multiculturalism & identity in france: upcoming movie ‘chimen an mwen’ looks for answers

Self discovery is a theme with a large presence and thematic representation in the artistic canon, with books, poetry, film, music and visual art all having abundant examples of artists reckoning with themselves in their art. As the world changes, these themes remain, and within the confines of race, nationality, and identity are themes are wrought with nuance and wonderment. Screenwriter and director Harry Eliézer is using this framework to explore his own identity as a Parisian born man with Guadeloupean roots. The film shows him discovering the plurality of this identity, discovering his Blackness as a young child and other people projecting their ideas of what Blackness means upon him throughout his life. In his own words, Harry says that “We are going through times during which France feels more threatened than ever in its own identity. Temptation grows to fall back on the so-called “French” values. However, France’s colonial policy and its calls for foreign labor in the 1960s modified the characteristics of this country : today the French are multiple in their physical aspects and origins. In this context, what are the possibilities for the French that embody that multiplicity to make their own « original » culture exist ? Can being bi- or multi-cultural be considered positively as a resource ? And how to talk about it ?” It seems that this is a brilliant start to an important conversation, especially when fascist and far-right movements threaten the very existence of multi-cultural and minority communities in and beyond Europe’s borders. Consider supporting the film’s crowdfunding campaign, it’s a worthy cause and an intriguing story!

By T. McLendon, AFROPUNK Contributor

Crowdfunding site