Being a cultural ambassador that focuses on the translation of culture through language, symbols (which in itself is a language) and art, is fabulously enriching; since I am never caught in one culture alone but freely in the ever shifting borders, boundaries and categories. Sure, we need these borders, boundaries and categories, (our intellect needs to categorise to make sense of the world) but that is one thing that I learnt studying Anthropology in the academy and with a great deal of experience moving around the globe, that these boundaries and categories are not fixed. We fix them in our heads; and this, by the way is what causes confusion, wars and hate between people instead of joy, union and understanding. I surprised people when after my studies I took my experience to Austria instead of France after studying so much about French culture. I even surprised myself, but knowledge continues to grow and flourish, enriching what would otherwise have been a limited view of life. Perhaps I would have exchanged one culture for another as Kierkegaard talked about, and which in my opinion is dangerous. A kind of cultural essentialism where you have to choose to be one thing or another and then completely dissolve yourself within that culture, even the parts that you don`t resonate with for the sake of proving yourself to be of that nationality or ethnicity. Why not be both? Or three or four ethnicities or nationalities bringing out each one depending in which context you are in.
In the market the other day, whilst buying vegetables I was asked if I was French, in which we continued the conversation in French, about the culture and food. Returning home, I pick up the phone speaking German talking about how to improve a social situation in Austria, am I not Austrian now at that moment? Talking to family back in UK, do I not become British again? In late capitalist culture we are all rootless and so we have no real attachment to a land or ethnicity, it is all in our heads and what we choose. Yes, based on historical decision, but nevertheless we choose it still, it is not something that is natural even though this belief that is natural is the cause of wars. I won`t go into the problematic examples here, I am sure you know very modern examples that are happening right before our eyes?
I will leave now with a "Chanson" from Vanessa Paradis, it creates a certain universal imagery following the elegant cadences and rhythms of French language. My two favourite verses allude to these shifting borders and the mysteries yet to be explored.
Il y a là les mystères,
Le silence sous la mer
Qui luttent contre l'temps
Il y là les bordures
Les distances, ton allure
Quand tu marches juste devant
There are mysteries here,
Silence under the sea
Fighting against time
There where borders
Distance, your pace
When you walk in front
Silence under the sea
Fighting against time
There where borders
Distance, your pace
When you walk in front
Parfois on regarde les choses
Telles qu'elles sont
En se demandant pourquoi
Parfois, on les regarde
Telles qu'elles pourraient être
En se disant pourquoi pas
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
(The full lyrics)
Il y a là la peinture
Des oiseaux, l'envergure
Qui luttent contre le vent
Il y a là les bordures
Les distances, ton allure
Quand tu marches juste devant
Il y a là les fissures
Fermées les serrures
Comme envolés les cerfs-volants
Il y a là la littérature
Le manque d'élan
L'inertie, le mouvement
Parfois on regarde les choses
Telles qu'elles sont
En se demandant pourquoi
Parfois, on les regarde
Telles qu'elles pourraient être
En se disant pourquoi pas
Il y a lalala
Si l'on prenait le temps
Si l'on prenait le temps
Il y a là la littérature
Le manque d'élan
L'inertie, le mouvement
Parfois on regarde les choses
Telles qu'elles sont
En se demandant pourquoi
Parfois, on les regarde
Telles qu'elles pourraient être
En se disant pourquoi pas
Il y a là les mystères,
Le silence sous la mer
Qui luttent contre l'temps
Il y là les bordures
Les distances, ton allure
Quand tu marches juste devant
Il y a là les murmures
Un soupir, l'aventure
Comme emmêlés les cerfs-volants
Il y a là la littérature
Le manque d'élan
L'inertie le mouvement
There is paint
Birds, the size
Struggling against the wind
There where borders
Distance, your pace
When you walk in front
There are cracks
Locks closed
As flown kites
There where literature
The lack of momentum
The inertia of the movement
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
There lalala
If we took the time
If we took the time
There where literature
The lack of momentum
The inertia of the movement
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
There are mysteries here,
Silence under the sea
Fighting against time
There where borders
Distance, your pace
When you walk in front
There are murmurs
A sigh, adventure
As tangled kites
There is literature
The lack of momentum
The inertia of the movement
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
Birds, the size
Struggling against the wind
There where borders
Distance, your pace
When you walk in front
There are cracks
Locks closed
As flown kites
There where literature
The lack of momentum
The inertia of the movement
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
There lalala
If we took the time
If we took the time
There where literature
The lack of momentum
The inertia of the movement
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
There are mysteries here,
Silence under the sea
Fighting against time
There where borders
Distance, your pace
When you walk in front
There are murmurs
A sigh, adventure
As tangled kites
There is literature
The lack of momentum
The inertia of the movement
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
Sometimes we look at things
As they are
Asking why
Sometimes you look
As they might be
And say why not
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