By Jewelle Gomez–
I recently learned that, in Paris, Halloween is not a widely celebrated holiday as it is here in the states. That was a bit of a surprise to me during a recent visit, but I’m not complaining—hey, it is Paris! When I was there, all those frisky, healthy Olympians had already left to go back home to their respective nations, leaving actual Parisians—who, like New Yorkers, are, in fact, friendly. It’s been said before, but Parisians also dress better than any humans I’ve ever met on a public street who are not going to a gala or a runway.
Our visit was to the French premiere of the documentary about moi. It was being presented by Cineffable, a lesbian/feminist film festival now in its 36th year (https://bit.ly/4fQH0P3). The festival boasted four days of film programming and live entertainment. This included the singing, roller skating, French/African rap artist Lirose ( @lirose.officiel ) It’s so magical to go into a space dedicated to women. (Yes, there were transwomen in attendance.) The festival was all the more miraculous given the sharp turn to the right many nations have taken.
Predictably, the French food was extraordinary; I could do a column on just pastries, not to mention Paris’ museums, which remain the most extensive and impressive repositories of Western art, including “primitive” art they’ve stolen from other countries. We decided to visit new places like the Salvador Dali Museum so we could see one of the dripping watches in person. The Grand Palais featured the 27th annual Paris Photo, a huge,
international exposition of photography—hundreds of exhibitors from corporate collections to the Black woman-owned Jenkins Johnson Gallery, displaying splendid work by Gordon Parks and Ming Smith
(https://bit.ly/3OwPoaH).
The architecture and urban design of Paris are inestimable in their elegance and endurance. Even if the U.S. survives for a thousand years (we’re less than 250 years old now), it doesn’t have the basic, historic bones or devotion to conservatorship to match the French; not to mention being cursed by the attempted extermination of Native American people.
The French, of course, have been brutal colonizers like most European countries, and so are under their own curse. I’m not repainting history, but just observing how the physicality of a city can shape fashion, thinking, and politics. I enjoy reframing the slogan of the French Revolution (a prime example of overkill) “Liberty Equality Fraternity” to suit the reality of who lives on this planet. It’s a valuable sentiment to try to live up to, much like the one adopted by the United States: E pluribus unum, meaning, “Out of many, one.” In high school civics class, it sounded like something valuable to strive for. Recently, it’s been ignored or twisted by the totalitarian right. But I’m still suffering from PETS—Post Election Trauma Syndrome—so I digress.
The central revelation of the trip for me was a reminder of the resiliency of women. Much of the Parisian municipal and personal treasury must have gone to the Olympics; still, the all-volunteer staff has kept the Cineffable festival completely accessible, rekindling the heat of feminism with every meal served in the café, every painting hung in the little gallery, and every embrace between women known and unknown.
I received so many embraces. Regan Kramer, originally from Brooklyn, translated the documentary from my words into French (damn, I’m impressive in French!)) and who also bought me beer when I needed it most. Christine Lemoine gave me a copy of one of my really early poems she’d translated for a French edition of a book about Joan Nestle and the Lesbian Herstory Archives. The organizers, on learning the film screening was on Diane’s [Diane Sabin] and my wedding anniversary, gave us roses in the middle of all the details they were managing. At each turn, the women were efficient, buoyant, resourceful, and caring, as we can be!
Following the results of having a fascist returned to power in the U.S., it is urgent we’re reminded of the power of women. So, the motto of Paris is even more meaningful for us to remember: “She is rocked by the waves but does not sink.”
Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/feminist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @VampyreVamp.
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Published on December 5, 2024
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