Thursday, March 28, 2013

Africa Unlimited at the Cloître des Billettes


Nomadic galeriste Aude Minart has once again mounted a spectacular exposition of African and African Diaspora art at the Cloître des Billettes. This one is called Africa Unlimited.

Guadeloupan artist Marie B’s Tango greets visitors at the entrance to the cloister, while her Totems duo stands against the southern wall. She is the only artist from the Americas whose work is represented. The other artists come from this side of the Atlantic.

Africa Unlimited – View from Entryway
© Discover Paris!

Totems (detail)
Marie B
© Discover Paris!

Wooden sculptures by Niko (France-Benin) once again dominate the open air patio of this medieval cloister,

Sculptures by Niko
© Discover Paris!

while bronze sculptures made using the lost wax casting technique are a prominent component of the smaller pieces displayed throughout the ambulatory.

Bronze sculpture (lost wax casting technique)
Hippolyte Congo – Burkina Faso
© Discover Paris!

By far, the most fascinating and colorful works in this exposition are the paintings and palettes created by Sudan’s Islam Zian-Alabdeen.

Islam Zian-Alabdeen with two of his paintings
© Discover Paris!

The works are incredibly intricate. All include images of and inspiration drawn from women, which I found to be an interesting coincidence since this exposition is being shown during Women’s History Month. Indeed, Zian-Alabdeen is deeply inspired by the persona of his mother, a person who he describes as being the ever-present nurturer, surveyor, and disciplinarian (indirectly through his father) of the family.

Vie de Femme (Woman’s Life)
Islam Zian-Alabdeen
© Discover Paris!

Palette by Islam Zian-Alabdeen
© Discover Paris!

Zian-Alabdeen also uses the symbolism of animals to weave narratives through his art. The fish symbolizes continuity and movement; the cat, love… His representations of everyday activities are bolstered by the power of ancient legends and customs of Nubia and each one has the ability to mesmerize those who gaze upon it.

Visitors to the exposition were intrigued by the works and generally enjoyed themselves.

Millie Cherfils, her child, and Tracye Matthews
© Discover Paris!

Visitors in west corridor of ambulatory
© Discover Paris!

Engrossed in art
© Discover Paris!

Africa Unlimited runs through Easter Sunday, March 31.

Cloître des Billettes
24, rue des Archives
75004 Paris
Metro: Hôtel de Ville (Lines 1, 11)
Weekdays and Saturdays: 11 AM to 7 PM
Sunday: 2 PM to 6 PM


Visit our Pinterest page to see more images of the works shown at this exposition. For information about the works and the artists, contact Aude Minart by e-mail at audeminart[at]hotmail[dot]com.

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Paris' Culinary Black Women


Join Chef Amadeus and me for the second broadcast of our new Internet radio show Southern Passion Lounge in Paris and share our experiences of the best food, wine, and music in the City of Light. Click here to tune in today!


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In celebration of Women's History Month and in conjunction with the second broadcast of Southern Passion Lounge in Paris - the Internet radio show that brings you the best of food, wine, and music in Paris - today's blog post features several women of the African Diaspora who have left or are currently leaving their mark on the world of professional gastronomy in the French capital.

Agnes Moody


Graphic for 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris

At the age of 60, Agnes Moody ran the "Corn Kitchen," a principal feature at the U.S. Agriculture Department's building on the Champs de Mars during the 1900 Universal Exposition. The purpose of the exhibit was to promote the use of American corn and cornmeal for cooking and subsequently boost U.S. exports of the grain. Numerous papers across the U.S. touted Mrs. Moody's cooking skills and her popularity among visitors to the expo—as an example, the Virginian Pilot described her as the "presiding genius" at the kitchen and the Minneapolis Journal reported that she was "entertained and fed by royalty." Though she was cast in the role of an "Aunty," similar to Aunt Jemima, she was an accomplished woman who one of the charter members of the National Association of Colored Women, John Brown's Women's Relief Corps, and other organizations. She was awarded a gold medal by the U.S. Agriculture Department for her service.


Rougui Dia


Cover of Rougui Dia Biography

Rougui Dia is the 21st-century "Black Pearl" of Paris. Born of Senegalese parents in Paris' 12th arrondissement, she began preparing for a culinary career at age 15. Until January 2013, she was the head chef at Le 144, a restaurant operated by the venerated caviar house Petrossian. The dishes served during her tenure at Le 144 were not Russian or Armenian as you might deduce from the name of the caviar house, but rather were a union of the finest French cuisine with select elements from the Senegalese kitchen. Stimulating the palates of the restaurant's clientele with new taste sensations from Senegal was one of Dia’s primary goals. Dia will take over the kitchen of Le Vraymonde, the restaurant of the new Buddha Bar hotel that is scheduled to open during the first trimester of 2013 at 4, rue d’Anjou in the 8th arrondissement.


Babette de Rozières


Babette de Rozières
©Discover Paris!

Hailing from Guadeloupe, Babette de Rozières has enjoyed long-standing success as a restaurant owner, cookbook author, and culinary personality on French television. In the beginning, she worked in various posts in public television and radio and cooked part time at some of the most prestigious hotels in Paris. She purchased her first restaurant in 1978 and has never looked back. She has co-hosted various television shows since 1988 and won an international award for her first cookbook—a four-volume set on Antillean cooking—in 2004. Her latest endeavors include opening a new restaurant called La Case de Babette in les Yvelines (an administrative department in the greater Paris area) and writing her autobiography.


Melba Allen


Melba Allen
Image from The Wine Profilers Web site

Melba Allen left the US for Europe after her studies at the University of Houston and fell in love with the wine and food culture in France. Obtaining a diploma from the prestigious Université-du-vin, Suze la Rousse in the Rhone Valley and certificates from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Program of London, she began buying and selling wines internationally, judging wine tasting competitions, and writing on-line articles for magazines such as Elle and Vin & Cuisine. She currently trains wine professionals for restaurants and wine shops, lectures on Wine Science and Business and Wine Tourism at the Institut Européen de Management International (IEMI) in Paris, and is the communications coordinator for The Wine Profilers—a program to help wine lovers better understand the choices they make when selecting a wine.


Sharon Leslie Morgan


Sharon Leslie Morgan
Image courtesy of Sharon Leslie Morgan

Chicago-born Sharon Leslie Morgan made her cooking debut in Paris when she and former Haynes' barman Bennie Luke teamed up in 1999 to create a weekly event called "Soul on Sunday" at Haynes' restaurant (now closed). The concept began as a brunch, but evolved into a late-afternoon-and-evening diner-spectacle (dinner show). There was prearranged entertainment, but weekly open-mike sessions added variety to the program. When "Soul on Sunday" came to an end, Morgan and Luke began looking for another venue to provide down-home food and lively entertainment to African Americans in Paris. They opened Bojangles Restaurant and Bar at 47, rue Rodier in the 9th arrondissement on January 3, 2001. On opening night there was not a vacant seat to be found. Live jazz piano, trumpet, and singing heightened the enjoyment of the copious portions of spicy pumpkin soup, grilled T-bone steak, Caribbean-style fried fish, and side dishes that were served. Bojangles was a center for great food and fun until it closed in 2003. Memories live on through the open Facebook group called Bojangles Paris Online.


Alberta Wright


Alberta Wright
Image from Jezebel's Web site

Charleston, South Carolina-native Alberta Wright is one of a few African Americans who dared to open a restaurant in Paris. She operated a branch of her New York eatery Jezebel (now closed) in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area from 1990-1994. Also called Jezebel's, it was one of the chic places to dine in Paris during its heyday. Celebrities such as Madonna, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Yves St.-Laurent, and Valentino gave parties there. Wright (whose nickname is Jezebel) opened the restaurant on a whim, and soon discovered how difficult the Paris market could be. Read a full account of her experience here.


Monique Y. Wells


Monique Y. Wells
Photo by Kim Powell

As the author of Food for the Soul, a cookbook sponsored for publication in French by master chef Alain Ducasse, I have continually sought to include gourmet activities in the Discover Paris! repertoire of walks and services. In November 2003, we organized the first Afro-centric culinary excursion in Paris, focusing on foods and beverages that comprise the traditional French meal and featuring African-American culinary professionals who lived and worked in France at the time. Discover Paris! co-hosted Paris - A Culinary Delight with EthnoTravel.com, a company dedicated to promoting multicultural travel. I led the excursion to explore cheese, bread, and coffee; Melba Allen (mentioned above) shared her expertise about wine and provided a tasting at a local vineyard; and Chef Klancy Miller led the group on a pastry and chocolate walk. African-American chef Percy Taylor welcomed the group for a special dinner at his restaurant Percy's Place (now closed), complete with musical entertainment. A few months later, Allen, Miller, and I were featured on Al Roker's Food Network television show Recipe for Success.

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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Josephine Baker and the Black Aesthetic


The association CAPDIV (Cercle d’Action pour la Promotion de la Diversité [Circle of Action for the Promotion of Diversity]) and the Université des Mondes Noirs (Black Worlds University)* hosted another excellent event last Saturday on the occasion of International Women's Day and in honor of Black History Month. Previous events heralded the contribution of African soldiers fighting in the two World Wars (2011) and paid homage to Angela Davis (2012). This year, Josephine Baker was the focus of an afternoon that was meant to explore the meaning of the Black Aesthetic.

The formula for these events - a musical interlude, a film screening, and a panel discussion - continues to work well. After a brief introduction by CAPDIV president Ferdinand Ezembe, Laetitia Ndiaye warmed up the audience with several songs, including Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On" and a moving rendition of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song."

Ferdinand Ezembe
© Discover Paris!

Laetitia Ndaiye
© Discover Paris!

Next, the French made-for-TV movie Josephine Baker en couleur (Josephine Baker in Color) provided an unusual look at "The Black Pearl". Rare footage of Josephine's performances as well as an interview during which she discusses the adoption of her children made this film a delight to watch. The commentary did not neglect to mention that young Josephine bathed in lemon juice to lighten her skin at the same time that white French women sought to become darker to emulate her. It also includes film of a performance that she did in whiteface.

Josephine Baker in Whiteface
© Discover Paris!

The film set the proverbial stage for a lively debate that began among five panelists and ended with a question and answer period during which several women and men in the audience expressed themselves. The panelists, pictured from left to right below, were:
Black Aesthetic Panel
© Discover Paris!

All the panelists spoke of many issues in response to various questions posed by moderator Heutching. Among the numerous sentiments expressed, Mata Gabin spoke of the well-known difficulties that black actresses have in getting non-stereotypical roles and said that she discourages fellow actresses from depigmenting their skin because (aside from the health risks associated with this activity) it will make things even more difficult for talented, dark-skinned actresses to land the roles they seek. Patrick Lozès spoke of his opposition to the Miss Black France beauty pageant held in 2012, comparing it to an effort to launch a black university to counteract inequalities in the current system of higher education in France. Gillette Leuwat stated that black babies are not born with nappy hair - she contends that the natural state of hair in babies of all races is the same at birth and that the use of soaps and shampoos created for white people is what causes black hair to become nappy. Isabelle Mananga Ossey spoke passionately about her mission to have voluntary skin depigmentation recognized as a health hazard by the French authorities and indicated that men as well as women subject themselves to skin whitening.

The abovementioned statements only scratch the surface of what was debated during the event and the audience eagerly joined in once the floor was opened for questions. Even though the weather was picture perfect, the conference room was filled with participants.

Conference Attendees
© Discover Paris!

The discussion was so spirited that the event lasted several minutes longer than scheduled. Afterward, it continued in the main hall over snacks, soft drinks, and wine.

*L’ACSE (Agence National pour la Cohesion Social et l’Egalité des Chances [National Agency for Social Cohesion and Equal Opportunity]), Afrique Conseil (Africa Council), and the mayor’s office of the City of Paris provided support for the event.

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Eugenie Eboué-Tell - Sénatrice


Every time I walk under the arcade across the street from the Luxembourg Palace on rue Vaugirard, I look for this photographic portrait of Eugenie Eboué-Tell in a window that displays photos, documents, and other relics of Le Sénat (the French Senate).

Eugénie Eboué-Tell, Sénatrice
© Discover Paris!

The first time I saw this portrait, I was not only intrigued by the dignified air exuded by the sitter, but also by her name. Eboué is the last name of the French colonial leader Félix Eboué, brilliant colonial administrator for the French government and supporter of Charles de Gaulle during the Resistance in World War II as the governor-general of French Equatorial Africa. I wondered if the two could be related.

Governor-General Félix Eboué and General Charles de Gaulle in Chad
ca. 1940

It took little time to find the connection between Eugénie and Félix - they were married.

Eboué-Tell's full maiden name was Charlotte Andrée Eugénie Tell. She was born in Cayenne, French Guiana in 1891 and became a teacher there. Moving to French Equatorial Africa with her husband, she joined the Free French Forces during the Second World War and served as nurse in a military hospital in Brazzaville. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Medaille de la Résistance for her efforts. She would eventually be named a Commandeur in the Legion of Honor.

Her political life began in 1944 when she joined the Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière (French Section of the Workers' International), a Socialist party. Subsequently, she served as the deputy for Guadeloupe in the National Assembly in 1945 and 1946, being elected both times with a clear majority of votes. In 1946, she was elected conseillère de la République (the equivalent of Senator under the 3rd and 5th French Republics) and became a member of the National Education Commission and the Commission of the Interior. Re-elected in 1948, her title was changed to sénatrice.

Eboué-Tell became vice president of France's Overseas Commission in 1951. She left the Senate in 1952 and became vice president of the French Union Assembly. She failed at a bid to return to the National Assembly in 1956, but was elected conseillère in the municipality of Asnières (a Paris suburb) in 1958. A complete listing of her political activities, accomplishments, and honors (in French) can be found on the Web sites of the French National Assembly and the French Senate.

Eugénie Eboué-Tell died in Pontoise (a Paris suburb) in 1972. Rue Eugénie Eboué - an impasse in Paris' 12th arrondissement - was named after her in 1977.

Rue Eugénie Eboué
Screenshot from Google Maps


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