De la part du MCUR/From the MCUR

This blog has become invested in the support of the MCUR, as an institution which promotes the meeting of cultures as well as the preservation of various cultural heritages. Here is an announcement from its organizers for an event more than appropriate on this All Saints Day:

Ce blog s'intéresse au sort du MCUR, puisqu'il s'agit d'une institution dont un des buts est de favoriser les rencontres et échanges entre cultures. Voici un communiqué de ses organisateurs à propos d'une cérémonie plus qu'appropriée pour la Toussaint:

ASSOCIATION MCUR-RCA

( Recherche - Culture - Action)

  

Madam, Mésié,

Lo groupaz MCUR-CRA organiz lo 31 oktob 2010 in lomaz pou nout bann  zansèt lé mor san tonm. Lo sérénomi va espass dann simetièr « Père Lafosse Saint-Louis ». 9èr édmi apartir ziska midi.
Bann moune group « interreligieux » va di in fonnkèr, rant in lartis va shant in morso.

2^ème lané La MCUR-CRA i mèt an plas sérémoni la mémoir-la.
Nou atann aou pou vni tienbo ek nou, invit out lantouraz.

In gran mersi aou pou out dalonaz.

Madame, Monsieur,

L’Association MCUR-CRA organise le 31 octobre 2010 une cérémonie en hommage à nos ancêtres morts sans sépulture. La cérémonie se déroulera de 9h30 à 12 heures dans le cimetière du Père Lafosse à Saint-Louis. Vous êtes invité à participer à cette cérémonie, et à y faire participer vos amis, vos relations, vos collègues.

                                       Le Président,

Jean-Claude Carpanin Marimoutou

Mystery of the non identical, in fact non fraternal twins at BAM

I mentioned in the previous blog entry about Deerhouse (http://bit.ly/bdyV7z) catching eye of two remarkable young men at BAM after the show. And wondering whether they were part of the show. I found them! They're called Andrew and Andrew, they're an act, and here they are, giving a much more tolerant review of Persephone, at BAM.

Polite? Persephone

I respect the efforts of creative people. It's hard to come up with something new and put it out there. It takes a lot of work and perseverance. Therefore I am not going to expand too much on the new show "Persephone" at BAM, out of kindness.

When I went to see Deerhouse a few weeks back, I came back with a well of questions about art and shows. What is nonsense? Is there good faith in art? What's a review? What is certainty?

Last night at BAM no questions  came swirling in my mind. Apart from: how many more seconds do we give this show to prove that it has a tiny spark of intelligence before we walk out? A minute nugget of meaning?

Uh. The projections were rather pretty.

The deconstruction of the play with actors and director seen behind the scenes is heavy handed. One of Julia Stiles' first line is:" the audience's going to think it's stupid. This is Brooklyn." Well, if the actors start reviewing the play in the first 2 minutes of the show...

I'll try to stay positive. Some of the acting in Persephone was bearable. The costumes were really quite pretty. A column near where we sat would hide Demeter from view from time to time.

If I covered my ears with my hands, the sound was less loud, the music less bland.

Below is a link to two people, the writer and composer, trying to make a convincing case the show has a meaning. Actually Ben Neil doesn't seem so sure, but is putting on a brave front.

http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=2231

There is one puzzling question: how does such a show make it to BAM? It must be some kind of machinery that, once it gets going, can not be stopped: the show gets a famous actress. The writer has gotten recognition in the past. The show gets financial backing. The show takes a lot of effort to put together. And finally, as what might seem a necessary last stage, is shown and seen. It is unfortunate that no one had the wisdom to stop this production at any of its various stages.

The NY Times reviewer is trying to be even more polite that I have been:

http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/theater/reviews/29persephone.html?pagewanted=1

Back and forth between cultures

The trend this blog has taken toward multiculturalism delights me. I feel it has happened by itself, thanks to contributions and influences from various people such as Animesh Rai, Astou Arnould, M. Gobalakichenane, Dominique Aupiais, and of course, Edouard Glissant.

Here are just a few photographs from an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, entitled Picturing The West: Yokohama Prints 1859-1870. It was forbidden for Japanese to travel outside Japan and the country was virtually closed to foreigners. In the mid19th century, trade was open with the West, and Westerners started traveling to Japan. Prints were in demand, picturing Westerners, as the Japanese were curious to find out what they were like. Some of the artists didn't actually see the foreigners, but inspired themselves from prints or from hearsay. An example of two cultures meeting and their cross fertilization. In the West the influence of many painters such as Van Gogh and Matisse by Asian art, and particularly Japanese print, is well known. It's interesting to see the reverse, and, as often in this situation, how people can project their fantasies onto the unknown other. I don't know how many American women from the Victorian era would have recognized themselves in the amazon galloping on a fierce horse through the snow, but what a beautiful image of wild femininity! It is in fact astounding to see how the image resembles Art Déco which would flourish decades later. Ironically as the influence from Asian art defined to some extent this early 20th century art movement, the Japanese touch in this depiction of a Western woman produced an Art Déco image before that movement existed.

http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/407.html

An American Lady

American women were often portrayed with this head crown which

might have been inspired by native American head dress.

The images below show European prints which are not part of the Philadelphia Museum exhibit, just to show the interesting parallel between a Japanese print with Western influence, and European prints with Japanese influence. 

TT

An English couple

A Russian couple

A French couple - with a bottle!

An American city

Paris 

This blog offers more images and more information about this period:

http://community.livejournal.com/steamfashion/1062296.html

Contributed by  - -  Arabella Hutter

The Secret of the Mysterious False Twins

Went to see the Deer House at BAM.
 http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=2227
Will not expand on this much.  The reviews have not been good in Europe and BAM was practically paying people to see the show. Have never had seating that good for such a low price! Nonetheless I was intrigued by the show. By its mix of tones, something I have become very interested in. While I watched the show, many questions swirled in my head, and to that extent the show was successful if art is also about getting one out comfort zone. What is tone? What is nonsense (the show veered in that direction)? What is fraudulent (also in that direction)? What is a critic and a review? "The show was this and not that, it was successful in this and failed in that." Assertions. Certainty. The more I go the more uncertain I get. It takes more confidence - maybe - sometimes - to admit uncertainty than to bang on the table to assert opinions.

After the show two guys were ferreting around the lobby. Look: 50's dork. They had exactly the same jeans jacket with a label on the back, the same hair cut (see illustration), same docker jeans, same leather bags, same glasses with thick upper frame, known in England as National Health as they were the only model offered free to patients for several decades. Their faces looked the same. I had to look twice to ascertain they were not twins. One was taller. Brothers? Lovers? Performers? One of them would be a geek, two is a performance or a statement. Anybody knows them, please let me know ASAP. Because the show had been chaotic and sent me into a cycle of questioning and confusion, I wasn't sure if they were real. But I was hugely amused. Then a guy from the bus service to Manhattan (you will be wheezed from Manhattan to BAM and back without setting foot in Brooklyn practically! Smoked windows allows you to ignore ugly reality out there!) leaned in my direction and said loudly : "What a smile!". He was also part of the show? Was I? Was Brooklyn?

Contributed by  - -  Arabella Hutter  - -

Rencontres Afriqua Paris

Astou Arnould nous communique le programme remarquable d'octobre des Rencontres Afriqua Paris. Je ne sais pas si je pourrai faire un saut par dessus de l'Atlantique et y assister, mais j'en ai bien envie...

Publié par  - -  Arabella Hutter

Festival Les Instants Vidéo 23rd edition | digitalarti.com

Un festival dans l'esprit de Glissant, à Marseille:

Festival Les Instants Vidéo 23rd edition | digitalarti.com

Des précisions sur le manuscrit d'Anandaragappillai/Precisions on the origins of Anandarangappillai

Mr Gobalakichenane contributes below precisions about the Anandarangappillai, as well as the English translation of page 59. Mr. Gobalakichenane grew up in Pondicherry and studied at University in France. After graduating as an engineer in 1963, he taught physics in South Vietnam. During that period he started to get passionately interested in Tamilnadu history, and later in Buddhism in South India. He worked from 1968 to 1998 as a computer engineer, while he explored further his area of interest, contributing articles and readings. He is credited for discovering Tamil Viranaiker's manuscript at the Bibliothéque Nationale. He's also president of the association Cercle Culturel des Pondichériens (http://www.puduchery.org/). At the end of this entry, you will find his complete bio.

Monsieur Gobalakichenane nous envoie des précisions sur le manuscrit d'Anandarangappillai ainsi que la traduction en anglais de la page 59. M. Gobalakichenane a grandi à Pondichéry et étudié à l'université en France. Après être devenu ingénieur en 1963, il a enseigné la physique au Sud Vietnam qui, sous occupation française, se nommait encore Indochine. C'est pendant cette période qu'il a commencé à se passioner pour l'histoire tamoulnadu, et plus tard pour le bouddhisme dans le Sud de l'Inde. Il a travaillé de 1968 à 1998 comme ingénieur informatique, tout en continuant à étendre ses connaissances et contribuant articles et conférences à son sujet de prédilection. Il découvre les mansuscrits en tamoul de Viranaiker à la Bibliothèque Nationale. Il est aussi président de l'association Cercle Culturel des Pondichériens (http://www.puduchery.org/).Vous trouverez à la fin de cette issue sa bio complète.

"In fact, Gallois Montbrun and Edouard Ariel (1818-1854) made copies from the original by tamil writers; Gallois Montbrun's has been recopied by the British in the end of 19^th c. which was used for the English translation by Fr.Price helped by Rangachari, published in Madras from 1904 onwards –the first 3 volumes, the following nine others by H.Dodwell later. I asked to make a microfilm copy for Pondicherry which is now in IFP library. Gallois Montbrun's copy has been lost in Pondicherry in about 1916 while the original Diary has never been recovered afterward!  But after the demise in Pondicherry, at the age of 36, of E.Ariel who spent there his last 10 years (1844-1854), his copies have been brought to Paris and now preserved in Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand; so, the handwriting of the facsimile is the writer's one and not Anandarangappillai's. But, in few other documents, we find the latter's signature in Tamil), and how beautiful the original is.
 

Note: These explanations and other details have been published elsewhere by me some twenty years ago.

En fait, Gallois Montbrun et Edouard Ariel (1818-1854) levèrent des copies de l'original par des copistes rémunérés; la copie de Gallois Montbrun a été recopiée par les Britanniques à la fin du 19^ème s., ce qui a permis sa traduction en Anglais et sa publication en 1904 à Madras par Fr.Price aidé de Rangachari – en ce qui concerne les premiers 3 vol., les autres l'ayant été par H.Dodwell plus tard. J'ai fait faire une copie en microfilm pour Pondichéry qui se trouve maintenant à la bibliothèque de l'IFP. La copie de Gallois-Montbrun fut perdue, alors que le Journal original ne fut jamais retrouvé! Mais, après le décès en 1854 à Pondichéry, à l'âge de 36 ans, de E. Ariel qui y passa  ses dernières dix années, ses copies furent rapportées à Paris et conservées à la Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand: l'écriture en facsimile est donc celle du copiste et non celle d'Anandarangappillai. Cependant, dans quelques autres documents, on trouve sa signature en tamoul.

Note: Ces explications et d'autres détails ont été publiés ailleurs par moi il y a une vingtaine d'années.

Translation in English of the page 59:

(Year) Angirasa (Month) Vaiyâssi 30 (Day) Guruvâram – June 8^th 1752 (Thursday)

Today I didn't go neither to see the Governor because of intestinal problems.

I heard today that the last inimical relations between the Tanjoreans and our Governor have gone down a little.

News came that Chandâ Sâhib who was in Seringapatam had sent all men and was staying with ten 'kisumdar'. I heard also that only Gundo Pandit refused to go and stayed there.

It was said also that, among Mr. Law and Sheick Hussein men, those wounded and dead together with those European and sepoys joining the enemy could number about 2 or 3 thousand. Moreover, rice, curd, ghee, salt were hard to find and the little available  was acquired at very high rupees  price. It was said also that d'Auteuil and few sepoys were  in Vâlikondâpuram and Ranjankadai and that cavalry men and 'jamedars' went away because they had not been  paid.

(From H.Dodwell's edition, Vol.8, p. 105)

Thursday, June 8, - (the passages given above in italics are examples of those contained in the E.Ariel's tamil copy of Paris but not given in the English translation set of 12 volumes published in Madras)

There is news of Chandâ Sâhib's writing to the Governor, that M. Law has gone over to Muhammad'Alî Khân and the English, and ruined everything. The Europeans, Muhammadans and Tamils are all saying that they have the same news from the officers who have quarrelled with M. Law. "

M.GOBALAKICHENANE (b.1940) 

E-mail: ggobal@yahoo.com

Retired IT Engineer, Historian (Second half of XVIIIth c. History of South India and Indian Ocean)

Up to 1958 - French College, Pondicherry 

1958-1963 - University of Paris and Grenoble (degree in Maths and Physics, Telecoms Engineer), France  

1964-1968 - Physics Professor in Dalat and Saigon (South-Vietnam)

After extensive travels in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, great interest in Tamilnadu History (including Later Buddhism in Tamilnadu and South India)

1968-1998 - Computer Engineer in the Netherlands and France

            As result of long time field research in Tamilnadu (during summer vacations, since 1968) and analytical study of selected manuscripts in Oriental and Western Manuscripts Dept, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris :

1986-87 Discovery of Tamil Viranaiker's Diary Manuscripts in Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris 

1987  6th International Conference-Seminar of Tamil Studies, Kuala Lumpur, two papers read :

            - Latin Character-Tamil Character Bilingual Text Processing (ISO2022 standard coding) on PC 

            - Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in Tamilnadu

1989  7th International Conference-Seminar of Tamil Studies, Mauritius:

- Viranaiker II historian 

1989  9th IABS Conference, Taipeh, two papers read:

- Arittapatti Tamil-Brahmi Inscription

- Buddhism in Tamilnadu

1991  10th IABS Conference, Paris (UNESCO):

- Buddhism in Pondicherry region

1992  Publication of Irandaam Viranaiker's Diary (1778-1792), in Tamil

1992-1995 - Contacts with History Dept, University of Pondicherry and French Institute of Pondicherry for a critical edition of Anandarangappillai's Diary in Tamil (several passages remaining unpublished).

1997            M.Phil. History, University of Nantes, France

1997 35th ICANAS, Budapest:

- The 'French Revolution' of the Tamils in Pondicherry 1790-1793

1999-2000 Health problems which compelled, after 2 years research, to discontinue the Ph.D. thesis on

            - The Turmoil of the French in the second half of XVIIIth c. in South India (1761-1799) 

2000 Société Asiatique, Paris:

- The French account of Siege of Pondicherry of 1778 and its author    

2002 17th European Conference of Modern South Asian Studies, Heidelberg:

- The Diaries of Anandarangappillai, of Viranaiker II and of their followers: Their Contribution to 18th c. South Indian History.

After full retirement, critical editions: 

2004  Publication of Anandarangappillai V-Diary Prajothpathi Year (1751-1752), in Tamil (Mss. of BNF Paris)

2005  Publication of Anandarangappillai V-Diary Angirasa Year (1752-1753), in Tamil (Mss. of BNF Paris)

2005  Société Asiatique: The Sapiential literature in Tamil and Edouard Ariel's contribution    

2008  Publication of The Origin of the Nattukkottaiyars and their Communal Practices, (based on a Mss. of BNF, Paris) 

2008  Publication of Anandarangappillai V-Diary Srimuga Year (1753-1754), in Tamil (Mss. of BNF Paris)

Ongoing : Anandarangappillai V-Diary Bhava Year (1754-1755) publication works

   and other historical research papers

More about Wiles, from Animesh Rai

Following our publishing of the entry in Tamil of the Pondicherrian diary, and the mention of William Miles work, below is a passage from Animesh Rai's classic study. The question of identify within multiple cultures is a riveting subject. In our contemporary world which has been crisscrossed by mass emigration on all its continents, many human beings, possibly the majority, identify with more than one culture. African Americans in the US, Arabs in France, Caucasians in South Africa, Turks in Germany, the list is endless. We welcome comments and contributions from all, and in particular from ... Pondicherrians!

"William Miles, in his book, Imperial Burdens, has spoken about the notions of “legitimacy and psychology” with reference to the Franco-Pondicherrians in Pondicherry.[1] He argues that they lack political legitimacy and that they are economically and psychologically dependent on France due to the severance of their links with India. Even though they are financially well off due to their pensions which they receive in European currency, the French state in reality is very reluctant to continue paying them these pensions. He also points out that they lack a proper homeland. While they are juridically a part of France, they do not belong culturally there and it is the reverse situation for them inIndia. My own assessment of the situation on the ground led me to conclude that present day Pondicherry lacks a certain sense of legitimacy. Ironically, for me, this lack of legitimacy came from the departure of the Franco-Pondicherrians and I can only repeat the phrase, “Les Pondichériens sont tous partis” (which translates as“Pondicherrians have all left”) which I heard from some people during my field trips there. There is certainly a sense of legitimacy which comes from being legally part of India. In that sense, the present day Pondicherrians are legitimate. But so rampant is the perception that Pondicherry is now constituted of migrants from other parts of Tamil Nadu as well as from other parts of India that I viewed these people as being, in a sense, the false proprietors of Pondicherry. "

[1] William Miles, Imperial Burdens, p. 172.

From: "The Legacy of French Rule in India (1674-1954): an Investigation of a Process of Creolization."
Animesh Rai, IFP - Publications Hors série n° 8, French Institute of Pondicherry / Henri Peyre French Institute of CUNY, 2008, viii, 251 p. Language: English. Rs 500 (18 €) ISBN: 978-81-8470-167-8.


For orders/enquiries, contact: 
Library
French Institute of Pondicherry
11, St. Louis Street, P.B. 33, Pondicherry-605 001, INDIA
Phone: (91)-413-2334168. Fax:(91)-413-2339534
E-mail:library@ifpindia.org


Published by  - -  Arabella Hutter

Pillai in Tamil!/Pillai en tamil!

I had hoped to publish here an extract of Anandarangaillai's diary in its original language, Tamil. Thanks to the generosity of M.Gobalakichenane, a researcher residing in France and a native from Pondicherry, it's done. I am thrilled that he also contributed a scan of the manuscript which is located at the National Library François Mitterrand (shouldn't it be in India?). Very touching to see the manuscript in the beautiful Tamil script. For more precision about the manuscript, check blog entry for October 7, 2010.

J'espérais publier ici un extrait de l'extraordinaire journal d'Anadarangappillai dans sa langue originale. Grâce à la générosité de M. Gobalakichenane, un chercheur résident en France originaire justement de Pondichéry, c'est chose faite! Je suis absolument ravie qu'il ait aussi contribué un scan du manuscrit lequel est préservé à la Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand (serait-il mieux à sa place en Inde?). Touchant d'avoir sous les yeux le manuscrit dans cette magnifique écriture tamoul. Pour plus de précisions sur le manuscrit, référez-vous à l'issue de ce blog du 7 octobre 2010.

You will find below:

- one page of the Tamil manuscript dated June 8th 1752;
- the corresponding one in Gobalakichenane's Tamil publication (in italics the paragraphs hitherto unpublished);
- and the cover illustration of that publication 'Anandarangappillai V-Natkurippu Angirasa andu (1752-1753)', 2005, which shows the portrait of the famous diarist.

Ci-dessous:
-une page du manuscrit en tamil datant du 8 juin 1752;
- la page correspondante dans la publication en tamil de Gobalakichenane (les paragraphes non encore publiés sont en italique);
- et l'illustration de la couverture de la publication 'Anandarangappillai V-Natkurippu Angirasa andu (1752-1753)', 2005, montrant le portrait du fameux courtier.
- la traduction en anglais

Translation in English of the page 59:

(Year) Angirasa (Month) Vaiyâssi 30 (Day) Guruvâram – June 8^th 1752 (Thursday)

Today I didn't go neither to see the Governor because of intestinal problems.

I heard today that the last inimical relations between the Tanjoreans and our Governor have gone down a little.

News came that Chandâ Sâhib who was in Seringapatam had sent all men and was staying with ten 'kisumdar'. I heard also that only Gundo Pandit refused to go and stayed there.

It was said also that, among Mr.Law and Sheick Hussein men, those wounded and dead together with those European and sepoys joining the enemy could number about 2 or 3 thousand. Moreover, rice, curd, ghee, salt were hard to find and the little available  was acquired at very high rupees  price. It was said also that d'Auteuil and few sepoys were  in Vâlikondâpuram and Ranjankadai and that cavalry men and 'jamedars' went away because they had not been  paid.

(From H.Dodwell's edition, Vol.8, p. 105)

Thursday, June 8, - (the passages given above in italics are examples of those contained in the E.Ariel's tamil copy of Paris but not given in the English translation set of 12 volumes published in Madras)

There is news of Chandâ Sâhib's writing to the Governor, that M.Law has gone over to Muhammad'Alî Khân and the E,glish, and ruined everything. The Europeans, Muhammadans and Tamils are all saying that they have the same news from the officers who have quarrelled with M.Law.

************************************************************

Once more I recommend reading the diary to anyone interested in the effect of different cultures meeting (Edouard Glissant!), and in history in general. This vivid account is a window on the day to day life in the colony of Pondicherry in the 18th Century, as well as the relationship between the French and the indigenous population. Below is the link to the Columbia University's extracts in English.

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00litlinks/pillai/index.html

Je recommande vivement la lecture de ce journal à tous ceux qui s'intéressent à l'interaction de diverses cultures (Edouard Glissant!) et à l'histoire en général. Ce texte est très vivant et donne une impression unique des rapports entre Français et autochtones à Pondichéry, ainsi que la vie quotidienne dans cette colonnie. Ci-dessous le lien de référence pour la version française, plus autres liens se référant au sujet de Pondichéry.


http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2010/03/la-traduction-en-francais-du-journal.html

M. Gobalakichenane also recommends the following book on this subject/M. Gobalakichenane recommande aussi le livre suivant qui traite de ce sujet: William F.S.Miles 'Imperial Burdens: Counter Colonialism in Former French India'

http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Burdens-Countercolonialism-Former-French/dp/1555875114

More links related to this subject:

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2010/03/ananda-ranga-pillais-diary-re-french.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2010/03/ananda-ranga-pillais-diary-conflict-in.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2009/12/animesh-rai-sur-glissant.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2009/12/animesh-rai-on-glissant.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2010/01/animesh-rai-who-was-at-conference-in.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2009/12/lintroduction-dedouard-glissant-the.html

Not a travelogue

I had decided not to write a travelogue. But. First day in Istanbul. The men on the streets, vendors, strollers, with their sunken faces. Standing still, pensive, with a resigned expression of wonderment. The myriads of women, colorful, pretty, their attire in every degree of muslim dress code: burkhas, chadors, tank tops. Their fairy tale set: the city, with its minarets and islands raising out of the haze, old rickety wooden buildings with surprising majesty.

At sunset we take the 30 min boat ride back to Kadikoy where we're staying. On the horizon we see the other sections: Galata, Besiktas, Üsküdar. As in every new city I visit, I look for the center. Here it's right in the middle of the Bosphorus. Not the sweet gentle Mediterranean that licks the coasts of Marseilles or Barcelona. A rough sea that's throbbing with strong, unseen currents.

We exit the boat terminal in Kadikoy with a crowd of commuters. A bang. Like a shot. I look around to see which street stand balloon has exploded. People start running. Right at the entrance of the terminal hall a man is holding up a gun, he takes a shot at a young woman. I run, following my sister and our children, behind a shack.

The woman is dressed in silk clothes: white pants, a black shirt and a black and white head cover. She's slight and thin. Same built as most Turks, making them light on the lightning fast horses that swept through Europe many centuries ago. He's of the same build. They both have beautiful, miniature-like heads and features. He's wearing an impeccable silver suit which opens on his white shirt as he shoots. She's begging him, with gentle cries. He keeps on shooting, toward her legs. Unbelievably, she's unhurt. It's unreal. I'm terrified she's going to get killed. She falls to her knees and raises her square handbag, its patent leather shining like a talisman between her and the man's gun. At last she's clearly hurt, in her lower body or her legs. She screams as she collapses. The man comes away toward the esplanade. He raises both his arms up, as in triumph, holding the gun by its barrel. Men in the crowd run from behind him, masking her from view, and rush him to the floor.
I hurry to the children. My niece is in tears. My son upset. I run to my husband who is approaching after going for information, I whisper:

   -  If she died don't tell the kids.

   -  She'll be fine.
Our daughter is missing. I look for her, she's on the other side of the shack. She's got a blank expression on her face. Just like my face. Some people near us, older ladies, laugh. A young woman, sitting on a wedge, is shaking with sobs. I feel nothing. Except for the insane beauty of the scene. It looked like a film shot from my point of view. The man and the woman exactly positioned for best viewing. They were both so elegant. Even the gun, unlike American series' fat species, was long and stylish. It seems such an inadequate reaction. Grasping it as an esthetic tableau instead of a tragedy.

Not one cellphone held up in the air to record the act. I certainly didn't use mine.

We gather, trying to comfort the children. Later we talk of what happened. I still feel uneasy about my reaction, was  I just so relieved she was not killed? My sister says she saw a man carrying away the young woman in his arms. She had four red circles on her silky pants. My husband adds the gun probably jammed at first, he fears the man who took her away might have been a relative from the revenging family. We agree the gunman had it all planned, his best suit, his giving himself up, every move codified. I tell my sister that the man didn't really seem to want to kill the young woman. She didn't see any of it:
   -  I ran, I didn't want to see it. But you came behind the shack with us, how come you saw it all?

That's right, how come I saw it all? And I remember. I had forgotten I ran back, and I screamed and screamed stop stop stop stop. And I forced out my loud whistle between my fingers which so impresses my children. Futile. Looked around for something to throw at the man. I'm too far. I'm scared to go closer. It all happened so fast. A short few seconds in which to balance how much I will risk for another human being, how safe I want to stay, and act.


Published by  - -  Arabella Hutter

La nostalgie, une maladie suisse?

J'ai parlé plus tôt de la nostalgie, telle que l'analyse Isaiah Berlin, et je mentionnais que j'en suis une victime. Serait-ce parce que j'ai grandi en Suisse? Le terme nostalgie a été inventé au XVIIème siècle par un médecin suisse, Johannes Hoffer, qui introduisit le terme dans la thèse qu'il présenta à Bâle en 1688. Il avait composé ce mot à partir de racines grecques, algie douleur, et nost- le retour, pour le faire mieux accepter en tant qu'affection médicale par la communauté scientifique. Bien qu'adoptée par le corps médical, cette notion devient particulièrement importante au XIXème siècle, en parallèle avec le romantisme. Kant en traite déjà, intéressant, puisque Berlin rattache la pensée de Kant à la naissance du romantisme:

"Les Suisses ainsi que les Westphaliens et les Poméraniens de certaines régions, à ce que m'a raconté un général expérimenté, sont saisis du mal du pays, surtout quand on les transplante dans d'autres contrées; c'est par le retour des images de l'insouciance et de la vie de bon voisinage, du temps de leur jeunesse, l'effet de la nostalgie pour les lieux où ils ont connu les joies de l'existence." Kant

Cette maladie est beaucoup étudiée par les médecins militaire au XIXème. En particulier dans l'armée de Napoléon. Les médecins trouvaient ce mal particulièrement mystérieux chez les soldats suisses. Ces hommes venaient de contrées jugées ingrates, pleines de montagnes et de précipices, qu'il semblait extraordinaire de pouvoir regretter. Les soldats qui souffraient de cette affection en mouraient fréquemment. Etonnant, de nos jours, où la nostalgie ne semble plus tuer, comme si le fait qu'elle ait été démédicalisée lui ait ôté de son pouvoir.

Ci-dessous une référence à un article très complet sur la nostalgie.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VP7-3XG1T9P-3&_user=10&_coverDate=06/30/1999&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1411644103&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=c62d9181dcfe107ca0ab7b5ac525c175

Résumé
Le terme « nostalgie « est un néologisme formé par le médecin alsacien Johannes Hofer pour désigner une maladie causée par le mal du pays, et qui associait un état dépressif à de graves perturbations physiologiques qui menaient régulièrement à la mort, à défaut du seul traitement possible, le rapatriement. L'histoire des conceptions et du traitement de cette véritable entité morbide pourrait résumer à elle seule l'évolution de la médecine et de la psychiatrie des trois derniers siècles. Si le Heimweh ne répond plus aujourd'hui aux canons de la scientificité, il n'en a pas moins laissé maintes traces dans nos théories et pratiques actuelles. Le romantisme allemand, plutôt que de voir dans la nostalgie une redoutable maladie, a fait de la Sehnsucht son véritable credo. L'absence dans l'espace devient perte dans le temps, mais la nostalgie romantique signifie aussi reconquête d'un passé mythique dans un avenir non moins imaginaire. Le danger est grand cependant de confondre dans cette quête les registres réel, imaginaire et symbolique. Les romantiques ont rarement su éviter ce piège, tout comme d'ailleurs certains cauchemars totalitaires du xxe siècle. Il existe cependant une sorte de bon usage de la nostalgie, qui peut être considérée aujourd'hui comme étant la métaphore du désir du névrosé.

Publié par  - -  Arabella Hutter

The Huly Buble by Jon Ferguson

I'm thrilled to have a new guest on this blog. Jon Ferguson is a writer, painter and basketball coach. Not buddhist, I think. Nitzchean, more. To find out a whole lot more about him, click here.

Jon in interview





Jon again in prank mode (below with mic)

Jon writes mostly long short stories, or short novels which often exhibit a sardonic sense of humor. The Huly Buble is shorter, and the humor more concentrated. It serves as an introduction to Jon's latest novel "The Flood" which just came out in French: "Le Déluge" (Editions Castagniééé, Vevey, Switzerland):
http://www.castagnieee.com/index.php?p=10&l=31

The Huly Buble

Once upon a time, a time when things were happening just like they are now, but with variations of course, Gud decided that there was too much seriousness in the behavior of trees, rocks, spinning planets, and sunsets, so Hu decided to create mun and wumun. At first there was just one mun and one wumun, but Gud, being one to plan ahead, gave the mun a punus and the wumun a vaguna and the next thing Hu knew there were mun and wumun of different colors and sizes all over the place. In the beginning Gud really liked watching them fight over things like big sticks and pieces of meat, and Hu often laughed his uss off. All of this lasted for quite a long while and Gud stayed reasonably amused….But, as always, boredom began to set in and Hu decided to make a few changes. First Hu decided to make the mun and wumun talk, you know, make noises with their mouths and tongues and lips. But after a while these noises got to be very repetitive and Gud got bored again, so he decided to put a brun in the heads of all the mun and wumun. Up until this point all the decisions that the mun and wumun made were made in their punuses and vugunas and mouths. But now, with a brun in their heads, they had another engine to tell them what to do and which way to go.

It’s funny how all the mun and wumun started to take their bruns seriously. Whereas before, when the punuses and vugunas and mouths were responsible for what was going on, suddenly there were a whole bunch of new things happening in Gud’s funhouse. And the biggest things were all of the sudden the establishment of rulugions and murulities. Suddenly mun and wumun – mostly mun actually – started inventing all kinds of guds and murul principles telling everybody what was rught and what was wrung. Up until then everybody was just kind of eating, sleeping, furnicating, and dying, but suddenly people started to write books and give speeches at see anguls and have vusions about guds and stuff like that, and climb up mountains and telling everybody what was rught and wrung and how to luve their luves.

In Chuna their were people like Cunfucius. He was probably a pretty nice guy who didn’t overeat.

In Jupon there were things like “The Seven Guds  of Guud Luck”.

In Undia there were the Hundus with Guds all over the place running around with holes in their shoes.

And all around there was the bug duddy Buddhu who got his picture in lots of newspapers and who liked desserts and second helpings of food.

In Muxico the sun was Gud for a while until the Chrustians came.

In the Muddle East there was the mountain-climber named Muses who had a gud that got mad a lot and threw lightening bolts at sunners.

The Gruuks had some prutty guud guds too who even liked to drink good wine and show off their punuses and vugunas.

Then came Jusus who was really probably a pretty nice guy, but who got killed and accused of things like walking on water and feeding five thousand people with twelve loaves of bread by people like Puul, Juhn, Luuk, and Muthuw who started writing the Huly Buble.

Pretty soon there was a string of Pupes who got real rich, ate well, built nice buildings, and started  a series of wars.

Then Muhummud came long with Ullah and scarves became fashionable along with cutting off hands and fingers.

Then there were people like Luthur and Culvun who had seen enough of the Pupes and started new religions also based on the Huly Buble.

Then came the Prutustunts and the Murmuns, and the Juhuvuhs Wutnussus and the Suvunth Duy Udvuntusts and the Buptusts, all kinds of groups like that that were telling people what was rught and wrung and who the real Gud was.

It really got to be a big mess and the real Gud was becoming less and less amused by the whole show. Hu started thinking maybe Hu shouldn’t have put that brun in the mun’s and wumun’s heads after all.

Hu finally decided to have a flood and into the gurbage can went most of the mess.

 

© J. F.        Murges, June 2010

No reproduction in any medium allowed without direct authorization from author.


published by  - -  Arabella Hutter

 

La nostalgie

La notion de nostalgie m'intrigue. Je suis malheureusement une de ses victimes. Il suffit que le moment soit passé pour que je le regrette.

Isaiah Berlin traite de la nostalgie dans son livre "The Roots of Romanticism" (je ne crois pas qu'il existe une traduction). It présente d'abord la notion de profondeur, comme lorsque l'on dit d'une oeuvre ou d'un auteur qu'il est "profond". D'après lui, cette notion est aussi née avec le Romantisme, cette idée qu'il y a toujours plus sous les apparences.

A partir de là il explique que, puisque nous ne pouvons pas atteindre la totalité, puisque l'infinité est hors d'atteinte, il ne nous reste qu'à nous retourner et à regretter le passé. Les penseurs des Lumières croyaient fermement en un futur meilleur, il suffisait de trouver la bonne voie pour l'atteindre: les bonnes lois, les bonnes règles, les bons préceptes. Par contre les Romantiques aspirent à la perfection. J'ai beaucoup d'admiration pour la pensée de Berlin mais je ne suis pas tout à fait convaincue par son explication. J'y vois un exemple d'un penseur qui essaie de pousser un objet triangulaire dans un trou rond et qui affirme que la pièce s'imbrique parfaitement. La nostalgie est-elle vraiment seulement dûe à un manque de confiance en l'avenir?  Même si elle est exacerbée chez les Romantiques, la nostalgie existe dans d'autres cultures, en extrême orient par exemple. J'ai longtemps cru que la nostalgie présente dans la culture Afro-Américaine était dûe à leur diaspora. Mais leurs pays d'origine en Afrique semblent avoir une profonde connexion avec la nostalgie Ecoutez Ismaël Lo ci-dessous, par exemple.

Ismail Lo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogWBf5j9vVE&feature=related

Salif Keita:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFTw0c9ew3k

Billie Holliday et Louis Armstrong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbmSmg1IhZE&feature=related

Contributed by  - -  Arabella Hutter

Of nostalgia

The notion of nostalgia intrigues me. I am one of its victims. Suffices that the moment be past for me to remember it with nostalgia. 

Isaiah Berlin discusses it in his book "The Roots of Romanticism". He looks first at the notion of depth, as in a piece of art or a thinker which we might call "deep". According to him it's also something that was born with Romanticism, this idea that there is always more than meets the eye, than meets the brain. 

From there he explains that because we can never reach totality, because infinity is out of our reach we can only turn around and pine for the past. While thinkers from the Enlightenment believed firmly that the future could be perfectly satisfactory  if we found the right way - the right laws, the right rules -  to reach it, the Romantics aspire to heights, to impossible perfection. I have a lot of admiration for Berlin's thinking but I am not convinced by his explanation of nostalgia. it seems to me a case of a thinker pushing a triangular object into a circular hole within his system and explaining how perfectly well it fits. Isn't there more to nostalgia than a lack of faith in the future? And nostalgia is common to other cultures besides Romanticism. I had always thought that the nostalgia expressed in African American culture had been passed down by ancestors deprived of their homeland. But I wonder if it's does not find its origin in Africa's own very strong brand of nostalgia in many of its cultures, hear Ismael Lo (below). 

My curiosity has been pricked, i'm going to keep on investigating. Any comments or suggestions welcome.

Ismail Lo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogWBf5j9vVE&feature=related

Salif Keita:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFTw0c9ew3k

Contributed by  - -  Arabella Hutter