This year is the 30th anniversary of the March for Equality and Against Racism, also known as “Marche des Beurs“, the ‘walk of the arabs’. Started in Marseille in reaction to the racist violence inflicted by police on the migrant youth of the suburbs, the walkers covered over a thousand km through France and ended in Paris. Watch the news report of the time: A feature film titled ‘La Marche‘ is also released in France today.
When we picture them, some expressions or popular (in the sense of ‘of the people’) sayings are quite disgusting. But we use them (or not) because they convey a strong feeling. In English we say ‘to have one’s head up one’s…’ ? Well, in French it works pretty much the same way. It could be more or less useful to know certain of these slang expressions and sayings, so check out these pictures and see if you can match them with the polite definitions bellow. To be tired To be…read more
So… my little English friends?… As the french playground saying goes “C’est celui qui dit, qui est!” (It’s the one who says, who is!) According to archeologist David Jacques, the people of England would have been the original frog eaters and imported their (disgusting) tradition to France… I personally don’t mind, I tasted frog legs once and thought it was ok. A bit of a cross between fish and chicken. With enough garlic it was perfectly good! And given the opportunity, I would probably do it again. Frog: grenouille Frogs’…read more
We will be holding group taster classes at the Voilà Festival. Cockpit Theatre on 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 November from 12am to 1pm. Get started in style with the support of a small and informal group. Price: £8/person. Email: contact@speakfrog.co.uk to book your place.
In 1977, investigating judge Monique Mabelly was designated to witness the execution of a tunisian man, the last to receive the capital punishment in France. This took place in a prison of Marseille in the early morning of September 9th. When she got home, she wrote this sober but indignant testimony. The death sentence was later abolished in France by President François Mitterand on 18 September 1981.
Les feuilles mortes (litterally: ‘the dead leaves’) is one of the most beautiful and sad French songs. The lyrics were written by the author Jaques Prévert and it was originally sang by Yves Montand. Throughout the years there have been many covers and an English version called ‘Autumn leaves’ was also created by Cole Porter. http://youtu.be/kLlBOmDpn1s
Apart from a few exceptions like Edith Piaf and Céline Dion, few singers have managed to impose songs in French on the international charts. And nowadays, more and more French singers write lyrics in English to appeal to a global audience. However, many high-profile foreign artists sing in French just for a song. From Grace Jones to Michael Jackson and Elton John, here are some examples of famous artists singing in French! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah2x1Enu7Go#t=11
“Tout homme a droit à une vie qui lui permette de se construire”
The prices keep going up but there are still places in Paris where you can get a coffee for 1€. Here is where to head if you are visiting Paris on a shoe string. For that price you will probably have to lean at the counter but it’s all part of the experience, the ancestor of take-away coffee! In the meantime, you’ll might want to check Guillaume Long’s express guide to a coffee in Paris…
French-speaking men are quite verbal in expressing their attraction to a woman, unfortunately this often turns nasty in big cities like Paris or Brussels. In 2012 Sofie Peeters decided to walk around Brussels with a hidden camera to record the harassment she was she was experiencing on a daily basis. The result was the film Femme de La Rue, which shocked those who had no idea of the sexism women are often subjected to. In France, Anaïs Bourdet realised that what she was going through in the streets of Marseille was…read more
