Entrée to Black Paris Blog

Thursday, August 1st, 2024

Afro-American Day at Africa Station

Cover image: Moderator and panelists for "The African American Presence in Paris"
© Entrée to Black Paris

The first full weekend of Africa Station activities during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games included a Journée Afro-Américaine (Afro-American Day).

The "animations culturelles" consisted of three panel discussions on topics relevant to African Americans at home and in France.

Panel Discussion 1 was entitled "The African American Presence in Paris." It was sponsored by the James Hemings Society and The Literary Cafe.

Signage for "The African American Presence in Paris"
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Executive producer and moderator Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati facilitated presentations on the over 200 years of Black American presence in Paris that is inextricably woven into French and U.S. history and culture. Lloyd-Sgambati is the founder/CEO of The Literary Media and Publishing Consultants and The African American Children's Book Project.

The topics covered were the following:

Literature - Tara Phillips, Executive Director of La Maison Baldwin

Visual Arts - Dr. Monique Y. Wells, Co-owner of Entrée to Black Paris and Founder & CEO of the Wells International Foundation

Music - Ursuline Kairson, Jazz singer, actress, lyricist

Film - Tori Reid, Producer and podcast host

Cuisine - Gary Trevisani, Chef, culinary educator and executive

Interpreter and panelists for "The African American Presence in Paris"
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For all panels throughout the day, consecutive interpretation was provided by Tosin Adedimeji.

Tosin Adedimeji
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Chef Trevisani kicked off the discussion with a presentation of enslaved Chef James Hemings, who came to Paris with Thomas Jefferson in 1785 and was trained in the finest French culinary tradition at Château de Chantilly. He talked about the tremendous influence Heming's professional prowess has had on U.S. cuisine from the 18th century through today.

Trevisani spoke about how Hemings' legacy was unknown to him when he served as professor and then Vice President at the Restaurant School (now Walnut Hill College) in Philadelphia and how he regrets not having been able to teach it to his students.

Chef Gary Trevisani
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I presented the history of African Americans in visual arts from the late 19th century through today, beginning with Henry Ossawa Tanner and ending with Barbara Chase-Riboud. I evoked the history of the Black American women sculptors who blazed the trail for Chase-Riboud during their time in Paris in the late 19th and early 20th centuries - Meta Vaux Warwick Fuller, Augusta Savage, and Nancy Elizabeth Prophet.

I talked about Loïs Mailou Jones and how her year of study in Paris revealed the dichotomy between U.S. and French perceptions of art created by Black people.

And as a segway to the presentation by Tara Phillips, I spoke about Beauford Delaney and the important relationship he had with James Baldwin.

Monique Y. Wells
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Tara Phillips then took the mike and spoke about the legacy of African-American writers in Paris with a focus on James Baldwin. She talked about the importance that Baldwin's Paris years had regarding his writing practice and shared that he lived in other foreign countries as well.

She also talked about the 100th anniversary of Baldwin's birth on August 2, 2024 and announced the upcoming James Baldwin Centennial Festival that will take place in Paris from September 9-13, 2024.

Tara Phillips
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Jazz performer Ursuline Kairson presented the history of the introduction of jazz to France by African-American soldiers during WWI. She emphasized that these men not only played music, but also fought valiantly on the battlefield and were rewarded for their service.

Then, to the audience's delight, she sang two songs - the iconic "J'ai Deux Amours" by Josephine Baker and her own "Out of the Blue."

Ursuline Kairson sings
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Tori Reid was the newest Paris resident on the panel, having been in the City of Light for less than two years. She talked about her perceptions of the French and about how she is finding her place here.

She then spoke about her new documentary project, Expats in Paris, and said she hoped the audience would pose questions to the panelists so their stories could be highlighted in the spirit of the work she is undertaking with her new series.

Tori Reid
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The audience accepted her invitation and posed a few questions prior to moderator Lloyd-Sgambati closing out the session.

Audience
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In the break between panels, the African American Presence panelists met the group that would take the stage for Panel Discussion 2. We took a photo together before they continued their preparation for the lively discussion to come.

One of the panelists for Panel Discussion 3, South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau, also joined us for this photo.

Panelist group photo
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3 The Art Way was the topic of Panel Discussion 2.

3 The Art Way signage
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This family artist collective from Newark, NJ, comprised of matriarch Yvonne Onque and her two sons, Samad and Suliman, creates original gallery art, illustrations, comic books, and wearable art that reflects the African-American experience. The family is steeped in artistic tradition, from visual arts through music and dance.

Sponsored by Newark Happening - the Greater Newark Convention and Visitor Bureau, the discussion was led by Tiffany Chiffani Salas of Chiffani Brands Unlimited.

The group came to Paris on the heels of their participation in the Miami Art Basel art show. Salas dubbed the Africa Station event "From Newark to Paris, with Love."

3 The Art Way signage outside conference center booth
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A dedicated cinematography crew was on hand to record the event for posterity.

Kay the Kreator
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To start the discussion, Salas asked each family member to respond to two questions:

1) What does art mean to you?

2) Is your art "Black art"?

L to R: Tiffany Chiffani Salas, Samad Onque, Yvonne Onque, and Suliman Onque
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Each panelist responded passionately to these questions. All three said that they consider their creations "Black art."

Samad Onque
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Yvonne Onque
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Suliman Onque
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After another couple of rounds of questions, Salas quizzed the audience about the panelists' responses. Those who answered the questions correctly won an autographed poster of the event and an Onque-designed iron-on patch for clothing.

To conclude the discussion, Salas stood up to show the outfit she wore for the event. It was designed by Jerry Gant, a Newark artist who met an untimely end due to liver cancer.

Suliman Onque also stood up to model the wearable art piece he selected as his outfit for the day.

The audience was then invited visit the indoor booth next to the conference stage and the outdoor "open house" booth next to the country stands. Both displayed art and additional merchandise that was available for purchase.

Quiz winners were invited to collect their autographed posters inside and their iron-on patches outside.

While collecting my patch prize at the outdoor booth, I met Nuria Dixon. She was selling t-shirts that promote her short film entitled "Ethan Art-Venture." It is a story about about a young autistic illustrator who, on his 9th birthday, is given a gift that allows him access to a powerful, imaginative, inner realm: a completely animated world.

The protagonist's voice is that of Dixon's son, Ethan. Tiffany Salas provided the set design for the film.

Dixon told me that the film was scheduled to be screened at Africa Station the following day as part of "From Newark to Paris, with Love." Unfortunately, I was unable to return to the venue to view it.

Back inside, all the women who attended the art panel discussion were asked to gather for a group photo. We happily obliged!

The final conference was to bring together Mayor Mohamed Gnabaly of L'Ile Saint-Denis, Mayor Khalid (Kobi) Kamau of South Fulton, Georgia, and Frank Kwebena Owusu, Deputy CEO of the Creative Arts Agency in Ghana. The topic to be discussed was the social impact of sports, culture, and innovation in Africa.

I was pleased to make Mayor Kamau's acquaintance earlier in the day, along with that of conference organizer, Olivier Annet N'Guessan.

L to R: Monique Y. Wells, Olivier Annet N'Guessan, Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, Mayor Khalid Kamau
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But I was not able to meet Frank Kwebena Owusu or attend the panel discussion.

Africa Station is open from 2 PM until 10 PM everyday during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic games.

To learn more about it, click HERE.