Stories from Quick Reads and France
Documentary ‘Too Black To Be French’ Wants to Start an Honest Conversation on Race in France
“Too Black to Be French” is a documentary made by Isabelle Boni-Claverie, a French-Ivorian writer and filmmaker. Boni-Claverie's goal is to provide unexplored ideas and start a conversation on French society's inequalities and discrimination. The documentary includes commentary and analyses from renowned Francophone thinkers such as Eric Fassin, Pap Ndiaye, Achille Mbembe, Patrick...
Herve Cornara's Relatives Want Him to Be Remembered as a Great Guy, Not the Beheaded Victim of a Lunatic
Herve Cornara was the manager of ATC, a delivery company in Chassieu in the suburbs of Lyon, France. More importantly, he was a father of a young man and loved by his relatives and colleagues. Cornara was killed and beheaded by Yassin Salhi next to a ISIS flag at a factory in...
Help Wanted to Make Sure the U.N. Climate Change Conference COP 21 Will Result in Concrete Actions
The year 2015 is especially important for our planet’s climate. One of the highlights is the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) that will take place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in Paris. Diplomats from all over the...
Candlelight Vigil for the 23 Victims of Boko Haram Suicide Bombings in Chad
Two suicide bombings killed at least 23 people Monday (June 15) in Chad's capital N'djamena. Chad government stated that four attackers belonged to extremist group Boko Haram and were killed by the blast which targeted police. More than 100 people were also injured in the incidents. Chad has committed his...
Photoblog Documents Eviction of Migrants’ Makeshift Camp in Paris
“Humanely…” That is the sarcastic headline of a photoblog that narrates how the French police dismantled and evicted a large makeshift camp of migrants in Paris starting June 2. The camp occupied an open space underneath a railway viaduct near the Porte de la Chapelle in the northern part of the city. By...
Former French Defense Minister Finds Excuses for the Alleged Rape of Central African Children by French Soldiers
Afrique Info reports that JP Chevènement, a former defense minister of France, stated on public radio Europe 1 on May 3 that the challenging conditions that French soldiers face in the Central African Republic could explain “behavior of that kind” (see video above). Chevènement was referring to the allegation of child...
France Launchs National Campaign to Curb Racist and Anti-Semitic Acts
On April 17, the French government unveiled a national campaign to combat racism and anti-Semitism in France. The objective of the campaign is to fight all prejudices, raise awareness and get citizens engaged in the conversation. One hundred euros will be allocated over three years to educate and promote cultural diversity. The...
Another Shark Attack Claims a Teenage Surfer on Reunion Island, Post-Attack Policy in Effect
A 13-year-old boy was killed by a shark on April 12 near Les Aigrettes on Reunion island. Elio Canestri was a promising surfer and a member of the local surfing club. The local community is shocked by the tragic news. A Facebook page was set up to commemorate his life, with...
#JesuisKenyan Trends in Francophone Social Media to Show Support for Garissa Victims
147 people were killed by gunmen on the campus of Garissa University in Kenya. The world and specifically the french speaking world after Charlie Hebdo, shows support to the victims
Gun Attack Kills 5 in Bamako as Mali Tries to Consolidate Peace
A shooting in a restaurant in Bamako, capital city of Mali, claimed the lives of five people on Friday night, March, 6. The attack took place around midnight in a restaurant called La Terrasse in Downtown Bamako and a dozen people are seriously injured. Two suspects are in detention and...
A March in Solidarity with Migrants Who Perished Trying to Reach Europe
“Europe is fighting its own make-believe enemy”: This is the message that a dozen of associations in defense of migrants wanted to convey when they organized a human chain between the tramway station “Droits de l'Homme (Human Rights)” and the EU Parliament station in Strasbourg on November 26. In order to put Human Rights back at...
World Forum for Democracy Will Discuss “Youth and Democracy” in Strasbourg, France
The third edition of the Strasbourg World Forum for Democracy will kick off next week in Strasbourg, France. The topic of the debates organized this year from Nov. 3 – 5 at the seat of Coucil of Europe will be: “From participation to influence: can youth revitalise democracy?”. The various labs will be...
An Election Film Week in Lebanon to Say #NoToExtension of Parliament Term
What better than the seventh art to mobilize? In another effort to push for Elections in Lebanon and prevent an extension of the Parliamentary term #NoToExtension, Lebanese NGO Nahwa Al Muwatiniya (meaning Towards Citizenship) held an “Election Film Week”. Six works from Chile, Iran, China, Ghana and the US, varying between documentaries...
Eerie Similarities in Deaths Provoked by Police Brutality in Staten Island and Paris
Eric Garner was a 44-year-old African-American man who died following an attempted arrest by the NY Police Department. On July 17, 2014, when police officers attempted to arrest Garner, he had broken up a fight. Garner who suffered from asthma was wrestled to the ground. Medical examiners concluded chokehold and...
How the Merger of Two of its Largest Providers May Transform the French Telco Market
The recent merger between French telcos SFR and Numericable is but another example of the broader trend that dominates today’s telecommunications market: operators are seeking to integrate their products in order to respond to their business clients’ growing desire for streamlined communications solutions. This merger also threatens the dominance of...
Images of Air Algerie AH5017 Plane Wreckage in Mali Reveals Violent, Abrupt Crash
VERY FIRST images of #AH5017 #AirAlgerie trickling out, via @AirLiveNet http://t.co/4pKox7rgjn pic.twitter.com/rngGTv7Rbs — Jason Morrell (@CNNJason) July 25, 2014 The first footage of the plane crash are now available thanks to a Burkinabe soldier present on the site of the wreck near Gossi, in Northern Mali. There are no survivors...
China's National Mahjong Team Loses To Japan
Mahjong, originated from China is considered a national game. The fact that China's national mahjony team lost the the fifth Open Mahjong Championship in France and finished in 37th place out of 51 teams came as a shock to the country. Worse, the individual title was claimed by a Japanese...
Debunking Rumors that Algerian Fans Burned Down a Church in Lyon, France after World Cup Win
On June 22 at the World Cup 2014 in Brazil, Algeria defeated South Korea 4-2 to keep its chance of qualifying to the knock-out round alive. Scenes of joy were numerous in Algeria [fr] but also in France where a dynamic Algerian community resides. The joy was tempered by rumors that...
Why You Should Pick France as Your 2nd Favorite Team at the 2014 World Cup
Graham MacAree at SB Nation posts an entertaining comment on why one should pick the French national team as their 2nd favorite team after their home team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil : You'll want to watch France games because if they're on, they'll be lovely to watch,...
What is Really Ailing France ?
The inability of the French economy to rebound from the Euro zone crisis, the loss of corporate champions like Alstom and Arcelor and the forceful rise of the far right party (Front National) at the latest European elections [fr] are seen by many observers as tell-tale signs of the country’s relative decline. Yet...
A Low-cost Solution to Heal Cataract in Sub Saharan Countries
One of the main causes of blindness in sub saharan countries are cataracts. A group of french physicians has developed a surgical kit called “Phacokit” to treat at low-cost individuals suffering from cataract and help them recover their eyesight [fr]: Pour vaincre la cataracte, principale cause de cécité, notamment dans les pays pauvres,...
