Noir 2010

Baldwin and Wright

Meocha Belle 6/21

In today's seminar, one of the major themes we analyzed were the biblical references within James Baldwin's No Name in the Street. After thinking critically of the text, Baldwin structured the novel as a bible. As a culmination of ideas mentioned throughout our discussion, the layout allowed for interpretation and points of reference, anecdotes denoting the ten commandments of living jim crow, increased literacy through its teachings, historical references, and of course the presence of biblical verses.
What struck me most was Baldwin's usage of small synopses and how this writing strategy directly Richard Wright's The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch, which was read earlier in our time here. Besides the set-up of Wright's short stories/teachings being presented in concise, numbered format, his work and Baldwin's both operated with similar messages. There are moments where you as the reader expect one outcome and another is given, because of the impact of living Jim Crow.
It is easy for me to say that complacency is not the answer under any circumstance, however, that era was a distinctly different political, social and economic make-up, so assumptions need to be retracted. There are many that would disagree with Baldwin's statement that "our greatest weapon is silence," however these same people have not had threats circulating because they were trying to learn. Unfortunately, every movement by a black during the Jim Crow era had to be calculated because a wrong move could cost life. On the other hand, I would not want to merely exist in a world that constantly controls me to such high degrees. Sometimes life is really not living, there are so many grey areas that one cannot judge a person unless they are in the same predicament.

~Paris Noir 2010