Although I decided to delay the creation of this blog, fearing the lack of inspiration, one matador (I always hated Bullfighting) was enough to give me back my editorial enthusiasm!
Where should I start ? During the last six months the french press have continued to surprise me… Do I mean surprise? No, perhaps indignation with subjects such as : national identity, the burqa, the hallal fast-food, the “mondovision”, columnist’s scabrious comments and so on.
I started to think that spaceships full of aliens dressed in burqa had invaded our hexagone (we call it this because France is shaped like one).
Is France too busy dwelling on the past to embrace its future? I think so! The absentee voters from the recent regional elections underlines perfectly the greatest weakness of our country. According to C. Lagarde (Minister of Economy), their absence was due to their ignorance surrounding the regions’ competences. So, no need to look further for the reasons behind their abstention? I don’t think so. There are many French citizens who feel misrepresented or not represented at all. And it’s for this reason that they don’t take any interest in politics and elections. That’s it! Besides, it is also this political misrepresentation and cultural misrepresentation of the matador that has inspired me to pick up my quill (or rather my keyboard).
Is France too busy dwelling on the past to embrace its future? I think so! The absentee voters from the recent regional elections underlines perfectly the greatest weakness of our country. According to C. Lagarde (Minister of Economy), their absence was due to their ignorance surrounding the regions’ competences. So, no need to look further for the reasons behind their abstention? I don’t think so. There are many French citizens who feel misrepresented or not represented at all. And it’s for this reason that they don’t take any interest in politics and elections. That’s it! Besides, it is also this political misrepresentation and cultural misrepresentation of the matador that has inspired me to pick up my quill (or rather my keyboard).
Hue for Allez, ola, olé !
Dancer & composer Jessy Matador will defend our three-colored flag during the Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo next May with the song “Allez, ola, olé”. France Television is delighted to have chosen this flamboyant French man with Congolese origins for what will be a fiery performance. I’m delighted too even if I am not very fond of his style. Perhaps he will save us from the usual Eurovision soppiness. Unfortunately, many French do not agree. Since his nomination, there has been something of an outcry. Comments on several forums have highlighted the cultural misrepresentation I mentioned earlier. To quote just a few:
“At the Eurovision, we are supposed to sing French, not African”
“it is a blow for the national identity”
“France is not Africa”
“The identity of a country can’t be influenced by other countries”
“Africa has never been France”
For those who are unaware, Africa was once French. It happened during the period of colonisation. During the Algerian War of Independence, Francois Mitterand was even quoted as saying: “Algeria is France”. For this reason, France could not find a better representation for this year's Eurovision Song Contest than this young Congolese. We can witness a multicultural hexagon and someone who will sing under the black blanc beur flag; the colours of our French nation.
On March 20th, we were celebrating the French-Speaking World Day. At the time, it was said that the French-speaking world represented every culture that felt threatened by monolingualism and monoculture. We now advocate a multicultural, French-speaking world. Let Jessy Matador be a symbol of this new concept during the Eurovision.
Olé Matador !
