Journalist at RFI (ex-DW, BBC, CBC, F24...), writer (on art, music, street art...), I work in radio, podcasting, online, on films.
As a writer, I'm a contributor to the New Arab, Art UK, Byline Times, the i paper...
Born in Paris, I was also based in Prague, Miami, London, Nairobi (covering East Africa), Bangui, and in Bristol, UK. I also reported from Italy, Germany, Haiti, Tunisia, Liberia, Senegal, India, Mexico, Iraq, South Africa...
This blog is to share my work and cultural discoveries.
Sad day for Europe. All these discussions and so very few words spent in order to really improve people's life...
Here is a declaration that eases the pain a little, honest words:
The Green party says Brexit will not make Britain fairer. It has issued this response to the triggering of article 50, from the Green MEP Molly Scott Cato.
Theresa May’s talk of a fairer society stands in stark contrast to her actions. Charging ahead with an extreme Brexit while dragging the rest of the UK with her is no way to ensure an equal Britain that has a productive relationship with its European neighbours.
May’s blustery optimism about her ambitions for the UK after Brexit cannot mask the incredible challenges we face. She failed to even mention the environment or climate change, despite it being the largest shared threat we face.
The statement repeatedly referenced the potential benefits for our children and grandchildren but the next generation has the most to lose as we hurtle towards an unknown future outside the EU.
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Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland:
Anti-Brexit campaigners have marched on the Stormont parliament in Northern Ireland to voice concerns about the future of free border movement.
The demonstration included the erection of mock customs checkpoints to highlight fears about a hardening of the Irish border when the UK leaves the EU.
The 300-strong protest came amid a political crisis at Stormont that has left the region without a devolved government as the Brexit process formally commenced.
They chanted “no borders, no barriers, no Brexit” as they made their way up the landmark main avenue to the steps of Parliament Buildings.
While Sinn Fein and the SDLP joined the colourful picket, elsewhere unionists welcomed the triggering of article 50.
The majority of voters in Northern Ireland backed Remain - 56% to 44%.
The full line-up for M.I.A.Meltdown is now announced!!!
9 JUN - 18 JUN
M.I.A. curates the 24th Meltdown. Sri Lankan-born and London-bred, she is recognised worldwide as a rapper, producer, director, visual artist and activist.
The award-winning trio, Young Fathers, bring their raw energy and unique sound to a show especially created for Meltdown.
WHERE
Royal Festival Hall
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Rapper, producer, director and visual artist M.I.A. will curate the 24th Meltdown festival from 9 – 18 June 2017.
Launched 25 years ago, the festival is famed for bringing to life the world of its curator, counting Patti Smith, David Bowie, Yoko Ono, David Byrne, Ray Davies, Morrissey, Massive Attack and Ornette Coleman amongst those that have held the position.
Having been nominated for an Academy Award, two Grammy Awards and a Mercury Prize, M.I.A.’s accolade-studded musical career spans 13 years, five albums, and has defied stylistic genres, with influences ranging from nu rave and dancehall to hip-hop from around the world. M.I.A.’s vast list of collaborators includes Diplo, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Jay Z and Lil Wayne.
Challenging convention
M.I.A., real name Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam, was named in 2009 as a defining artist of the decade by Rolling Stone and an influential person by both Time and Esquire, her artistic projects aim to challenge convention. Her Top 20 track Paper Planes, questions immigrant stereotypes and was featured on the soundtrack of Danny Boyle’s hit film Slumdog Millionaire, and her later music videos for Bad Girls and Born Free, directed by Romain Gavras, were critically acclaimed and politically polarising.
As well as a musician, M.I.A. is a director, visual artist, activist, photographer, fashion designer and model. She spearheaded a clothes recycling project with high-street brand H&M and her first public exhibition of art was nominated for an Alternative Turner Prize. The single, Borders, from her latest album AIM tackles the European refugee crisis, particularly in the track’s video that she herself directed. M.I.A. has earned a reputation for innovation – leading to a Meltdown this year with more than a few surprises.
For me this Meltdown will be about putting on a musical week that shows different types of music which have inspired each other to exist. Genres that support other genres, redefining the concept of a melting pot. Respect the history, don’t live in it. I plan to bring together music’s best forward thinkers who have contributed to all our lives. When music acts as inspiration, it’s boundary-less.
M.I.A.
Jude Kelly, Artistic Director at Southbank Centre, said: ‘It’s not often that we encounter such an unbridled creative force, excelling in whichever field they try their hand. M.I.A. has not just broken barriers as a musician, creating music that is embraced the world over, but she has made art her rallying cry – and has stayed true to her conviction, as an artist, woman and citizen of the world.’
Bengi Unsal, Senior Contemporary Music Programmer at Southbank Centre, said: ‘In a progressively polarised world, we are now appreciating those that don't fear standing out and those that defy moulds. M.I.A. is fearless in the way she pushes boundaries and makes music that is so refreshingly original that it effectively doesn't age. Her ever-evolving, yet readily identifiable musical style inspires people to dance, whilst giving a voice to the voiceless, from refugee camps in Africa through to London's streets. M.I.A. is a trend setter and social critic, but most importantly, an internationally loved and acclaimed musical star.’
Get moving to Afrikan Boy’s fusion of hip-hop, dance, Grime and Afrobeat. With sharp and multi-dimensional lyrics that encompass everything from UK slanguistics to Naija Pidgin, Afrikan Boy knows how to get his point across.
Expect the bass-heavy sounds of urban London and the rhythmic beats of Nigeria in this late night Meltdown party.
And their first album, recently released, Brutalism.
Listen here:
IDLES - 'MOTHER'
Published on 24 Feb 2017
The video was shot at Dilston Grove, one of CGP London's 2 galleries in the heart of Southwark Park in south London. CGP is an artist-led gallery founded in 1984 by The Bermondsey Artists' Group.
They commission major artworks by artists at all stages of their career. Its a vital part of London's art scene offering space and support that no-one else can across two stunning galleries.
Its an amazing cavernous raw space that hosts a lot of performance, music and live art. They rent it out in between shows to get the crucial funding they need to keep supporting artists. There's nowhere quite like it!
Dilston is one of the first poured concrete structures in the UK, built in 1909 by Cambridge University. It had been derelict since the 60s until the gallery took it on. There'd been a mission church on that site since 1896 after Bishop of Rochester, Edward Stuart TALBOT decided Cambridge should have a post in South London to support the poor.
IDLES met as a quintet at the death of the indie scene in Bristol and began making visceral and sometimes unlistenable post-punk to a growing crowd. They began with their own club night Batcave and practicing religiously until they felt they had found their sound and their live show; with that in check they have now completed their first album and are savaged in hunger to play their music. They want to give themselves and their art to the audience in a concise and violent way unrivalled by their peers. They have no qualms in terrifying and entertaining in the same breath. They celebrate their influences in a vitriolic and belligerent sound that is both familiar and new. They are a nose-bleed on the ears and they're here to show you they care. -
IDLES are one of the few Bristol bands who have made a spectrum of impressions over the past 7 years.
I first met the band when I worked at The Old Duke in town. Their lead singer, Joe Talbot, hocked up a huge handful of phlegm and presented it to me like a gift. My eyes watered, my stomach churned and I was nothing short of enraged. 7 years later, Joe has crafted lyrics to songs which do exactly the same thing. Brutalism is the embodiment of rage, disgust, stomach churning accounts of inequality but is a gift to those who accept it for what it is. A huge middle finger to the status quo of society and a screaming hug for those affected by it.
Idles are fundamentally known for their aggressive approach to current affairs and have present political issues rarely seen in other bands from this city. The song ‘Mother’ highlights the struggles of women to balance work and Motherhood but also the underlying everyday sexism we have all grown used to with lyrics like ‘sexual violence doesn’t start or end with rape//it starts in our books and behind our school gates.’
Their song writing has built stamina which is paralleled by their following. The band are currently embarking on a 20 date tour which is a surprise to some as their new Album -Brutalism, aside from a few cryptic tweets and Facebook posts, seemingly came from nowhere.
So how did they go from playing the usual venues packed out mainly by their social circle to selling out cities and selling an album before it even launched?
Bristol music history: The sound of pioneers: the post-punk band Glaxo Babies, in the late 1970s Glaxo Babies - 'This Is Your Life'
Let's make of this song an anti "Grim version of Brexit" anthem!! The Last Shadow Puppets - This is your life (Glaxo Babies cover), live @E-Werk Cologne 27/6/16
Lyrics This is your life This is your life Crying in the subway Lying to your wife This is your life
Cold on the outside Empty inside Talk to yourself on the escalator This is your life
Make a list of things to do and do them This is your life Such a boring story This is your life
Cool on the surface Hollow inside Talk to yourself in the elevator This is your life This is your life
This is your life This is your life Crying in the subway Lying to your wife This is your life
Cold on the surface Hollow inside Read your copy of Death of a Salesman Must remember the wife Must remember the wife
New song from the Bristol Boy Tricky, as he's playing in the new adaptation of Ghost In The Shell:
Tricky - 'Escape'
[Music Inspired By Ghost In The Shell]
Published on 21 Mar 2017
From ‘Ghost in the Shell (Music Inspired By the Motion Picture)’ available March 31st. Pre-order and get instant tracks now: https://ghostintheshell.lnk.to/album
GHOST IN THE SHELL starring Scarlett Johansson opens in theaters nationwide on March 31, 2017.
In the near future, Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals. When terrorism reaches a new level that includes the ability to hack into people’s minds and control them, Major is uniquely qualified to stop it. As she prepares to face a new enemy, Major discovers that she has been lied to: her life was not saved, it was stolen. She will stop at nothing to recover her past, find out who did this to her and stop them before they do it to others. Based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese Manga, “The Ghost in the Shell.”
This video is an illustration of my idea of greatness. And it reflects, to me, the importance of the adjective "united".
Who still consider this word?
"United" Kingdom.
European "Union".
Is there anything "united" still about them? About us?
Union, nonetheless, is our core nature, as living beings. We are nothing without each other, humans, nature, animals, oxygen, astral bodies... We are all related. Existing together. United.
But only humans are, everyday, forgetting it, destroying things, and creating chaos.
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We live in difficult times. And growing up in the 1980s, 70s, 60s, most of us were badly prepared for this, experiencing, here in Europe I mean, peaceful times.
Of course, it was an illusion, the so-called "Cold War". Now, since 1991, we have been experiencing new wars, but different wars, remote wars, where most casualties are touched in far-away lands. Beautiful lands, sister lands, but that in the West, in dominant former empires, we chose to only use and destroy.
What is left of "Man" in our humanity? Especially now that firms have built up enough robots and machines to replace ourselves? What is still human in Humans?
This is what artists are asking and exploring more than ever.
This is where we are. And why I'm sharing this short video.
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United Visual Artists reflect on human and artificial intelligence in a project inspired by Alan Turing.
Illuminating: Man and Machine
Illuminating: Man and Machine
Alan Turing is the inspiration for a study of human and artificial intelligence by art and design group United Visual Artists
In the third and final episode of our Illuminating series, a trilogy of films showcasing a range of innovative installations by London-based art and design group UVA, co-founder Matt Clark explores the grey area between the natural and the technological.
“Matt Clark explores the grey area between the natural and the technological”
With a focus on UVA's permanent light installation, Message From the Unseen World—a memorial to pioneering British codebreaker and computer scientist Alan Turing, set under a bridge in London—this episode ultimately explores the deeper enigma of being human.
In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends – Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript, which is narrated here by Samuel L Jackson.
Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.
