You can be
one of the most famous writers in the world and still face problems at certain
airports if you don’t have a “Western” passport.
That’s what
best-selling Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discovered on a recent
visit to Paris.
“When I
arrived at the airport with my Nigerian passport, I had the most humiliating,
and annoying, questioning,” she told participants at the 2017 CityLab
conference held in the French capital Oct. 22-24.
The event,
described by organizers as “a celebration of cities and city life”, brought
together mayors from around the world, as well as “urban experts, business
leaders, artists and activists”, to discuss sustainability, inclusion and other
issues.
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| Writers Ta-Nehesi Coates and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speak with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg (Photo: SWAN) |
The main
objective was to “explore solutions for the most pressing issues facing city
leaders and city dwellers alike”, said the organisers and co-hosts – The Atlantic media group, The Aspen
Institute and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Adichie, the
author of Half of a Yellow Sun and We Should All Be Feminists, participated
in a discussion with fellow writer Ta-Nehesi Coates titled “Identity and
Belonging: The Souls of a City”, responding to questions from Jeffrey Goldberg,
editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
“I think we
have to be careful not to romanticise cities,” Adichie said, when asked about
her favourite town. “They can be alienating as well. People walk past each
other.”
She was particularly
blunt about Paris, saying that “Black people feel excluded” in certain areas of
the city, and she described ways that her acquaintances try to fit in, some by speaking
English instead of French because Anglophone foreigners seem to be “more
respected”.
Adichie
stressed that a city needs “affordable housing and inclusion” to be sustainable
– things for which Paris aren’t highly rated – and these were themes that also concerned
other artists at the conference.
In an earlier
discussion, Ruth Mackenzie, artistic director of the city’s Théâtre du Châtelet,
said that to achieve more social inclusion, artists can make a difference in
neighbourhoods by engaging with local communities.
“You listen
and use their skills,” Mackenzie said. “You can use public spaces where people
can see work for free.”
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| Choreographer Elizabeth Streb. (Photo: SWAN) |
She and her colleague
Elizabeth Streb, founder and director of dance company Streb Extreme Action, took part in a panel on “setting a more inclusive stage”, which is seen as necessary in most
major cities.
“When we talk
about the theatre-going public, the issues of class and race are hardly
addressed,” Streb said in an interview with SWAN, on the sidelines of the conference.
“I think it’s a disgrace and ignorance when you hear some of the things said in
the ivory tower about outreach and including people.”
Joe Murphy
and Joe Robertson, co-founders of The Good Chance Theatre which works with
refugees, called for cities to do more to support activist cultural initiatives. On a panel
with Majid Adin, an Iranian animator, filmmaker and refugee, the two
said the arts could help to decrease social tensions and divisions.
“This is a
difficult moment in our collective history, with things that are dividing and
segregating us,” Murphy said. “We believe that culture should be at the centre
of our cities.”
With all the
talk from participants, it was left to Adin’s animated film to demonstrate the
impact that artists can have. Loud applause followed the partial screening of his
video for Elton John’s well-known song “Rocket Man” – interpreted as the
journey of a refugee.
With support
from Murphy and Robertson, Adin had entered “The Cut”, a competition that invited
independent filmmakers “to create the first official music videos for three of
Elton John’s most famous songs”.
Adin based “Rocket
Man” on his own migration to England, via the Calais refugee camp in northern France,
and was named one of the contest's three winners. The video premiered last May at the Cannes
Film Festival and is a poignant appeal for the inclusion of people who are so
easily marginalised in cities.
See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVBCG6ThDk
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SWAN on Twitter: @mckenzie_ale
