Stories about France from April, 2007
France: Expelling Illegal Immigrants
Continuing the debate on expelling illegal immigrants living in France, SEMEtt ou l'étincelle noire (Fr) writes about a political asylee who was shipped back to Liberia, a group of long-term illegal immigrants who decided to form an organization to publicly demand naturalization, and how the mass explusions are eroding civil...
Albania: Ruminations on Elections
Our Man in Tirana attempts to place the French and British elections into Albanian context.
France: What You May Not Have Read About Voltaire
Racisme et Histoire: Le Tabou posts a collection of quotes from some of France's most famous philosophers, writers, and politicians (e.g., Voltaire, Ferry, De Gaulle) you might not read in history books. “I repeat, the super races have a right, because they have only one duty. They have the duty...
France: Rapper Imagines Life as a White Man
Regardailleurs blogs screenshots from an hilarious music video (Fr) called “J'suis blanc” (“I'm White”), the latest from French-Congolese hip hop artist Kamini. God comes to Kamini and makes him white for nine and a half weeks and suddenly dealing with “argent, logement, les flics, les gens” (money, housing, cops, people)...
The French Presidential Election: A View From Outside the Metropole
This weekend, more than 60 million French cast their ballots in the first round of the French presidential election, narrowing the list of candidates to two: conservative UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal. Both face a run-off vote on May 6th. In the five years since...
Conference on France's Support of African Dictatorship
Le Pangolin has been posting video from a conference called “From ‘françafrique’ to ‘Mafiafrique'” which looks at France's post-colonial support of African dictators.
African Journalists on Franco-African Relations
African journalists working in France are calling on the two remaining French presidential candidates, Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal, to begin a new chapter in Franco-African relations (Fr), according to the blog of the Alliance for Democratic Progress. “We have to reconsider everything, make a fresh start, a sort of...
Egypt: On French Elections
Egyptian-based blogger Sandmonkey gives us his take on the French elections here.
Afghanistan: Taliban Electioneering in France
Safrang reports on the Taliban's efforts to influence the outcome of France's presidential election.
Algeria: To Exist or Not to Exist
A query on LINGUIST List the other day asked for examples of other languages which, like English, have a verb “exist” distinct from the general-purpose existential “there is”. In Algerian Arabic, such a verb has emerged in recent years through borrowing from French, explains Algerian linguist and blogger Lameen Souag.
Tunisphere and the French elections:
Tunisia's love-hate relation - more love than hate - comes to life with the extensive coverage Tunisian bloggers provided in the run up to the French elections. France's impact on Tunisia is both historic and present - it has colonised the latter for a good 75 years and is today its foremost economic partner.
France: New Law for Monitoring the Internet
How do you say Big Brother in French? Guadeloupe Attitude writes about a new law (Fr) requiring French telephone, mobile and internet service providers to save all usage records so that they can be turned over to the police “at will.”
Haiti: Delegation presents Haiti as a place to do business
Collectif-haiti-de-provence writes about a Haitian delegation's March visit to France and Belgium (Fr), which hoped to present Haiti as a place to do business and counteract negative images of the country. The delegation, which included the heads of various government ministries and members of the private sector, presented plans to...
French Election, Two Views on Segolene Royal
As France votes today in the first round of their presidential election, at Racontars, Akynou explains reasons for choosing for Segolene Royal. Meanwhile, Troup nul Guadeloupe says Royal is “dangerous for France”, arguing she has frequently altered her position in attempt to garner support (Fr).
Israel: Anti-Semitism on the Rise
Anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, but France has seen a particularly significant jump in the number of violent attacks on Jews, writes Israeli blogger Smooth Stone.
Sarkozy on French Minorities
Patrick Lozès looks back at French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy's history of controversial public statements about Africans and Berbers (Fr). He wonders if, given unprecedented levels of voter registration among French minorities, Sarkozy's strategy of playing to the far right will backfire.
Election Ploy: Sarkozy Plans to Add Toussaint Louverture to the Pantheon
Alain Mabanckou reposts an article by Haitian radio station Kiskeya discussing French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy's promise to add the names of Toussaint Louverture and Léopold Sédar Senghor to the Pantheon (Fr) in Paris, resting place of French luminaries like Volatire, Marie Curie and Napoleon, if elected. The addition of...
France: A War of Memory
French Congolese poet Alain Mabanckou posts some reflections by Abdourahman Waberi (Fr), a French Djiboutian writer, on the upcoming French presidential elections. Waberi had thought France had “finally woken up” to the concerns of its non-white citizens, but that from the banlieues to the overseas departments rage and resentment remain...
Congo-Brazzaville: Florence Arthaud, Tourism and Corruption
Vous Reprendrez Bien Un Peu d'Humanisme is upset [Fr] that veteran sailor Florence Arthaud has accepted the Sassou-Nguesso government's offer to participate in a sailing event there in less than 2 weeks for an event that is designed to boost local tourism. Says the blogger: “Are French sailors naive? Does...
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea: Tell-all Biography of Slain Activist Félix Moumié's Widow
Says Le Pangolin [Fr]: “Marthe Moumié is the widow of Cameroonian nationalist Félix Moumié, assassinated in Geneva by the French Secret Service in 1960. Marthe writes a book prefaced by [Algerian President] Ahmed Ben Bella… In the book, Victime du Colonialisme Français [ i.e “Victim of French Colonialism”], Marthe explains...
Africa, France: Suing African Leaders for Embezzlement
Demain le Congo Brazzaville posts [Fr] a complaint lodged in the French accusing of embezzlement African leaders such as Omar Bongo of Gabon, Denis Sassoun Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville and Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso. The complaint acknowledges that a French judge cannot adjudicate on salaries of African dictators but emphasizes...
