May 10, 2015 - France Remembers the Slave Trade, Slavery, and Their Abolition

Last Sunday, May 10, 2015, marked the sixth commemoration ceremony for the slave trade, slavery, and their abolition held by the City of Paris. It took place at place du Général Catroux in the 17th arrondissement. The City of Paris and the French non-profit association, Les Amis du Général Dumas, extended invitations to the general public to attend the event.

The weather was splendid and hundreds gathered at the square for a brief official ceremony, followed by several passionate speeches and musical entertainment.

Invitees at the commemoration ceremony
Place du Général Catroux, 17th arrondissement
© Discover Paris!
A military band took its place on the lawn near the podium.

Military band takes its place on the lawn
© Discover Paris!
The official ceremony was attended by Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France; Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, French Minister of Education; Myriam El Khomri, Secretary of State of the City of Paris; and Harlem Désir, Secretary of State of European Affairs. They were welcomed by Claude Ribbe, president of Les Amis du Général Dumas, and Brigitte Kuster, Mayor of the 17th arrondissement. All took a place on the podium.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls (center) and dignitaries
© Discover Paris!
Other notable attendees included Philip Frayne, Minister Counselor of Public Affairs for the U. S. Embassy; Henri Lopes, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo in France; Lisette Malidor, performance artist; and Valérie Pécresse, French politician and current candidate for the presidency of the Regional Council of Ile de France.

Lisette Malidor
© Discover Paris!
Edouard Montoute, a French actor born in Cayenne, French Guiana, read an ascerbic description of the atrocities perpetrated during the French slave trade and the profits gained through its conduct as recounted in Alexandre Dumas père's 1863 novel, Ingénue.

Edouard Montoute reads from Dumas père's Ingénue
Background: Claude Ribbe
© Discover Paris!
Flower arrangements (gerbes) were then placed on the lawn in front of the monument to General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas – a sculpture of iron shackles created by Driss Sans-Arcidet. Deputy Chief of Mission for the U. S. Embassy Uzra Zeya laid an arrangement for the United States alongside those of Prime Minister Valls, the Mayor of Paris, and the Mayor and elected officials of the 17th arrondissement.

Invitees from the public were then invited to place a rose at the base of the sculpture.

Monique places a commemorative rose
© Discover Paris!

All flower arrangements in place
© Discover Paris!
The official ceremony ended with Leïla Bredent, a Guadeloupan singer with a glorious voice, who sang the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise."

Leïla Bredent sings "La Marseillaise"
© Discover Paris!
After the prime minister and some of the other dignitaries of the official ceremony departed, Claude Ribbe spoke forcefully and eloquently about the lack of formal education in the French system about slavery, the slave trade, and the racist and Negrophobic ideology that underpinned these institutions. He spoke of the need for reparations, similar to those accorded to slave traders who complained to the government about their loss of revenue (equivalent to roughly 4 billion euros today) and the ransom of 150 million French francs (equivalent to roughly $21 billion today) imposed on the fledgling nation of Haïti in 1825 in exchange for diplomatic recognition by France.

Ribbe also evoked the controversial subject of a proposal for the creation of a center of education, culture, and remembrance, to be named after Général Dumas, at the Hôtel Gaillard as a means of "taking back 380 years of Negrophobia that has been supported, or at least tolerated, by France." Find his discourse in its entirety (in French) here.

Claude Ribbe addresses the crowd
© Discover Paris!
Following Ribbe's speech, appeals were made by Franco-Cameroonian singer BAMS; the president of SOS Racisme, Ibrahim Sorel Keita; and the president of CRAN (Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires), Louis-Georges Tin, for solidarity, self-determination, and the establishment of a cultural center and museum at the Hôtel Gaillard* that would be focused on black history and culture in the Francophone world.

From left to right: BAMS, Ibrahim Sorel Keita, Louis-Georges Tin
© Discover Paris!
Deputy Chief of Mission Zeya was present for all the festivities.

U. S. Deputy Chief of Mission Uzra Zeya
© Discover Paris!
The evening ended with a lively musical interlude by two groups – Miyo and Balkouta – led by Dominique Tauliaut.

Gwoka music rounds out the evening
© Discover Paris!
*Next week, the ETBP blog will further explore the call to have the Hôtel Gaillard, a mansion owned by Banque de France that stands on place du Général Catroux, become the home of an institute dedicated to black history and culture and a museum dedicated to the history of slavery and colonization.

************

Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.

If you like this posting, share it with your friends by using one of the social media links below!

Black Pantheon

Paris' Pantheon is a landmark site in the 5th arrondissement that we have included on two of our most popular Entrée to Black Paris walks. It sits at the top of rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève (Saint Genevieve's mountain), only a few hundred meters away from the Luxembourg Garden.

Pantheon viewed from the Luxembourg Garden
© Discover Paris!
From a "black Paris" perspective, the Pantheon has many interesting features:

It is the final resting place of two men of African descent - Alexandre Dumas, père and Félix Eboué. Information boards on both men can be found in the crypt.

Dumas' remains were relocated there with much pomp and ceremony in 2002.

Pantheon in red, white, and blue for the interment of Alexandre Dumas
© Discover Paris!
Three black men are honored by inscriptions in the crypt - Toussaint L'Ouverture, Louis Delgres, and Aimé Césaire.

Inscription in honor of Toussaint l'Ouverture
© Discover Paris!
L'Ouverture's inscription reads:

IN MEMORY OF TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE
Freedom Fighter - Artisan of the abolition of slavery
Haitian Hero - Died in deportation at Fort-de-Joux in 1803
There are images of blacks in the Alexandre Cabanel mural depicting the life of Saint Louis found inside the building.

The Life of Saint Louis (detail)
1874-1877 Alexandre Cabanel
© Discover Paris!
While its interior is not the most beautiful, the Pantheon was spectacularly transformed for the ceremonial events held in honor of Aimé Césaire after his death in 2008.

Homage to Aimé Césaire
© Discover Paris!
Black French have contributed to the current renovation of the monument. Their photos are displayed on the north gate along with those of several other donors.

Four contributors to the Pantheon restoration
© Discover Paris!
The Pantheon remains open during its restoration. It is located at:
Place du Panthéon
75005 Paris
Telephone: 01 44 32 18 00
Closest public transporation: RER B - Luxembourg
Entry fee: 7.50 euros; 4.50 euros for non-EU persons between the ages of 18-25

Pantheon dome under restoration
© Discover Paris!
************

Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.

If you like this posting, share it with your friends by using one of the social media links below!

Visit to the Hometown of Alexandre Dumas

Until recently, every time that I gave my Entrée to Black Paris tour called Black Paris after WWII and told the story about how the remains of Alexandre Dumas were transferred from his hometown of Villers-Cotterêts to the Pantheon in Paris, I would think to myself that I should someday make the short trek up to Picardie to see the original gravesite and the town where Dumas grew up. I made this trek a few days ago, and I am happy to share the details with you!

Last Thursday, Tom and I were treated to a special day trip to the region of Picardie by two friends – Elizabeth and David Berry. We visited the Royal Abbey of Chaalis in the morning, lunched at the Château d’Ermenonville, and visited the town of Villers-Cotterêts in the afternoon. The weather was perfect, the sites intriguing, and the meal sublime!

Statue of Alexandre Dumas at Place du Docteur Jean Mouflier
© Discover Paris!
Down the street from the statue of Alexandre Dumas, which stands in the place du Docteur Jean Mouflier, lies the Alexandre Dumas Museum. For such a small museum, there is plenty to see! The museum consists of three rooms – one devoted to Dumas’ father, General Thomas Alexandre Dumas; one to Dumas père (the writer that we know and love – author of The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Man in the Iron Mask among myriad works); and one to Alexandre Dumas fils (son of Alexandre Dumas père). Thomas Alexandre Dumas was born in Saint Domingue (Haiti) of a French marquis and a slave mother; hence, all three generations had African ancestry.

A beautiful portrait of the general, who served in Napoleon Bonaparte’s army, dominates the first room. Dumas was part of Napoleon’s Egyptian adventure, but fell out of favor with the Emperor and never received the pension that he was due once he left the army. On the way home from Egypt, he was forced to leave his ship in Taranto (Italy) and was imprisoned at Brindisi. While in prison, he contracted an illness from which he never fully recovered, and died a weak and impoverished man in Villers-Cotterêts in 1806.

Le général Dumas
Olivier Pichat
Oil on canvas (not dated)
© Discover Paris!
General Dumas’ room contains numerous documents written by him, illustrations of him, and other artifacts.

In Alexandre Dumas père’s room, one finds several portraits and photos of him, his writing desk, a pair of his boots, and many other artifacts.

Alexandre Dumas père’s writing desk
© Discover Paris!

Voyage d’Alexandre Dumas en Espagne
Eugène Giraud
1855 Oil on canvas
© Discover Paris!
Here is a lithograph portrayal of Dumas père that is unlike any other that I have seen:

Portrait d'Alexandre Dumas père
Lithograph
Jean-Pierre Moynet (not dated)
© Discover Paris!
There is also an original version of The Three Musketeers, which is open to the title page.

Original printing of The Three Musketeers
© Discover Paris!
Alexandre Dumas père left Villers-Cotterêts in 1823 to seek his fortune in Paris. He went on to become France’s most prolific writer, a distinction that he still holds today. He gained and lost a couple of fortunes, traveled widely, and generally lived life to the fullest. He spent his last days in the care of his illegitimate daughter, Marie Alexandrine Dumas, and died in the town of Puys in 1870.

In the room dedicated to Alexandre Dumas fils, the illegitimate and subsequently legally recognized son of Dumas père, there is a colorful portrait of him . . .

Portrait of Alexandre Dumas fils
Edouard Louis Dubufe
1873 Oil on canvas
© Discover Paris!
and a letter that he wrote to his father, published in Le Petit Figaro in 1868,

Letter from A. Dumas fils to A. Dumas père (poetry)
© Discover Paris!
as well as other documents and artifacts. Dumas fils’ first play, The Lady of the Camelias, was an enormous success. It was the inspiration for Verdi’s opera La Traviata. He was inducted into the Académie Française in 1874 and awarded the Legion of Honor in 1894.

When we left the museum, we walked past the house in which Dumas grew up . . .

Dumas family home
© Discover Paris!
on the way to the cemetery where his family’s plot lies.

Dumas family plot at Cimetière de Villers-Cotterêts
© Discover Paris!
Buried here are Thomas Alexandre Dumas, his wife Marie-Louise-Elizabeth Labouret, and the daughter and son-in-law of Alexandre Dumas fils. As indicated on his cenotaph, the remains of Dumas père were transferred to the Pantheon in Paris in 2002.

Cenotaph for Alexandre Dumas père
© Discover Paris!
Alexandre Dumas fils was not buried in the family plot. His grave is located in the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris.

************

Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.

If you like this posting, share it with your friends by using one of the social media links below!

Aimé Césaire at the Pantheon

On April 6, 2011, France commemorated the life and work of Aimé Césaire at the Pantheon. French President Nicolas Sarkozy presided over a grand ceremony that was broadcast live on France 2 and France ô, as well as on giant screens installed outside the building.

Ceremony viewed outside the Pantheon
© Patrick Kolavik, AFP

Roughly 1000 persons were invited to participate in the ceremony, including Césaire's family, junior and senior high school students from Martinique and France, and students from the Paris' prestigious educational institutions Louis le Grand (high school) and l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (college). Césaire attended both of these schools in his youth.

To celebrate the event, entry to the Pantheon was free from April 7-10. I took advantage of this opportunity to photograph the visual and literary tributes to Césaire that were mounted inside.

The famous pendulum of Foucault was dismantled for the occasion so that a huge fresco comprised of four images representing different periods of Césaire's life could be projected from the ceiling of the nave onto a disc-shaped screen below. An eight-minute film by Euzhan Palcy that reviews the life of the revered poet and statesman was not functioning during my visit.

Image of Césaire fresco and its location in the Pantheon

View of Césaire fresco and projection screen in background
© Discover Paris!

Four quotations from Césaire's works were displayed in front of the stone pillars that border the nave. The works quoted were Cahier d'un retour du pays natal (1939), Tropiques (1943), Moi, Laminaire (1982) and La Poésie (1993).

Quotation from La Poésie (1993)
© Discover Paris!

A plaque that honors the memory of Césaire and his work has been placed in the crypt. It lies between Caves XXV and XXVI. Alexandre Dumas, père and Félix Eboué are laid to rest close by, in Caves XXIV and XXVI, respectively. Dumas and Eboué are the only two men of African descent whose remains are found in the Pantheon. Césaire's remains are interred in Martinique, his native land.

Aimé Césaire plaque
© Discover Paris!

While in this corner of the Pantheon's crypt, visitors should not fail to look for the plaques that honor Toussaint l'Ouverture and Louis Delgres as well. These are located along the side walls of the short passage that leads to the tombs of Félix Eboué and Victor Schoelcher in Cave XXVI.

In the souvenir shop that is located at the exit, there were two tables stacked with books written by or about Césaire. A number of visitors took their time examining the tomes and leafing through them.

Looking at books
© Discover Paris!

The montage for the ceremony in Césaire's honor was quite striking, and the plaque will serve as a permanent reminder of this great man.

Homage to Aimé Césaire
© Discover Paris!

************

Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.

Mona Lisa in Black

Leonardo's Mona Lisa is probably the world's most famous painting. It hangs in the Louvre, and draws countless thousands of visitors to the museum every day.  Numerous artists have been inspired by this work, and have created their own art using Mona Lisa's image.

Ealy Mays is one of these artists.  He has teamed up with the Paris bookstore Mona Lisait (which means "Mona read " [past tense]) for an exposition of several of his Mona Lisa-inspired works.  These works are part of a series of paintings that he has christened "Mama."

Caribbean Mama (Is There Life on Mars?)

2010, Oil on canvas
© Discover Paris!

Mona Lisa Likes Pancakes

2010, Oil on canvas

© Discover Paris!

Yellow Mama Lisa

2010, Oil on canvas

© Discover Paris!

Mays is a Texas native and long-time Paris resident. He is a prolific painter, and has produced at least ten works that in some way make reference to Mona Lisa.  Many works from his "Mama" series also feature Aunt Jemima, either alongside Mona Lisa or alone.  Mays does not hesitate to include elements from previous series of his in current paintings - an example is the blue watermelon from his "Blue Watermelon" series in Yellow Mama Lisa.

Social commentary through art is a prominent feature of Mays' oeuvre.  His painting Obama in Paris is a prime example of this:

 Obama in Paris

2008, Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of Ealy Mays

Obama is seen in the lower register of the painting, looking upward.  The kiosk bears colorful images of Paul Colin's famous portrayal of Josephine Baker in her banana skirt, the Banania man, Aunt Jemima, a self-portrait of Beauford Delaney, a photograph of Alexandre Dumas, père, and other persons or objects relevant to black history and culture.

For a close-up view of this painting, click here. (Prints are available from Dorothy's Gallery.)

Mays has a studio on rue Christine in the 6th arrondissement, and paints at the Cité International des Arts on rue de l'Hôtel de Ville in the 4th arrondissement every summer. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Guggenheim are among the world-renowned museums that have displayed his works.

 Ealy Mays
© Discover Paris!

Joe Langley filmed the vernissage (the opening of the exposition) on June 15, 2010.   Click here to see the video.

To see the current exposition at Mona Lisait, visit the store at:

6, rue Danton

75005 Paris

Tel: 01 43 29 57 72 
Metro: Odéon - Saint Michel

The expo will hang until August 31, 2010.

To see an online gallery of Mays' work, visit his blog at http://ealymays.blogspot.com/ or his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/ealymays. 

************

Want to read more about the hidden jewels that comprise the "real" Paris – the people and places that are the true heart and soul of the city – and receive our free guide called "Practical Paris"?  Click here to sign up for our newsletter announcements today!

  Entrée to Black Paris™ is a Discover Paris! blog.