DOCSLIB.ORG

Vol. 13.05 / June 2013

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Vol. 13.05 / June 2013 Vol. 13.05 News From France June 2013 A free monthly review of French news & trends France and Germany Co-Host EU Open House; Part of “Franco-German Year” © SDG/RP/ST © SDG/RP/ST © SDG/RP/ST © SDG © SDG/RP/ST © SDG/RP/ST © SDG/RP/ST The Embassy of France welcomed some 4,500 visitors to its grounds on May 11. As part of the EU Open House, nearly 30 embassies of member countries belong- ing to the European Union joined in sharing European culture and diplomacy in Washington. The French and German embassies co-hosted this year. Story, p. 2 From the Ambassador’s Desk: A Monthly Message From François Delattre The past month has showcased an exceptionally centered on this year’s “Euro-American Celebration,” diverse set of French-American partnerships. In fields as part of the European Month of Culture all through May. broad as medicine, culture, and manufacturing, we’ve In the security arena, Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s inside been proud to work with our American friends. Minister of Defense, made a successful visit to Washing- Leading medical organizations in France and the ton on May 17 for meetings with, among many others, Current Events 2 U.S. joined together on May 7 to sign with me a Memo- U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. The trip allowed May as European Month of Culture randum of Intent aimed at deepening for very close dialogue on global security Interview with the Expert 3 research on addiction. France’s National challenges, including Mali, Syria, Iran, and Amb. Pierre-Henri Guignard, OAS Institute for Health and Medical Research North Korea. (INSERM) and the U.S. National Institute on On May 29, I had the pleasure of at- Special Report: History 4 Drug Abuse (NIDA) agreed to launch joint tending the expansion of a factory in The Mystery of the Oiseau Blanc research and exchanges, in particular in Little Rock, Ark., which produces air- Business & Research 6 the fields of neurology and psychiatry. planes for the French company Dassault. Innovation at the Concours Lépine On May 11, the Embassy of France The $60 million addition makes the site opened its doors to the visiting public the largest Dassault factory in the world. Culture & Society 7 as part of the EU Open House, an annual The event, attended by the Governor of French Hip-Hop Dance in D.C. event that lets visitors explore diplomatic Arkansas, the Mayor of Little Rock, and France & America 8 life in the nation’s capital. 2013 is the “Fran- several of the state’s Members of U.S. French Week in Jacksonville, Fl. co-German Year,” and France co-hosted its Congress, provided a beautiful example event with the Embassy of Germany. It is © SDG of French-American economic partner- this Franco-German friendship that has helped secure ship in cross-investment and high-tech industry. peace in Europe since World War II, for which the Euro- As is often the case between France and the U.S., his- pean Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. tory was cause for celebration this month, too. May 8 News From France We’re proud of our modern relationship with Germany, marked the anniversary of V-E Day. On that day in 1945, A free monthly review of French news & trends our neighbor, ally, and European partner. World War II was declared over in Europe. To the Ameri- While the EU Open House served as the largest in- can soldiers who fought for France at D-Day, on the Med- stance of European-American relations this month, other iterranean coast, or in the Battle of Paris, I wish to thank NFF is also available online at: www.ambafrance-us.org examples featured on cultural calendars throughout the the United States for helping liberate my country and for www.facebook.com/FranceInTheUS country. Chapters of the Alliance Française in Louisiana, restoring the peace our two nations hold dear. France @franceintheus Michigan, and Minnesota hosted a variety of events will never forget. NFF current events en bref Defense Minister in EU Open House Shares French, German Worlds with D.C. D.C. for Top-Level Meetings On May 11, the Embassy of France opened its World War II. Peace and prosperity ensued in broad In a 24-hour whirlwind of activity, doors to roughly 4,500 visitors as part of the EU Open measures across the European continent. France Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s Minister House, an annual event in which all embassies of the would coin a special term for the period, les Trente of Defense, conducted meetings in Member States of the European Union (EU) welcome Glorieuses, or the “Thirty Glorious Years,” when from Washington on May 17 with several visitors who want to know more. 1945 to 1975 the country enjoyed dramatic econom- top-level government officials and The Embassy of France co-hosted the event with ic growth. organizations, including U.S. Secre- the Embassy of Germany at La Maison Française, the The Franco-German “couple,” as they have become tary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Washington-based cultural center of the Embassy of known in EU circles, fueled the trend of European in- Sessions took place at the Penta- France. Offerings included interactive photo booths, tegration that would evolve into the European Union gon and the U.S. Senate. Mr. Le Drian face-painting and games for children, French and the world knows today. also gave a speech during a public German food and drink, music, and a wide selection In 2012, the European Union was awarded the No- event at the Carnegie Endowment of handouts. A special “diplomatic lunch” with tradi- bel Peace Prize. The Nobel committee cited the EU’s for International Peace, in partner- tional cuisine was also available. work as having “for over six decades contributed to ship with the Center for Strategic and France and Germany have several reasons to cel- the advancement of peace and reconciliation, de- International Studies (CSIS). Press ebrate their roles in the European Union, notably that mocracy and human rights in Europe.” conferences and interviews took 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of The EU Open House event marks the second time place in Washington. the Elysée Treaty. Completed in 1963, the watershed France and Germany have conducted their public oc- The Minister addressed global se- text formalized peaceful Franco-German relations casions jointly, following a successful first event in curity issues in Mali, Syria, Iran, and that would stabilize Europe for decades following 2012. Asia. Special focus was devoted to security challenges shared with the United States, as addressed among senior French and U.S. defense offi- cials who met as part of Mr. Le Drian’s visit. European defense, as well as the recently published French White Paper on Defense and National Secu- rity, was also discussed among par- ticipants. Floridian French Caucus to Boost French-American Ties A Floridian French Caucus modeled after the French Caucus of the United © SDG/RP/ST © SDG/ST States Congress was inaugurated in © SDG/RP/ST late April, in an effort to make strong At the Open House photo booth, visitors could have their picture taken at the Eiffel Tower (well, almost). L-R: a French relations even stronger between embassy staffer thinks of home, two German women go on virtual vacation, and a mother and daughter share a smile. France and the Sunshine State. The caucus was launched at the Florida Historic Capital Museum in Tallahassee, Fl., in a ceremony that In U.S. & at Home, France Fêtes European Month of Culture was attended by François Delattre, Ambassador of France to the United May is a month full of anniversaries for the Euro- the United States on topics from business develop- States, Consul General of France Gaël pean Union, and for France’s role within it. Through- ment to gastronomy to academic conferences. de Maisonneuve, Florida Secretary out the month, Americans could enjoy the European In France, Thierry Repentin, France’s Minister Del- of State Ken Detzner, and Executive Month of Culture, celebrated throughout the United egate for European Affairs, met with members of Director of Florida Veterans’ Affairs States. The series focused on a multitude of contem- the European Youth Parliament on May 9 as well as Mike Prendergast. Also present at porary EU debates, and Alliance Française chapters in participants in Eurolycées, an initiative run by the the event were State Representative Louisiana, Michigan, and Minnesota hosted various Citizenship and Democracy Association, which en- Lake Ray and State Senator Anitere goings-on. courages high-school students to think about EU Flores, who will serve as the group’s In New Orleans and Lafayette, La., the “Euro-Amer- energy and environmental policy. Students also took first co-chairs. ican Celebration” ran from May 9 through 12 with part in a simulation of an EU electoral campaign. In their speeches, each dignitary cultural, social, and educational events honoring the Mr. Repentin also met with civic associations to recognized the extensive historic Euro-American relationship. discuss the 2013 European Year of Citizens program. and cultural ties connecting France The Alliance Française of Detroit ran an extended He joined groups for a visit to the “European Village” and Florida, which date back to the slate of activities from May 4 through 31, with special set up at the foot of Paris’s City Hall. The events are 1564 founding of Fort Caroline by emphasis placed on friendship between the EU and part of the Faites l’Europe (“Do Europe”) project or- French explorer Jean Ribault.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hip Hop in Relation to Minority Youth Culture in France Amanda
    Hip Hop in Relation to Minority Youth Culture in France Amanda Cottingham In 1991, the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, invited three rap groups to perform at the prime minister’s garden party at the Matignon palace for members of the National Assembly 1. French rappers today are not all on such amicable terms with politicians but are widely popular among the younger generations, a fact that was noted when riots broke out in 2005. Many of these rappers embrace immigrant communities, bringing their issues to the forefront because several are of foreign descent themselves, particularly Arabic North Africans. While the government might want to preserve a traditional view of French culture, modern musicians are celebrating the cultural diversity immigrants bring to the nation. The rap genre has grown in popularity in France to such an extent that despite degenerating relationships with the government, rappers are able to show support for minority groups while maintaining a broad base of popular support from the youths. Unlike other popular forms of music that act simply as a form of entertainment, developments of rap in France show that it is closely linked to social issues facing minority youths. Hip hop is not, however, native to France but rather an imported style which originated in the United States, the South Bronx of New York in particular. In the early 1970s, a former gang member, Afrika Bambaataa organized a group called The Zulu Nation to draw disaffected youths away from gang fighting and instead towards music, dance, and graffiti in order to introduce them to the various elements of hip hop culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Perspectives from French West Indian Literature
    ON BEING WEST INDIAN IN POST-WAR METROPOLITAN FRANCE: PERSPECTIVES FROM FRENCH WEST INDIAN LITERATURE by ROSALIE DEMPSY MARSHALL A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of French Studies University of Birmingham 2011 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. In memory of Gloria, Luddy, Dorcas and Harry Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Jennifer Birkett, for her patience, encouragement, and good advice when these were sorely needed; and also Dr Conrad James, who helped to ease me into French West Indian writing at the beginning of my studies, and who supervised my research in Jennifer’s absence. I am grateful to my dear parents, who kept faith with me over several years, and gave me the time and space to pursue this piece of scholarship. Abstract Most research into contemporary French West Indian literature focuses on writing that stresses the significance of the plantation and urban cultures of the islands in the early to mid-twentieth century or, more recently, on the desire of some writers to explore broader trans-national influences or environments.
    [Show full text]
  • Hip-Hop Is My Passport! Using Hip-Hop and Digital Literacies to Understand Global Citizenship Education
    HIP-HOP IS MY PASSPORT! USING HIP-HOP AND DIGITAL LITERACIES TO UNDERSTAND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION By Akesha Monique Horton A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy – Doctor of Philosophy 2013 ABSTRACT HIP-HOP IS MY PASSPORT! USING HIP-HOP AND DIGITAL LITERACIES TO UNDERSTAND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION By Akesha Monique Horton Hip-hop has exploded around the world among youth. It is not simply an American source of entertainment; it is a global cultural movement that provides a voice for youth worldwide who have not been able to express their “cultural world” through mainstream media. The emerging field of critical hip-hop pedagogy has produced little empirical research on how youth understand global citizenship. In this increasingly globalized world, this gap in the research is a serious lacuna. My research examines the intersection of hip-hop, global citizenship education and digital literacies in an effort to increase our understanding of how urban youth from two very different urban areas, (Detroit, Michigan, United States and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) make sense of and construct identities as global citizens. This study is based on the view that engaging urban and marginalized youth with hip-hop and digital literacies is a way to help them develop the practices of critical global citizenship. Using principled assemblage of qualitative methods, I analyze interviews and classroom observations - as well as digital artifacts produced in workshops - to determine how youth define global citizenship, and how socially conscious, global hip-hop contributes to their definition Copyright by AKESHA MONIQUE HORTON 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely grateful for the wisdom and diligence of my dissertation committee: Michigan State University Drs.
    [Show full text]
  • Flip the Script
    Flip the Script European Hip Hop and the Politics of Postcoloniality J. Griffith Rollefson The University of Chicago Press Chicago & London Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction: Hip Hop as Postcolonial Art and Practice 1 1 · “J’accuse”: Hip Hop’s Postcolonial Politics in Paris 19 2 · Nostalgia “En noir et blanc”: Black Music and Postcoloniality from Sefyu’s Paris to Buddy Bolden’s New Orleans 34 3 · Musical (African) Americanization: Strategic Essentialism, Hybridity, and Commerce in Aggro Berlin 55 4 · Heiße Waren: Hot Commodities, “Der Neger Bonus,” and the Commercial Authentic 79 5 · M.I.A.’s “Terrorist Chic”: Black Atlantic Music and South Asian Postcolonial Politics in London 93 6 · Marché Noir: The Hip Hop Hustle in the City of Light 139 7 · “Wherever We Go”: UK Hip Hop and the Deformation of Mastery 164 8 · “Straight Outta B.C.”: Différance, Defness, and Juice Aleem’s Precolonial Afrofuturist Critique 194 Conclusion: Hip Hop Studies and/as Postcolonial Studies 226 Notes 245 Bibliography 267 Discography and Videography 281 Index 283 Audio, video, and other resources are posted on this book’s companion website: www.europeanhiphop.org Introduction Hip Hop as Postcolonial Art and Practice Striving to be both European and black requires some specific forms of double con­ sciousness. By saying this I do not mean to suggest that taking on either or both of the unfinished identities necessarily exhausts the subjective resources of any particular in­ dividual. However, where racist, nationalist, or ethnically absolutist discourses orches­ trate political relationships so that these identities appear to be mutually exclusive, oc­ cupying the space between them or trying to demonstrate their continuity has been viewed as a provocative and even oppositional act of political insubordination.
    [Show full text]
  • Sonic Modernities of Our Present By
    Remixing Relationality: ‘Other/ed’ Sonic Modernities of our Present by Mark V. Campbell A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Sociology and Equity Studies Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Mark V. Campbell 2010 Remixing Relationality: ‘Other/ed’ Sonic Modernities of our Present Doctor of Philosophy 2010 Mark V. Campbell Sociology and Equity Studies University of Toronto Abstract Far from simply playing music, the turntable has, in recent decades, been transformed into a musical instrument. Those that play these new instruments, called Turntablists, alter existing sounds to produce new sonic arrangements, exceeding the assumed use value of the turntable. The turntable’s transformation from record player to instrument captures one of the ways in which Afrosonic sound making activities refuse to conform to existing paradigms of music making in the western world. Throughout the African diaspora, it has been the musics from various regions and nations that continually capture the attention of the world’s music connoisseurs. This dissertation examines the ways in which careful consideration of the sonic innovations in Afrodiasporic cultures produce alternative paradigms through which we might analyze contemporary life. The following chapters interrogate turntablism, remix culture and hip hop music as subtexts that elaborate a foundational narrative of Afrodiasporic life. These subtexts are used as tools to examine the various ethnoscapes of Black Canadian life, official multiculturalism and notions of home within the African diaspora in Canada. The dominant narrative of the African diaspora explored in this work, housed within the sonic, elaborates a relational conception of freedom and modernity born out of the ii particularities of Afrodiasporic life in the west.
    [Show full text]
  • Syllabus AFA 4370 - Global Hip-Hop Cultures GENERAL INFORMATION
    Do not copy without the express written consent of the instructor. Syllabus AFA 4370 - Global Hip-Hop Cultures GENERAL INFORMATION Instructor: Noelle Theard Phone: (305) 348-6860 Ofce: Virtual Ofce Hours: By Appointment E-mail: ntheard@fiu.edu Website: https://africana.fiu.edu/people/adjunct- faculty/noelle-theard/ Course Description And Purpose This course examines how youth across the globe use hip-hop culture(s) to articulate identities, challenge the socio-political and economic status quo, and fight for civil and human rights. This is a Discipline-specific Global Learning course that counts toward your graduation requirement. This course is an exploration of hip-hop culture as it takes shape in different locations around the world. Particular attention will be paid to the transnational, geopolitical, and popular cultural vibrancy of the networks that hip-hop wields to build specific cultural communities in given national and global contexts. The linkages of hip hop to Diaspora networks will be examined throughout the various sections of the course. The course will also provide a space for the discussion of a number of specific questions about hip hop cultures globally: the role of women, the intergenerational divides, and the usurping power of multinational entertainment corporations, among others. The goal is to provide students with a better understanding of how hip-hop has grown out of a rich legacy of transnational intellectualism, and how it is inspiring new forms of scholarship and political activism. We will trace the history of hip-hop by reading key theoretical texts from African Diaspora studies and Black studies scholars.
    [Show full text]
  • Chartmetric, Has Been Working Toward Since We Started in 2016: Providing a Unique Window Into the Artists, Playlists, and Music Culture Behind What You Do Every Day
    6MO: Semi-Annual Global Music Industry Data Report | 1 CHART METRIC SEMI- ANNUAL Global Music Industry Data Report JANUARY - JUNE 2019 CHART METRIC 6MO: Semi-Annual Global Music Industry Data Report | 1 Note From the Founder/CEO SUNG CHO FOUNDER/CEO Dear reader, What you’re about to page through is a music industry report for the six-month period of January to June 2019. Consider it our view of today’s music streaming and social landscape. It’s what our music analytics startup, Chartmetric, has been working toward since we started in 2016: providing a unique window into the artists, playlists, and music culture behind what you do every day. We’ve collected, cleaned, organized, and visualized data from more than 20 sources for 1.7M+ artists and 1.1M+ playlists relevant to the global music scene — from YouTube to Instagram, Spotify to Shazam, Apple, and beyond. We do our best to communicate insights in a digestible way, because — let’s admit it — music data can be confusing! So, sit back and take a break from the inbox, or play hooky from your meetings for three minutes. I think you might find today’s digital environment even more fascinating after browsing a bit. And when you want to learn more, all you have to do is say hi on our socials, listen to our podcast, or dig deeper with a free Chartmetric account. Thanks for checking out our first semi-annual report,6MO . We’ll be a click away, helping you make smarter and faster decisions with your music data.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Hip-Hop En Français'
    05,1 I 2020 Archiv für Textmusikforschung Alain-Philippe Durand (ed.): ‘Hip-Hop en français’. An Exploration of Hip-Hop Culture in the Francophone World. Lanham/Boulder/New York/London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. ISBN 9781538116326. 233 pages. Alain-Philippe Durand is not a new name in Hip-Hop Studies, on the contrary: In 2002, his essay collection Black, Blanc, Beur: Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture in the Francophone World, the first comprehensive English-language study of rap and hip-hop in the French-speaking world, was highly acclaimed by critics. Today, experts in popular culture owe him recogni- tion for a second volume, also exclusively in English, which takes up the thread of the first, but spins it out in a new way. ‘Hip-Hop en français’. An Exploration of Hip-Hop Culture in the Francophone World includes a foreword, an introduction and 13 articles from a wide range of disciplines. Some of the contributors are the same as in the first essay collection, and in some cases they deal with similar questions, so that reading both books ‘crosswise’ gives rise to new perspectives on the current volume and, in retrospect, to new chronologies. Moreover, the contributors cover different – and often several – professional fields, from freelance researcher to university professor, museum curator, journalist, and even rapper and organiser of hip-hop concerts. This diversity of expertise, professional know-how and artistic experience allows for a highly diversified approach to the complex subject matter – possibly the only viable one, since rap and hip-hop refer to nothing less than “the aesthetic, social, intellectual, and political identities, beliefs, behaviors, and values produced and embraced by its members, who generally think of hip-hop as an identity, a worldview, and a ‘way of life’” (x, quoting Morgan and Bennett 2011).
    [Show full text]
  • From Street to Stage: Hip-Hop, the History of an Artification Through the Example of Farid Berki
    Arab Stages https://arabstages.commons.gc.cuny.edu From Street to Stage: Hip-hop, the History of an Artification through the Example of Farid Berki From Street to Stage: Hip-hop, the History of an Artification throug h the Example of Farid Berki By Omar Fertat Arab Stages, Volume 7 (Fall, 2017) ©2017 by Martin E. Segal Theatre Center Publications This essay follows my interests in questions of otherness and the relationships of the performing arts in the West with the Arab world. In pursuing a study of the dancer and choreographer Radhouane el Meddeb,[1] I became interested in the French dance scene where the Tunisian artist developed. And inevitably, given my considerable interest in anything that directly or indirectly involves Arab artists or artists of Arab origin, I was struck by the clear and strong presence of artists emigrating from the Maghreb within this artistic world. Indeed, some of these artists occupied important and prestigious positions at the center of French cultural institutions: Kader Attou has been the director of the national dance center of La Rochelle since 2008, Mourad Merzouki that of Créteil and Val de Marne since 2009. I was intrigued by this circumstance since, except the field of comedy and stand-up comedy in particular, very rarely have artists from Maghreb gained such visibility. 1 / 19 Arab Stages https://arabstages.commons.gc.cuny.edu Radhouane el Meddeb. Photo: Agence Poupency The first factor in common among all these cultural actors, in addition to their ethnic origin, is that they all belong to the same part of society: they grew up in the cities and suburbs of France.
    [Show full text]
  • Ban on British Cars to Be Challenged in Court
    News: EULEX Officers Caught ‘Smuggling’ Out of Kosovo April 23 - May 6, 2010 Issue No. 38 www.prishtinainsight.com Now on sale for € 1 Pacolli Builds NEWS Poor Mansion Infrastructure Outside Keeps Kosovo Off Prishtina Tourist Map Pacolli’s large villa is sur- > page 4 rounded by a two metre high wall. It is being built by his construction com- pany Mabetex, which has been involved in a number of high profile contracts in BUSINESS the former Soviet Union Kosovo Failing and Kosovo. See Page 6 to Meet Green Energy Targets Ban on British Cars to be > page 5 GUIDE Get the Paintball Challenged in Court Rolling The people of a village where a third of locals own right-hand-drive UK cars have mounted a legal challenge to a July > page 10 2009 ruling which banned such vehicles from the roads. already have a Kosovo-registered 2008, and in 2009 another 1,006 According to article three of the FOOD & DRINK By Petrit Collaku right-hand-drive car have been were brought in, despite the ban Constitution, the principle of Cantina AM-PM: required to make the modification, being introduced halfway though equality before the law was being ban on right-hand-dive cars which can cost up to 7,000 euro, the year. British second-hand cars violated, “because the people I rep- Stylish Mexican in in Kosovo is being chal- when they carry out their yearly are popular in Kosovo as they are resent have paid all the necessary lenged in the constitutional A registration of the car.
    [Show full text]
  • UCC Library and UCC Researchers Have Made This Item Openly Available
    UCC Library and UCC researchers have made this item openly available. Please let us know how this has helped you. Thanks! Title Le cauchemar de la France: Blackara's postcolonial hip hop critique in the City of Light Author(s) Rollefson, J. Griffith Editor(s) Saucier, Paul Khalil Publication date 2011-08 Original citation Rollefson, J. G. (2011) 'Le cauchemar de la France: Blackara's postcolonial hip hop critique in the City of Light', in Saucier, P. K. (ed.) Native Tongues: an African Hip-Hop Reader. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press. pp. 179-216. Type of publication Book chapter Link to publisher's http://africaworldpressbooks.com/native-tongues-an-african-hip-hop- version reader-edited-by-p-khalil-saucier/ Access to the full text of the published version may require a subscription. Rights © 2011, Paul Khalil Saucier. All rights reserved. Item downloaded http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4213 from Downloaded on 2021-10-02T16:44:49Z Le Cauchemar de la France: Blackara’s Postcolonial Hip Hop Critique in the City of Light J. Griffith Rollefson O-Dog c’était le negro le plus barge de la terre. Le cauchemar de l’Amérique: jeune, black et qu’en a rien à branler.1 -Menace II Society, 1993 (French Dubbed Version) It was early April in Paris when I received a reply from the rap duo Blackara in my MySpace inbox. I had met the two MCs, Xiao Venom and Mani Peterson, a week earlier at the studios of Radio Plurielle [Pluralist Radio] in Paris’s 19th Arrondissement where they dropped in to promote an upcoming concert.
    [Show full text]
  • News from France June 2012 a Free Monthly Review of French News & Trends Hollande Makes First Visit to U.S
    Vol. 12.04 News From France June 2012 A free monthly review of French news & trends Hollande Makes First Visit to U.S. as President In a whirlwind start as France’s President of the Republic, François Hollande took strides along the international stage during a four-day visit to the United States on May 18 through 21. Mr. Hollande, who had been inaugurated into office just three days previously, visited Washington and Chicago in what was his first trip outside of Europe as a head of state. He was greeted by U.S. President Barack Obama the morning of Friday, May 18, for a bilateral meeting in the White House’s Oval Office. Accompanied by senior- level staff, the two enjoyed a cordial first encounter that included policy discus- sions on subjects including Afghanistan, the euro currency zone, and a less serious aside between Mssrs. Hollande and Obama cheeseburgers. After leaving the White House, Mr. Hollande met with Prime Minister David Cameron. The UK’s highest elected official was also in Washington for the Group of Eight (G8) Summit the following day at Camp David, Maryland. Organized in 2008 with leadership from France as a response to the global financial crisis, the G8 regularly gathers the world’s eight largest economies to coordinate global eco- nomic stability. A press conference was held later the same afternoon at the French embassy in Washington with 80 French and international journalists present. Mr. Hollande then met with the French community in Washington at the embassy, with whom he dicussed the election, his plans for the next five years, and expressed his thanks for the French community’s support.
    [Show full text]