La vie d'une francophile

Bonjour ! I am offering French tutoring lessons through Wyzant. Please inquire if you are interested. Merci !

Sarah D. - French Tutor in Lafayette, LA French Tutor

Another book I’m particularly looking forward to reading this summer is Harlem Quartet by James Baldwin. He was an American activist and novelist that explored intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies. He emigrated to France, where he wrote, and later died. We can learn a lot through his works, and I and yearning to learn more!

If the library opens up (hopefully by the end of the summer), my summer reading list extends to the following titles: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah, Une si longue lettre by Mariama Bâ, and Pigments by Damas.

Next up on the list are the following titles: Colère Noire by Jacques Saussey, As the Crow Flies by Véronique Tadjo, Le Ventre de l’Atlantique by Fatou Diome, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

These books tell stories of parting and return, suffering, healing and desire, identity, colonization, race, and so many other important themes. I can’t wait to get started.


diome

The next two books and authors are not Francophone, but from neighboring to french speaking West Africa, Nigeria. I just finished Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi, and I love the end, which is a look within to link history and present. I recently started following the author on instagram, and I love the work they are doing. I cannot wait for their next book, which comes out soon. Check them out! .

Because of the usage of the character ogbanje, I was turned to read Things Fall Apart by China Achebe. I am about half way through, but I am enjoying the strong references to a past life. About a community that was not at all less developed than their Western intruders. I think the narrative is very important in transferring a real image of a more ideal, albeit, dated time.

In recent news from the US which has spread across the world, the unstable state of racial affairs has been called into question when George Floyd was murdered in the hands of a police officer. The Black Lives Matter movement’s mission has touched many, and radical protests are currently going on worldwide. Below, you’ll find an article that I read that struck me with not only how transcontinental these issues are, but also for how long these subjects have been silenced and swept away. Throughout my time as a PCV in Benin, I was exposed to African culture for the first time, and was questioned by own discriminations that have been passed down to me from generation to generation. I recognized my own privilege, and saw disparities first hand. It was only after moving back to the US did I really start to understand the real problems. Changes are needed, and I am happy that African representatives have shown their solidarity with the US and this war on people transnationally.

In my studies, I am interested in the African Diaspora, the African identity which has been affected by western colonization, and the ties between History and Language. You’ll also see below a second article that explains “Françafrique”, which is a term that describes the historical relationship between France and its former colonies in sub-Saharan Africa. I think it’s important for people of African descent worldwide to make an effort to understand one’s past, and to embrace it with open arms. Being in America at this time has really linked my foreign interests with my local and personal life.

As a series, I’d like to share some French language resources, by Francophone folks that I’ve found helpful to my personal journey on understanding race and immigration issues. Never stop working on yourself!

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-05-30/in-unusual-move-us-embassies-in-africa-speak-up-on-floyd?fbclid=IwAR2Ql31ooQDpdAmtYnZ6VizuThdSToIs_xd4z8ZsNXzYPqVGRiAcChbfmt8

https://globalvoices.org/2020/02/05/francafrique-a-term-for-a-contested-reality-in-franco-African-relations/

This summer, I’ve made it a priority to read books about African identity, immigration, and race. Although I have not come across Alain Mabanckou through my institutional studies, I’ve recently read Blue White Red for independent fun, and it unfolds many things that I am interested in for my personal studies. This tale of wild adventure reveals the dashed hopes of Africans living between worldsin a narrative of postcolonial Africa where young people born into poverty dream of making it big in the cities of their former colonial masters. This story takes place in Paris, where many issues are shared with the prevalent situation in the United States. As I wish to share black voices, it is important to understand world history, and how European colonization changed the African identity. French is widely spoken in Africa, and there are many French speaking Africans living in the United States, as well as across the globe. These issues pe*****te language and land barriers, and should be addressed globally.

Alain Mabanckou is from Pointe-Noire (where my husbands father’s family is from 🙂), Congo and is French citizen. He is currently a professor of French at UCLA. Next on my summer reading list from this author is Demain j’aurai vingt ans. I wish I had more funds to buy and read more of their work! Check it out NOW!

Anyone can write!

Nous avons hâte de recevoir vos soumissions!

We had too much fun presenting on our book of the week, Manikanetish written by Naomi Fontaine. We spoke about the sad truths surrounding indigenous peoples’ of Canada, and about the renaissance of a new literary mouvement. One that brings to light themes of desire, closeness to nature, and survivance.
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We came onto campus today randomly MATCHING, that’s how in sync we are! We came together to bust some myths about populations that were stripped from their lands, and are continuously under-represented.
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@ University of Louisiana Lafayette H L Griffin Hall

Learning a different language is relearning communication. It’s skill is breaking down words/sounds/sentences, and makes you think critically about their placement, studying the meaning behind each syllable. Opening up communication into another community allows the learner to be immersed into a culture unlike their own. It builds better understanding of the world, and confidence in oneself.
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Second/third/or more language learning is useful in the curriculum. It allows our brains to explore in ways that other subjects neglect. The skills are built upon what the learner is exposed to in all facets of life.
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One of the coolest things I did in my first semester of Graduate School was get a poem published in the ULL’s newly revived Feux Follets. Founded in 1991 by the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Feux Follets is a literary and artistic review published annually (in the Spring) by UL’s Modern Languages Department to promote French creative expression in Louisiana in the forms of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, songs, drama, visual arts, and francophone cultural expression.
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The poem I wrote was adapted from the original poem by Yambo Ouologuem which shows my modern day experience with frustrations with assimilation whist immigrating. I was exposed to Yambo Ouologuem and his poem in my favorite Negritude class. Even though the original poem was written in the 60s, I share the same soul touching feelings and message of staying true to your true self.
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Swipe to read my adaptation of À mon mari.
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***e @ University of Louisiana at Lafayette

On July 14, 1789, Parisiens stormed the Bastille (a state prison) seeking to gain ammunition and gunpowder and free the prisoners who were kept there for unjust reasons. The Bastille was seen as a symbol of the brutality of the monarchy during the reign of King Louis XVI (who’s reign was not so good for the working class). The storming gave rise to the French Revolution, and is now celebrated every July 14th around France and the world.
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