« Un baiser », vient de dire sa mère au téléphone. Aleixo rêve d’aller la retrouver en Espagne.

Il parviendra enfin à s’envoler vers ce qu’il croit être le paradis, grâce à son travail dans les champs et sur les chantiers de construction.

Mais il se rendra vite compte qu’il n’est pas facile d’échapper à sa condition. Ses amours dissolues, ses passions tous azimuts, ses joies intenses et ses déceptions profondes, finiront-elles par le perdre ?

Ce roman de fiction, inspiré de témoignages réels, illustre sans fard le choc des cultures et met l’accent sur une difficile compréhension entre deux mondes trop différents, celui du pays d’accueil et celui de l’immigré.

In December 2008, I returned to Chennai, India for the first time in 12 years. The minute I felt the thick humidity and sandy dust even in the midst of cool winter, it was like coming home.

But a decade changes any place. Lattice Bridge Road, the main road off the street where I had lived in Thiruvanmiyur, was nearly unrecognizable. If you asked me to give directions to my favorite bookstore Odyssey, which still existed, I could no longer do it. The roads were overflowing with cars, traffic was exponentially worse, and once plentiful bicycles were few and far between. I used to bike to nearby destinations every now and then just for fun – I’d never risk it now.

I think the most startling changes were the ascending of tall glass tower buildings, the kind you see in technology parks, which were almost all call centers, the disappearance of slums (I think they were just hidden or pushed out), and the profusion of cell phones – everyone, rich and poor, seemed to have one. At least at the urban level, there appeared to be some breaking of inter-generational cycles of poverty.

I lived in this chaotic metropolis for three years in the mid 90s. Even then it was a bustling city of four million (the population has since doubled), a drastic contrast from the manicured spaces of suburbia I had inhabited in Georgia. At the time there, the uphill battle had been proving I was American, whereas, in India, I couldn’t downplay my U.S. nationality if I tried.

I went to a school that was run by Christians, so we had a daily assembly which ended with the singing of a hymn. I even had a hymn book – in fact, you were thrown out of line if you didn’t have it in your pocket. We were otherwise totally secular and multireligious. The student body was almost evenly split between Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, so we got out for all of the holidays. And instead of snow days, we had rain days during monsoon season, as the streets were sometimes so flooded that I dreamed of kayaking down them.

We had school from 8 a.m. to 1:40 p.m., with only a 15 minute break in-between. I was picked up by our driver and at home by 2 p.m. I would have lunch, breathe, change, and would be out the door again by 3:15 p.m. in order to make it to my 4 p.m. French class downtown at the Alliance Française. The journey took me 45 minutes. It takes well over an hour now. My peers in French class were mostly college kids – sometimes they took me out for ice cream after class. There were of course no cell phones, so I would ask the administrative office for a favor and call home hastily to let my mother know I would be late. I was 12 and 13 years old. Our poor driver was also my ad-hoc chaperon.

In many ways, my social life was far more vibrant and free than the one I had before, and more than the one that would follow later in high school. I had an unprecedented level of mobility. With my school friends, I was always going to houses, lunches, and dinners and parties in malls, recreational clubs, and restaurants in the city centre. I was quite aware I was moving in high circles compared to people living in abject poverty around me. This troubled me – in fact, I think the knowledge of this disparity pervaded so much into my conscious, I would later gravitate towards work in international development. Even then, I placed a high premium on my freedom and independence. I had a bicycle, a purple Huffy mountain bike, which looked ridiculously out of place on the streets of Chennai, where bicycles were colored neutrally and built for speed and transport, high and with thin wheels. But the bike served me well across the uneven roads. Amidst great protest and total lack of understanding as to why I’d used it for transport when I had access to an air-conditioned car, I would bike to stores, to my math tutor’s house for classes, and on occasion to a friend’s house.

I would bike to vegetable markets and convenience stores to fetch groceries for my mother if no one else was around, picking up a bar of Nestle Crunch or Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut as my prize. Consumer choice was somewhat limited. I think toothpaste choice was generally confined to Colgate. At a time when quality baked goods were rare, I would run all over town to find the best cakes. Though, as the years went by, the presence of international products increased. It was the beginning of trade liberalization, market reforms, and deregulation of television and radio. Now you can get anything and everything you want. No need to smuggle Head & Shoulders shampoo and VCRs through customs, as we used to do.

Could I live here again? Of course. Chennai is modern, yet as my friend who I met with whom I had not seen in 12 years noted, it has managed to maintain its “rustic” quality in comparison to Mumbai. I was sitting outside at a café on Arundel Beach Road in Besant Nagar with her, chatting as we used to chat, enjoying a strawberry milkshake, and I felt completely in place. The only thing that truly bothered me was that with the traffic and lack of sidewalks, the main roads were not very safe to walk on anymore. I nearly got run over by a few auto rickshaws. I hesitated to come back for a decade, and I could take it no longer. I will never let another 12 years pass. My heart currently resides in Atlanta; I left a huge chunk of it in London and go back regularly; but I also think I left a part of it in Chennai.

Rangashankara

Project S.T.R.I. P

Date  -  13/November/2009       Friday      Date  -  2.30 PM and 7.30 PM

• English, 110 min
• Play Writer : Ram Ganesh Kamatham
• Direction : Q
• Troupe : Q Theatre Productions, Mumbai
• Website : www.indianstage.in

Project S.T.R.I. P

An ambitious corporate! An indigenous tribe! A rebel group! A comedy! Project S.T.R.I.P. is a comic satire on the irreversible consequences of development on the environment and the human race. The play tells the story of the discovery of a native island community and their eventual extinction in the path of ‘progress and trade’. Furthermore, it questions our notions of primitive vs. civilized, savage vs. evolved and spiritual vs. empirical.

____________________________________________________________

Alliance Francaise

A Funny Thing Called War

Date  -  13/November/2009               Friday              Date  -  8.00 PM

Alliance Francaise de Bangalore
No. 108, Thimmaiah Road,
Vasanthnagar
Bangalore

A Funny Thing Called War

A Funny Thing Called War – Play. There’s humour in everything around us. And what better proof than this laughter riot of a play, set bang in the middle of World War – I. Titled ‘A Funny Thing Called War’, this play by Tahatto brings on stage, one of the most loved fictional characters in British entertainment history – Captain Blackadder, along with the quirkiest, unlikeliest, and most lovable bunch of characters you’ll ever see. This play explores the simplicity of the early 1900s and the absurdity of war.

___________________________________________________________

Rangashankara

All’s well…?

Date  -  24/October/2009            Saturday            Time  -  7.30 PM

• Kannada, 95 min
• Play Writer : Sundar/ Laxmi Chandrashekar
• Direction : Pramod Shiggaon
• Troupe : Kriyative Theatre, Bangalore
• Website : www.indianstage.in

All’s well…?

The play revolves round the antics of a middle-aged couple, Bhageerathi and Kapanipathi, whose children are grown up and live in distant cities. As they squabble over petty domestic matters, they receive letters from their son and daughter. While the son has written to invite them over to Bombay for the coming Deepavali, their artist-daughter, who has married to a gentleman from France, announces her desire to bring her husband home. Bhageerathi sees the visit to Bombay as a long-awaited opportunity to exercise her power as the mother-in-law, while Kapineepathi wants to subject his French son-in-law through the torture he has experienced during his first Deepavali at the in-laws’ house. But both of them are in for surprises.

_________________________________________________________________

Alliance Francaise

[SIC] - English Play

Saturday              Date  -  24th October                Time  -  4:30PM & 7:30PM

Director : Sharanya Ramprakash

Play Wright : Melissa Gibson

Venue: Alliance Francaise,
Bengaluru

Ticket Price: Rs.150

[SIC] - English Play

[sic] takes place primarily in the doorways and shared hallway of three neighbouring apartments. Meet Theo, the desperate & edgy amusement park ride theme music composer, the struggling and ever-broke writer Babette, and Frank, the queer, happy-go-lucky aspiring auctioneer. See them humorously trudge through the haunting morass of everyday drudgery and the biting emptiness of big city life. Watch, as the three of them come together to discuss, flirt, argue, share their dreams and plan their futures with unequal degrees of deep hopefulness and abject despair.
[sic], chosen as one of the Best American Plays of 2001-2002, is a neurotic, bittersweet comedy about the “quarter-life crisis”, and unfolds as three lives collide in one common corridor.

About Dramanon:
Dramanon (Dramatist Anonymous) was founded in 1991 and originally comprised of faculty members and students from Manipal University of Higher Education (MAHE) who shared a common passion for theatre. A few alumni of Dramanon, Manipal who are now full-time professionals, helped Dramanon spread its wings by establishing chapters in Bangalore & Hyderabad. Since 2006, Dramanon Bangalore has frequently staged plays at both Ranga Shankara & Alliance De Francaise. Dramanon’s recent plays are : “The Original Last Wish Baby” , “Pizzazz” & “Alarms & Excursions”.

____________________________________________________

]]> http://newshyderabad.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/events-in-hyderabad-today-2/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:31:36 +0000 seoforever http://newshyderabad.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/events-in-hyderabad-today-2/

Art
Artists’ Collection Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  4 p.m. Mystic Inspirations, Plot No.33, Banjara Hills. An exhibition of paintings by various artists like Suman Roy, Arif, Jaya Baheti, Deeraj Chodhary and Kishan will be on display.
Fragrance Of Life Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  6 p.m. Diara Art Gallery, 100A, Banjara Petals, Road No.5, Banjara Hills. An exhibition of figurative paintings on human life, by renowned artist Sukanta Das will be on display.
Unfolding The Raga Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  7 p.m. ICONART Gallery, 1672, SBI Building, Road No.12, Banjara Hills. An exhibition of paintings by Sanju jain will be on display.
Nano Art – Gulbarga Series Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  6 p.m. Diara Art Gallery, 100A, Banjara Petals, Road No.5, Banjara Hills. An exhibition of paintings by various artists like Bhavna, Chandrashekar, Menakshi, Radhika, Somesh, Jitendra and others will be on display.
Special Events
Diwali Dhamaka Thursday, October 15th, 2009. The Square, La Cantina, The Bar, The Deli, Sunset Lounge and Boulder Hills, Novotel Hyderabad, Hitech City, Madhapur. This Diwali, patrons who dine for Rs 1000, get a chance to win a Hyundai i20.
Eating Out
Lunch Buffet Thursday, October 15th, 2009. noon to  3 p.m. Sweet Nirvana, Plot No.105, Phase II, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur Sweet Nirvana is offering a variety of delicious continental cuisine which includes soups, salads along with the main course and desserts.
Evening Snacks Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 4 p.m. to  6 p.m. Promenade, Aditya Park, Ameerpet. An array of South and North Indian snacks and light meals at the Promenade.
Happy Hours Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 4 p.m. to  8 p.m. The Bar, Novotel Hyderabad Airport, Shamshabad. The Bar at Novotel is having happy hours, during when, they offer a complimentary drink on purchase of every drink.
Midnight Biryani Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11:30 p.m. to  3 a.m. Tulips, Hotel Greenpark, Greenlands, Begumpet. Tulips is serving an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian biryanis. Other delicacies like Haleem, Sheermal, Paneer Burjee and desserts are also available.
Southern Delicacies Thursday, October 15th, 2009. noon to  3 p.m. Deccan Pavilion, Hotel ITC The Kakatiya, Begumpet. The coffee shop is offering authentic Hyderabadi biryanis and delicious kebabs along with other Chinese and continental cuisines. Also on the menu are soups, salads, cold cuts, pastas and desserts.
Snacks and Desserts Buffet Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 4 p.m. to  7 p.m. Sweet Nirvana, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur. A variety of savory snacks such as chicken barbeque and desserts will be served along with lemonade.
Dim-Sum Festival Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 7:30 p.m. to  11:30 p.m. Strings, Taj Banjara, Road No.1, Banjara Hills. The menu consists of a wide-range of Dim Sums in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options like Baby Spinach and spring vegetables dim sum, Five spiced mushroom dim sum, Garlic and cabbage dim sum, Burnt garlic fish dim sum, Chicken dim sum, Crispy shrimps dim sum and delicious desserts from Executive Chef Hrudananda Behera.
Vegetarian Buffet Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 7 p.m. to  11 p.m. Venue, Quality Inn Residency, Nampally. The restaurant offers delicious south Indian vegetarian buffet, along with snacks and desserts for lunch and dinner.
Lunch Buffet Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 12:30 p.m. to  3 p.m. Tandoor, White House Building, Begumpet. An authentic North Indian buffet featuring peas pulao, paneer tikka, biryanis, desserts and more for lunch.
The Curry Bar Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 7:30 p.m. to  11:30 p.m. Spice Junxion, Taj Deccan, Road No.1, Banjara Hills. Executive Chef Sachin Joshi has prepared a menu for this unique food festival, which contains an array of most popular, authentic, spicy south Indian curries. They include a variety of chicken, fish, lamb and vegetable curries that are made using home-made spices and served with portions of Appams, Malabar Parathas, Dosas, and steamed rice. To name a few – the non-veg curries on offer will be Kozhi Chettinad, Kori Gassi, Meen da Kajippu, Kundapur Chicken, and Meen Moily, and among the veg curries Cauliflower, Alambo Arepu, Kaikari Chettinad and Gutthi Vankaya Kura will be served.
Oktoberfest Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 7 p.m. to  11 p.m. Fusion 9, 6-3-249/A, I Avenue, Road No.1, Banjara Hills. The traditional cuisine from Munich for the festival.
Anniversary Week Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 10 a.m. to  9 p.m. Sweet Nirvana, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur. Sweet Nirvana is celebrating its anniversary. Famous music bands like Plug-In and Almost September will perform today.
Gourmet Lunch Thursday, October 15th, 2009. noon to  3 p.m. Taj Deccan, Road.No1, Banjara Hills Arena launches gourmet lunch which features unlimited kebabs, grills, smoothies and much more.
Soul Food Thursday, October 15th, 2009. noon to  3 p.m. Thank God Its Friday, I Floor, RK Cineplex, Road No.2,Banjara Hills T.G.I Friday has a revamped menu in a new format. Some of the new dishes on the menu are Creole Slow roasted chicken, Southwest burger, Texas BBQ Chicken flat bread and many more.
Guiltfree Indulgence Thursday, October 15th, 2009. noon to  3 p.m. Little Italy, 275, Film Nagar Housing Society, Jubilee Hills Authentic Italian cuisine and a specially crafted menu for lunch, during the weekdays. Indulge into unlimited coups, salads, desserts, choice of starters, main course along with home made wheat pastas and pizzas.
Nightlife
House Music Night Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  1 a.m. Dublin, Hotel ITC The Kakatiya, Opp. to Walden, Begumpet Rocking party tracks by in-house DJ Daman.
From Goa With Love Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Seasons Bar, Taj Krishna, Road No.1, Banjara Hills. Singer Wahida belts out hit songs from 70s, 80s to latest chart busters.
Russian Melodies Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Atrium Bar, Taj Deccan, Road No.1, Banjara Hills. Russian singer Polina will perform at the bar. She is versatile and covers a wide variety of world styles, from contemporary popular repertoire to retro and hip-hop.
Sin’Derella Nights Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Excess, Novotel Hyderabad, Hitech City, Madhapur. In-house DJ will spin house. lounge and funk music tonight, for the ladies.
Ladies Night Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 9 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Enigma, Hotel Minerva Grand, Secunderabad. DJs Shame and Mani will entertain the crowd with hip-hop and desi music tonight.
Mid-week Hip-Hop Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 9 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Twister Resto Bar, Shrishti Towers, Above Pizza Hut, Madhapur. Hip-hop and reggae all night with the in-house DJ.
Gurls Night Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 9 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Soul, Saphire Square, Somajiguda. Rafiq and Joe will play house, progressive, underground, techno and rock music tonight.
Martini Nights Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. The Bar, Novotel Hyderabad, Hitech City, Madhapur. Relish the martinis and other exotic drinks while the DJ plays soothing music at the Bar.
Commercial Music Night Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Rattle and Hum, IV Floor, Jaya Chambers, Plot No.102, Road No.36, Jubilee Hills. DJ Swadeep is all set to play house, rock commercial and trance music tonight.
Karaoke Nights Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. 10 Downing Street, Lifestyle Building, Kundanbagh. A night of karaoke music from DJ Ananth. Accompanying him will be DJ Rahul with the best of hip-hop and rock music.
Hip-Hop Night Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Venom, Lumbini Jewel Mall, Road No.2, Banjara Hills. Latest hip-hop and house music by DJ Shekar and visual effects by DJ V Sai. Drinks will be on the house for the ladies.
Rock and Retro Night Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Xtreme Sports Bar, Plot No.76, III and IV Floor, Bear Image Gardens, Madhapur. DJ Kranthi will play rock, retro and house music tonight. Watch CLT20 match between Victorian Bushrangers and Wayamba Elevens and Diamond Eagles and Sussex Sharks, live on large screen.
Ladies Night Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 9 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Firangi Paani, City Centre Mall, Road No.1, Banjara Hills. In-house DJs Christy and Amar are all set to play rock, retro, house and desi tonight. Drinks will be on the house for the ladies.
Club Nights Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 8 p.m. to  11:45 p.m. Liquids Again, Bhaskar Plaza, Road No.1, Banjara Hills. DJ Ajay will play house, hip-hip and Bollywood music tonight.
Exhibitions
Chocolate Exhibition Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 10 a.m. to  7 p.m. Chocokraft, Jayabheri Silicon County, Kondapur. Chocokraft is having an exhibition cum sale of home made chocolates in exquisite gift packs.
Designer Collection Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. Oorja, 6-3-456/A/1,Model House, Beside Viswakarma Art Gallery, Punjagutta Oorja presents its festive collection of Kurtas and Tunics by an array of acclaimed designers.
Shopping
Season Sale Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  9 p.m. Planet Sports, Shop No.1-2, Afzia Towers, Opp. Lifestyle, Begumpet. The showroom is offering a 20% discount on apparel, footwear and other sports accessories for women and men.
Diwali Delight Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  9 p.m. Westside, Khan Lateef Khan Estates, fateh Maidan Road Westside is displaying gift vouchers on purchase of Apparel and accessories. Get a Cygnus diamond pendant free on shopping of worth Rs.10,000/-.
I Anniversary Celebrations Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. Sri Krishna Silks, 3-2-102, General Bazar Avail up to 100% cash back, gold and silver coins and assured gifts on every purchase, on the eve of the anniversary celebrations.
The Samruddhi Collection Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. 70, Opp. Topaz Building, Greenland, Panjagutta TBZ is displaying its new collection of Diamonds which have no making charges.
Kurta Festival – Eid Special Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  9 p.m. New Meena Bazar, Abids. The store is has an exclusive range of reviting kurtas, pyjamas and sherwanis, featuring Lucknowi, Chikandari, Kashmiri works, Brocades and thread embroidery in exotic range of colors and designs. The fabrics used to create these masterpieces include plain cotton, crushed cotton, cotton silk, linen tissue silk and ploy silk.
Shopping Carnival Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  9 p.m. Novotel Hyderabad Airport, Shamshabad. With the advent of the festive season, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd., will be organizing the ‘Airport Festive Shopping Carnival’ at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. A host of special offers from the retailers and food and beverage outlets in the airport will be made available. Guests flying Jet Airways will be entitled to additional discounts at all these outlets, except the Landmark, on showing their boarding passes during the shopping festival.
Feel Gifted! Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  9 p.m. Lifestyle, Near White House, Kundanbagh. Lifestyle celebrates its tenth anniversary. Get offers on apparel, children’s wear, cosmetics, footwear and home furnishings during this festive season.
Diwali Utsav Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. Home Centre, Begumpet. Get up to 25% off on purchase of furniture, furnishings and decorative items during this festive season.
Designer Jewelry Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. Suhani Pittie, No.9, Midtown Banjara, Banjara Hills Suhani Puttie is announcing the arrival of the new range of jewelry, coins, diyas, silwerware and gifts.
Diwali Dhamaka Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  9 p.m. Furniture World, Plot No.1, Journalist Colony, Banjara Hills Get a complimentary gift on purchase of furniture here.
Festive Collection Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. Musaddilal Jewellers Exporters 6-3-679, Elite Plaza , Punjagutta Musaddilal Jewelers and Exporters launched designer jewelry collection for Diwali and Wedding season. The collection specializes in diamonds, Ruby, antique jewellery and many more.
End of Season Sale Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. Khazana, 1263, Jubilee hills Khazana presents end of season sale as a part of its 10th anniversary. Get up to 50% off on the entire range.
Dhanteras Offer Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 11 a.m. to  8 p.m. Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri, Regency House, 70, Greenland Road, Panjagutta Get 50% off on making charges of Gold and Diamond jewelery.
Workshops
Music Notation Reading Thursday, October 15th, 2009. 6:45 p.m. to  9 p.m. Alliance Francaise, Desk Edufrance, West Marredpally. Hyderabad Western Music Forum presents the second Music Notation Reading training course. The workshop is conducted by Joe Koster and Laure Menegoz. It is the second in the series by the Hyderabad Western Music Forum. The participants will learn the art of reading Western music notation.

]]> http://batster.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/a-f-k/ Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:18:58 +0000 batster http://batster.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/a-f-k/

“A.F.K stands for…Alliance Francais’e Karachi?”, I guessed.

But I was wrong -

It turns out, it stands for.. Away from Keyboard.

Nacera Belaza’s Le Cri, photo by Corinne Darde

Saturday’s opening celebration of Crossing the Line in Central Park was pretty soggy, but there are many more promising events – ones that don’t rely on good weather – as the festival continues through October 3^rd at various cultural institutions throughout New York City.

This week, in a co-production between Danspace Project and Crossing the Line, French-based Algerian choreographer Nacera Belaza will make her US debut.  Belaza and her sister, Dalila Belaza, will perform Le Cri, a duet that explores our desire for spirituality through minimal movement.  The piece is set to a range of music including Maria Callas and Amy Winehouse.  Le Cri runs from September 17^th through 19^th, 8 PM, at Danspace Project: 131 East 10^th Street at 2^nd Avenue, in St. Mark’s Church.  Tickets can be ordered at Danspace Project or by calling 866.811.4111.

African culture has from time immemorial been transmitted, from one generation to the other, through the spoken word. This goes to show why the fireside stories, often told by grandmothers, occupy such a central place in the African literary setting. The study of African literature is not complete without talking about oral literature. Some of the greatest African novelists trace the roots of their prowess from the stories they were told by their grandmothers when they were growing up. Here, Chinua Achebe of the Things Fall Apart fame comes to mind. Performance literature has, over time, undergone a transformation in tune with modern trends. Still, this form of art is highly cherished in Africa. Perhaps the finest form of performance literature are poetry recitals which come in various forms, ranging from poetry slam to spoken word. In a move to celebrate performance literature, the Kenya Cultural Centre, the Goethe Institut and Alliance Francaise will be holding a one-of-its-kind festival from 17 to 20 September, whose entry will be free.

Dubbed Jukwaani! the festival will feature a blend of the new and old as far as East African performance literature is concerned. The five-day event will also feature European-based African artistes as well as those from Europe. The performances will mostly be in English and Kiswahili. Among the personalities set to perform during the festival is German-based poet and scholar Abdilatif Abdalla. Most young Kenyan’s would not be immediately aware of Abdilatif nor his achievements. In literary circles, he is best known for his protest works. The Kenyatta regime jailed him after he wrote the book Kenya Twendapi? (Kenya; where are we headed?) This book criticised the Kenyatta government for its excesses and neo-colonial stance. He was actually charged with sedition. His other book, Sauti ya Dhiki (Voice of Agony), a collection of poetry was written while he was incarcerated at Kamiti Maximum Prison. It was basically agitating for the opening up of democratic space in Kenya. Sauti ya Dhiki went on to win the inaugural edition of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature in 1974 for the Kiswahili category. Ukoo Flani Mau Mau, better known for their lyrical prowess, will also be part of Jukwaani! attractions. Ukoo Flani, draw their inspiration and creativity from the day-to-day struggles in Nairobi slums. They are based in slums of Dandora. Best known as underground artistes, these Dandora-based hip-hoppers have chosen to remain true to their impoverished slum existence by shunning the more commercial forms of creativity. Theirs is the hard-hitting poetry that depicts typical life in the slums, their suffering, in the hands on corrupt authorities, as well as triumphs. They also document the negative side of life in the slum, like the effects of crime and drug abuse. Ukoo Flani are a direct contrast to the other form Kenya’s urban hip hop, which appears to celebrate materialism, commonly expressed in the form of flashy lifestyles and bling. Proceeds of their album Kilio cha Haki are going towards the creation of a permanent studio in Eastlands. This, they argue, will help to give young Kenyans a voice and demonstrates how hip hop and music can be an alternative to drugs and crime; a source of income; a means of voicing social and political protest. Truth be said Ukoo Flani boasts some of the finest urban poets in Kenya today, and it is their lyrical prowess that will be showcased at the festival. Tony Mochama, also known as the Literary Gangster, for his unconventional and often abrasive poetry, will also be performing at Jukwaani! The moniker Literary Gangster was inspired by the title of his book, What if I am a Literary Gangster, a collection of poetry. Other featured performers include Dalibor Markovic, Sheikh Ahmed Nabhany, Talking Drums of Africa, and Zamaleo, among others. While the example of Abdilatiff Abdalla goes to show that performance literature has been in existence for a long time, particularly among the Swahili people, the idea of performance poetry has caught up among urban youth in the last four years. Perhaps the best known is Open Mic poetry sessions organised on a monthly basis by Kwani Trust. The idea of Open Mic is borrowed from the American inspired Poetry Slam. Here a number of poets take to the stage to perform their poems and are awarded points from either a panel of judges or the audience. Spoken word is the other form of performance poetry, which is often accompanied with a musical background. Compared with Southern African countries, East Africans lag behind when it comes to performance poetry. Zimbabwe for example, has a well-established poetry movement, which has been at the forefront in the agitation for opening up of democratic space in the country. Jukwaani! as the name suggests, will mainly centre on what is on show on the podium. Jukwaani is Kiswahili for on the stage or podium. Jukwaani! hopes that the boundaries separating the performer from the audience will be shattered leading to a situation where the audience is fully involved.

i think about how…it might have been.

rachael yamagata, speak to me.

ANYWAY. yesterday started this way. ignore the last incoherent blog. baby cousin news made me go gaga…carlo bro…lagda! HAHAHA.

THE TRAFFIC IN SUCAT ROAD…miraculously disappeared! so we were like..hallelujah, and we got to UP an hour before schedule! AND BECAUSE WE ALL FELT CRAZY EXCITED…

Mara and Mika and I ate at Cafe Iana behind Music…Yummeh filipino breakfast…THEN…master fungs. wtf is that. it was a huge rock-shaped silvanas that I bet you could kill people with. That’s not to say it wasn’t yummy. THEN! Mika wanted pastillas…so I bought and we all got hyper on…LECHE.

THEN! pep squad practice. OOOONIBERSIDAD NG PILIPINAS! OOO.

THEN! We stopped by the Blood Drive place at AS Lobby. And since I was feeling hyper and shiz, I was like OMG BENJ LET’S DONATE BLOOD.

Bad idea. XD I was lying in the AS Lobby for 2 hours because the nurses wouldnt let me leave the station since my Blood Pressure wasnt back to normal after they poked me thrice with hugeass needles.

SO. I decided to go upstairs early and study at the 4th floor. Since the CRs in the 3rd floor were decent, I stopped by there and ran into Migs, who was in hermit mode. SO. I went to the loo, then went back to Migs, and we talked and talked and talked…UNTIL he realized that it was TWO pm. AND he had a 1:30 class. OHNOES. So there. I apologized profusely. Pfft.

Kas was…errrrrrghh. I couldn’t even function. I was going pale and woozy and …depressed. I almost fainted.

SO i decided to Skip LA1, and go home. Missy’s trip home.

PAOLO and his umfriend. I CANT WAIT. PAOLO WE SUPPORT YOU! We’ll go to your party with banners!

What is an UMFRIEND?

“Basically, it’s the median between a friend and a girl/boyfriend.” –PAOLO

“The MU Stage” –MJ

“Fling!” –CARLO

NOBODY KNOWS. =))

SO YESTERDAY was feelgood movie day. FORREST GUMP!!!!

…worn me down like a road.

Rachael Yamagata heartheartheart.

Ruthie ilu. =)

SO. THE WHOLE BLOOD DRIVE THING AND MIGS MISSING HIS CLASS…it’s the fault of the traffic in sucat road. or lack thereof. Ladies and gentlemen……..BOW.

What’s crackalackin?

coucou. =)) j’adore la langue francaise.

did i say that right?

au revoir.

MANONG COTTON CANDY!

“CottonCandyWHERE?” –Kelsey

L’avenir c’est une creation de Maria Padilha. Grâce à sa gentillesse IMMENSE et sa disponibilité, Maria m’a permet de partager avec vous son incroyable avenir. Merci beaucoup et Bravo, Maria!

****

- L’avenir
N’est pas venu
C’est à venir,
C’est l‘inconnu

- C’est pas seulement ça, bien sûr que non
Je peux te raconter ma vision
J’ai tout vu, comme un flash, comme un clic
L’avenir sera magnifique

Plus pérenne que la Seine
Plus beau que les vers de Verlaine
Plus moderne que la découverte du génome
Plus ambitieux que les rêves d’un jeune homme 

L’avenir, l’avenir, l’avenir sera
Plus inovateur que Baudelaire
Plus attirant qu’un clair de terre
Plus audacieux qu’un capteur d’énergie
Plus riche que ce que Victor Hugo a écrit
Plus agréable que se promener ailleurs
Plus sensible que la beauté des fleurs
Plus créatif que Jacques Brel
Plus joyeux que le Noël
 
L’avenir, l’avenir, l’avenir sera
Plus grand que Napoléon
Plus radical que la Révolution
Plus impressionnant que les tableaux de Monet
Plus osé que « le déjeuner » de Manet

- Bof, c’est pas possible
Le futur est donc le passé!
Vous me dites rien de compatible
Même si le penser, c’est le désirer 

- Il n’y a pas de futur sans passé
D’innovations sans tradition
Il faut une base pour transformer 

Tu peux ne pas comprendre, mon cher enfant
Et même ne pas le croire,
Mais il suffit de demander au temps,
Il suffit de demander à l’histoire. 

xxx

SWAYMYWAY.

french. benjmiggycy. pahamak ka, cy, but i still love ya. ja’s debut. seagames training. ateneo vs. up dance battle. fefy’s house. math? no thanks. blackout. mall of asia. ninong bj. binkybryankevin. tita achet. tito ned. ucc. manila memorial. sunday drive. review.

watch out, JUNIOR.

We were checking  out foreign language courses in Bangalore and we took some pictures!

Yesterday, I had quite a LOT of reasons to smile.

1. Arnis – we had a very chill arnis session. it was mostly kwentuhan. nicenicenice break from all the sticks.
2. Sit-in at Bio – i sat in at benj and noel’s bio class. fun. and i met nicole, and i was like asdlkalkdjkljad CARPOOL right after i learned she’s from BF and she knows paoloooooo.
3. Kas – kas was tolerable, THANKGOD.
4. L. Archi – LA1 was funny. it was cut short, and ruthie and i were like IT’S A SIGN FROM THE L. ARCH GODS! stalkeruthiiie and saxophoneloverlovergiselle make a good pair, eh?
5. LASALLIANS!! – ST and B1 visited UP!! OMGOMGOMG! Sososofunnnn. we toured them around, and had cake at ROC. funfun. ST’s scaring me. HAHA.
6. CANTINAAAAAA! – we went to cantina, and had a few drinks with rastine, miguel and joe. ANDTHEN shai, ava, josh, cecille and camille came over. GRABE. SOOOO FUN. just sipping margaritas and catching up and holding up our beloved ID straps at each other.
7. DOLCE! – benj and i headed over to dolce superclub for the eng’g soc kick-off party. migs was supposed to go. free drinks!…and dundundun…
8. MJ!!!! – omg, MJ was there! and he sang pa! and i was like HEY MJ! and he was looking at me weird. a few minutes later, he looked at me more closely and he was like OMG IT’S YOU! it was super fun hearing him sing. yet another hidden talent. HAHAH. and they won the band contest pa! go IE Club!

sooo there.

Today naman…

1. french! – suuuuperfun final meeting. i’ll miss you, mademoiselle anna. and everyone else. i found out lang today that cal graduated from csa. kathy’s sabaw from quarterly exams. and sarah’s from the FRENCH EMBASSY…nyak, whatevs. see you guys at mod2.
2. gi joe – THE ONLY REASON I WATCHED THIS MOVIE…JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT. he was hot in brick, he was hot in mysterious skin, he was hot in the lookout…and he IS hot in gi joe. HAHAHA. and channing tatum, ooohlala. it was actually a really good blockbuster.
3. shooooes! – mum got me 2 new pairs of shoes from VNC. yay.

smilesmilesmile.

Dystopia – 90 minutes of Paranoid fiction

View 1 minute trailer here>>>

Starring:
A Major, A Clown, A Ballerina, A Hobo, A Mime and an Actor

Adapted for Stage and Directed by Mathivanan Rajendran
Produced by KK

Music by Karthik Varma
Artwork by Aditi Kulkarni

Cast: Aditya Gopalan, Aishwarya Mahesh, Karthik Varma, KK, Mathivanan Rajendran, Sharavana Raghavan

Synopsis:

2 short plays

“The Last Actor on Earth” - Krishna Kumar the Actor has 48 hours to Live. He is to be executed for being Obsolete.

“Man in a Box” - Major Sharan just woke up in a room with no exit. He isn’t leaving any time soon.

90 minutes of paranoid fiction.

September 4th – 7:15 pm

September 5th – 7:15 pm

Spetember 6th – 3:15 and 7:15 pm

Venue – Alliance Francaise

Donor Pass Rs 150

Ticketing begins August 24th

for Advance booking Call

9380 286 129

9790 911 711

Available at all Landmark outlets and at ‘The Den’ Adyar

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/event.php?eid=124051528706&ref=ts

Online booking:
http://www.bookmyshow.com/Plays/Dystopi/ET00003605

Kenya’s most celebrated author, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, was in town and there is no way I was going to miss the occasion of launching his newest book, Re-membering Africa. This was yet another opportunity for me to interact with the cream of Kenya’s literary society – who in their right mind would dare miss an event graced by Ngugi?
I am walking to the Alliance Francaise, where the launch is taking place, when Billy Kahora, the Kwani? editor calls me from South Africa. There are some details I wanted clarified on the second edition of Kwani? 5, I am reviewing for the Sunday Nation.
I have particularly strong views on a certain Kwani? writer, which I am including in the review. “I have no problem with what you have to say as long as it is constructive criticism,” Kahora says from the other end of the phone. Hmm…
I am a bit late for the event, as usual, and Henry Chakava, the chairman of East African Educational Publishers (EAEP), Ngugi’s local publishers, is almost halfway into his speech.
My feelings of guilt are banished by the reception I get from Lydia, who is looking particularly hot tonight. Lydia, for those who do not know, is the receptionist at EAEP’s Westlands offices.
As he finishes his speech, Chakava addresses the issue of language in the book being launched. Remember Ngugi had sworn to only write in his Gikuyu language? Is Ngugi backtracking on his vow? “Sometimes it makes sense to tell them (Mzungu) in their own language,” says Chakava as he welcomes Ngugi.
As usual Ngugi welcomes members of his family present. Of particular interest is a young man, in his early twenties, who someone whispers to me, is a product of Ngugi and a Mzungu woman in Sweden. Apparently, the young man must have been conceived in the early years of Ngugi’s exile.
Ngugi then makes a revelation that he is working on his memoirs. The first installment is titled Dreams in a Time of War, which basically talks about his early childhood. Already five publishers around the world have already bought publishing rights of the book! I told you Ngugi was big.
Publishers in the region must envy EAEP. They are automatically assured of rights for Ngugi’s works.
And to appreciate how this relationship came about Ngugi tells of how far he has come with Chakava. At some point Chakava almost had his finger severed for continuing to publish Ngugi at the time when the powers that be wanted nothing to do with him. He is also the man who had to bear with Ngugi’s experimentation in writing in Gikuyu, in spite of repeated warnings from his superiors – then Heineman Educational Publishers in the UK.
Unconfirmed reports say that Ngugi is a major shareholder at EAEP.
Re-membering Africa, is apart of a series of lectures Ngugi gave in 2002, staring with Harvard. In the book he has addressed issues of language. Well aware that his thoughts might spark off heated debates Ngugi said that when people read the book, they will agree, disagree or add onto his ideas. “Most of all, I just wanted to provoke a debate,” he said.
On the issue of language, he said that there is nothing wrong for Africans to learn foreign languages. “However, there is something fundamentally wrong when one identifies with other people’s languages and despises his own language,” he said heatedly, calling that a form of slavery.
He added that to add foreign languages to your own language is to empower oneself. Mnaskia hiyo maneno?
Check this space for a review of this book.
The book was first published early this year by Basic Civitas Books under the title Something Torn and new: An African Renaissance.

I just finished Lord of the Silver Bow and I seriously have to rave and rant and ramble about it.

First of all, f you, Yoda, for leading me on to believe that Argurios’ character will be further developed, instead of being KILLED in battle and laid dead next to the woman he loves, WHO ALSO DIES. UGHHH.

But yeah, I can’t believe I got super hooked onto historical fiction. =)) I told this to Lance, and he was like, “Really? I looove historical fiction!”

And ofcourse, I asked Migs, HAVE I BEEN MISSING OUT? o_O

But I’m suuuper glad I have someone to talk to about these things. I feel a lot less dorky about books around Migs.

“Any dorkiness you have is negated in my presence.” -Migs.

HEHEHE.

I can’t wait to read the next installment of TROY.

Wow, can’t believe I just said that.

But gosh, it’s so exciting. xD

Okay, I’m scaring myself na.

Fin.

OH that reminds me!

I had French yesterday! I’m sosososososoooo excited, because I learned a gajillion new vocab words yesterday! I keep trying to speak full sentences in broken French. Sad, yeah. But the words taste so good in my mouth.

And if Lance enrolls in January, that means we get to be classmates in Mod4! Excitingggg!

Can’t. WAIT!

Okay, Fin.

Missy dropped me off in Ateneo. HAHA. I basically just walked in like I belonged there. Little did I know that my lovely carpoolmates were watching from Missy’s van. OMG.

I met up with Miggy and Racela and Rastine and I met a few of their friends. HEHE. I then sneaked out of ADMU back to the UP Math Bldg and I made sabay with Benj to Arnis.

I ran into Sherdil at the BA Bldg. I was wearing an ACP shirt. You can guess what happens next. HAHAHA.

Spent a lazy break at the Econ lounge with Hershey and Kaecy, and then we sneaked upstairs to the Lib to hang out with Ryan, Aya, Angel and Pito.

We watched this talk on Scandals at PH400. It was so so interesting. I felt so intellectual after. HAHA.

We had to leave early for Kas. Deadly lecture. Boohoo.

L. Archi was interesting.

And theeeen I was picked up at Archi, and it was a tiring trip home. My head suuuper hurt.

I fell asleep around 8, and I woke up at 7 for French classes at Alliance. IT WAS AWESOME, as usual.

And now I’m at Ascott for Orielle’s bday. Boredomboredomboredom. No one to talk to. There are enough little kids here for me to build an army. XD

I wanna go watch a movie. But I’m actually just delaying homework.

this morning i dreamed that i had the opportunity to go to this concert with artists i really like. it was the artists that comprised broken social scene, but they didn’t perform together, and the stage set-ups were really awkward. the first half was an outdoor festival concert, but the audience was unusually small. i was also awkwardly close to the front (like when you can only see a small part of the stage). after the first set, a platform on the side of the stage on which some fans were sitting collapsed, and i had to take care of a drunk friend who hit his head until better trained people showed up. later in the intermission everyone went to the bathroom, which was like a high school gym’s change room. fittingly, the second half took place in a school gym, where they were also screening a film on half the wall of a gym, and i kept getting in trouble for blocking the projection.

I didn’t to much else today.  I still have to clean up the apartment before my mom’s return tomorrow night.  I had French class tonight, which was swell.  I’m sorry I won’t be around for enough of the next month to take the next course with the same class, because they’re much friendlier than any other classmates I’ve shared a French class with since high school as simultaneously productive people to learn French with.

French yesterday! Funfunfun. We did a group presentation on a coming and going dialogue. It was so funny. Je suis autrichienne. XD

Kathy: *awkward silence*…….AU REVOIR!

I had break with Dani and Kathy. Lemon…pie. XD It’s fascinating how the teachers can switch from French to Filipino to English. Talent. I can’t wait to hear Kathy’s hybrid Latin-Spanish-French-American-Filipino accent. =))

Afterwards, CLIMBING!! Lizzy and I went climbing at Sandugo. FINALLY, AFTER A YEAR. My technique is still intact, but myohmy, my endurance is shot. DEAD. SO GONE. But I climbed around 4-5 walls. I even did the reverse slope. WHATTARUSH. I felt so good. Say goodbye to bouldering, for now. But we might go climbing again next week. YAY. Karl’s been inviting me to go climbing at QC. I can’t show my face there until I can do laps again. HAHA. So embarrassing.

After that, we helped dad pick out some shirts. BITE ME. =)) And he even got three of us NegativiTees. ISNABERA.

We went to Serendra and ate at Chelsea Market. Mum called me up and I practiced my French on her. Pathetic. =)) Anyway, the food was soo good. TAPOS. My French teacher suddenly came in and sat at the table across ours. Hi, Anna!

Fro-Yo for dessert!

Theeeere.

My internet is finally baaaack. Cheers!

Tiersen is in town, and the French are back. Much prevaricated against this event taking place at all. After all, as this blog has reported, the Chinese masses (or at least the mass media) has not been friendly of late to France. In addition to prevaricating against the mayor of France for hosting the Dalai Lama, the Chinese media also recently mocked Sarkozy for standing on a miniature stool to give his speech at Normandy.

Beyond the political aspects inherent in a French-sponsored program in Beijing, the European competition was another great force seeking to hem in the French in East Asia.

After all, had not the Germans, with their persistently organized Goethe Institute, occupied the Yugong Yishan concert hall for the past nights? Moreover, had not these same Germans left an intimidating legacy, having filled the hall with Germanophone hip-hop groups (“mit phattisten Beats und groovigsten Bass-lines…” breathed the deep green press releases) and German heavy metal rockers? Looking into the depths of the German dance floor on one of those nights, I thought of the notion of Germans in East Asia. And because I read about the past, and dwell within the past as my vocation, I was inevitably reminded of some documents I unearthed last summer in the Berlin Bundesarchiv: documents with names like INVENTAR 64, and

[German Students go to Japan] 德国学生去日本 “Deutsche Studenten fahren nach Japan,” 3月1940 [R901/58079]

[Hitler Youth Delegation to Japan Meets with Ribbentrop] 去日本的希特勒青年团de Ribbentrop 招待, 12 月17日1939年. “Japanfahrer der Hitlerjungend bei Ribbentrop.” [R901/58777]

or, if you prefer Cold War socialist internationalism, documents like:

[Plan for the Activities of the Chinese Delegation on the Occasion of the Opening of the German State Opera in Berlin] Plan fuer den Aufenthalt der chinesischen Delgation anlaesslich der Erooffunund der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin” Ministerium für Kultur papers, DR 1 / 303

As a side note, INVENTAR 64 contains a great deal many more documents about German-French competition in East Asia in the late 1930s. The Germans were so vexed by the tenacity and the aptitude of French propaganda in Shanghai, for instance, that their reports from that city fulminated against specific French cultural attaches – how could they be stopped? How could German, rather than English or French, take the place as THE preeminent European language in East Asia? To what extent could the cities of East Asia be flooded with German culture, displacing the noxious British variant or the French tradition?

And so when Yann Tiersen arrived on Friday night, the Germans had left a massive wake; Beijing had already been swept by les allemandes! How could the French possibly compete with the incredible puissance of German soft power as displayed so mightily, so craftily, so dexterously, so adroitly, so “am groovistigen-sly” on the previous nights?

Nevertheless I think the French won, because they abided in blissful solitude, ignored what everyone else was doing, refused to get uptight, and just did their thing, which was to play viols with sensitivity and madness and sing their chansons.

And so to Tiersen:

Seeking the concert from Beijing’s gleaming maroon Line 5 subway, I ended up in the on the arm of a charming young lady from Xiamen who had used the slender opening of my question to a young man in the 地铁 (啊，您知不知道怎么去段祺瑞旧政府的演奏堂；就是愚公移山，n’est oui?) to take command of my movements via her superior knowledge of the terrain. Her father was a stagehand at the show, she told me, she knew precisely where it was and we should go together. Since this seemed to follow Sun Zi’s commands (in essence, ask for directions if you don’t know Zhang Zizhong Road / 张自忠路, which I did not), I went along with her. Quickly the English language reared up in its inevitable way; so too did the dread letters MBA, but since we ended up talking about Tianjin (the city has a way of forcing its way forward, stubbornly, when one is in Peking) everything was fine. I wove around and walked on her left and her right, but on either side, I found, she would use the hand closest to her accompanying person /mitglieder to pile up her lustrous hair and look out curiously at the world from underneath her slender tricep, and then sort of bump into you as if to remind you, very subtlety, that hockey was a wonderful sport. (Four hours later, after the concert, I see her at the bus stop, piling up her hair at a foreign guy and smiling, saying “I study four years business”, and why not? Good for her! I admire her persistence, and only hope I can be so charming in accosting various travelers through Seattle in the hunt for secret languages, codes that one strongly desires. The hunt for code-breakers is perhaps not so easy in the West!)

We parted ways at the vermillion gate of the old warlord government; her father emerged to take her bags, a man with a flexibly haggard physique like that of old Zhang Xueliang; he had a Zhang Xueliang mustache, too, was draped entirely in black; the picture of a Chinese stagehand in a warlord government venue.

I turned to the side door, a door with in a door, immediately confronted by a gaggle of somewhat-anguished looking foreigners. “Extra tickets?” they asked, more pathetic than subway singers or the chalk-wielding placard-carriers with long stories and children one saw every so often in China. Assured in my arrogance, ticket in the pocket of a new and nicely starched white shirt, I glided past these unfortunate souls, left to beg outside the gates, bereft of all but the sonic scraps of a Yann Tiersen explosion that was soon to drop.

My books safely stashed, I swiveled up the steps and into the bar, a long rectangular venue, with an upper level bar and a stage flattening out below. Immediately I had flashes of self-recognition; among this disaggregated horde were people like me. So I got to working the room.