Miss Kolka

I've been meaning to write about the film blood diamond... because after hearing that it was such a great film that I had to see I must say I was extremely, extremely disappointed. Not only by the storytelling, which is quite pretentious but also because of the problematic white and black relationship the main two characters have. I have been looking for words but this review From: San Diego State University says it all. Read it.

Blood Diamond

December 9th, 2006 by Beth Accomando

Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond.

Blood Diamond presents itself as an action thriller but the genre trappings can't hide the fact that Zwick wants to teach audiences another history lesson and lecture them on political correctness. Jennifer Connelly's reporter exists only to spout statistics and educate us on the subject. She's like one of those characters you bump into in a video game that spews information so you can advance to the next level. When Archer first meets Bowen, their conversation is a rapid summary of recent African history with snide comments about American guilt and the fact that the politically correct way to refer to Rhodesia now is to call it Zimbabwe. Similarly, Vandy is meant to be symbolic of the African people. But none of these people feel like fully fleshed out characters.

Edward Zwick directs Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou.

Zwick is not content to just tell a good action story or to focus tightly on one aspect of a complex problem—he wants to explore everything. He shows how the guerrillas coerce children into fighting, how diamonds fund the violence, how the west ignores the problems in Africa, the formation of massive refugee camps, and so on. Yet even though the film covers a lot of ground, it never gets to the complexity of the problems. It's broad in scope but not deep.

A film that did manage to blend politics and good storytelling together was last year's The Constant Gardener, a thriller that enlightened us about Africa while also delivering a compelling and tense narrative. That film found a clever way to weave the character's journey neatly and tightly into the themes of social injustice in Africa so that the audience got an education without being hit over the head with a message. The Constant Gardener riveted viewers with the characters and their emotional journey first and then worked on enlightening us with its themes.

Blood Diamond

Zwick, however, is not as graceful in weaving his tale. Plus, he hurts the film by not giving equal weight to the two male characters. Zwick appears to make the odd assertion that the white characters have more emotional investment in and ownership of Africa than the blacks. Archer is told by another white mercenary that the dirt in Africa is red because it is soaked with their blood, and that they can never leave the country because Africa runs through their veins. Archer then gets to bleed into the African soil and essentially proclaim it as his country. But it's also Vandy's country. Yet the film makes less of an effort to point out the amount of black African blood split on the same soil. Another scene that plays falsely is when Vandy wonders aloud if his country might not have been better off when it were ruled by whites. Maybe, he suggest, the blacks just have something bad within them. Such a comment seems ill placed. After all it was white colonials who created some of the divisions that still haunt the continent today. And while Zwick promotes political correctness, he never really allows Vandy's character the same chance as Archer's to speak out. When Vandy does have a moment when is supposed to speak about the pain and suffering of his country, that's the moment when Zwick brings up the music and pulls away so that the voice he claims is the most important one for us to hear, the one we are urged not to ignore, is in essence silenced.

This year, DiCaprio makes an earnest bid to change from pretty boy to tough guy with his dual roles as the hard edged undercover cop in The Departed and the mercenary with shifting morals here in Blood Diamond. He's a talented actor and the harder edge is a nice change of pace. Hounsou's Vandy is made subordinate to DiCaprio's Archer and that's too bad. Hounsou is a forceful actor and he should have been given more to work with. Connolly serves merely as a pretty plot device.

A recent film that did convey a better sense of the African experience is Catch a Fire. But that film came and went in a week. It was a more provocative film in that it explored how the injustices suffered by one black man politicized him enough to make him take action and join a resistance movement that used violence. He's labeled a terrorist by the white government. That film at least tried to convey an African point of view even though it was also made by a white filmmaker. Films from Africa, made by African filmmakers are few and of those few only a rare one ever makes it to American theater screens. All the films we've seen recently of Africa—Blood Diamond, Catch a Fire, The Constant Gardener, Biko, The Last King of Scotland, Tears of the Sun—are all very western in terms of their narrative structure. Films from Africa by such directors as Sembene Ousmane or Djibril Diop Mambety have a very different storytelling quality to them that stems from an oral storytelling tradition. It would be nice to see more films from a genuinely African perspective make it to American theaters.

Blood Diamond (rated R for strong violence and language) ends with the request that people demand that the trade in blood diamonds stop. But this call to action is simplistic and naive. It's not like The Inconvenient Truth asking us to buy smaller cars, drive less and use public transportation—all things we can easily and actually accomplish. Diamonds don't come with their origins engraved on the back. So for the film to lay out its case and simply say it's in your power to stop the trade in blood diamonds is a smug way for Zwick to feel like he's accomplished something when he hasn't. He's really just nicked the surface of a much bigger and more complex issue. In the end, Zwick's film just feels like another attempt at alleviating white guilt.

 

Thank you Beth Accomando.

"Do what you like"

No I'm not going talk about how thin french women are, how they do it with their pouty mouth or discuss their dating habits, which, according to some british media (!), are not good enough . I read an article a long time ago saying that you could forget having fun on a date with a french woman since she always tries to stay on top of things, smart, intelligent, cute and sexy, without ever loosing control of herself. " No, just one glass of wine for me thank you".

Im not going to talk about these things because a) I am a french woman (in some respect) and b) even if these "clichés" are right to some extent (and believe me, I KNOW) my worries are elsewhere.

One of the most talked-about french woman right now is Segolene Royal, which is normal since she is in the middle of her presidential campagne. And of course, like any other candidate, her every move is closely followed and scrutinised. And not less by women themselves. It is the first time a woman could actually become the president of France. (mind you...other countries have set good examples such as Iceland, Chile and Finland). However, I don't think her sex should be the only reason for her success. I don't want a woman president at any cost, its the performance that counts. But until now, performance often seems to be measured by pre-made standards of a rather masculin world. And when a woman enters that world we often hear comments about her appearence - what she is wearing, how old she looks, and wonder how she got to where she is AND managed to have 4 children. A working mother? We are after all in 2007.

Alright, she seems to have a vision on child-care for working people (which is badly needed here in France - where 70% of children under the age of 3 are staying at home with one of the parent - most often the mother - and then we ask ourselves why companies dont want to hire women around the age of 30) and she did participate in introducing paternity leave in France (which I think is only 2-4 weeks - still some room for progress). Royal says she is a feminist but it is open to question whether many of her campaign issues are "women-friendly" - (or should I say - good for the equality of the sexes) such as her tough views on military issues. What annoys me is her insistance that she is different because she is a woman. That still remains to be seen. And what does that mean?

I most certainly would vote for a man that would introduce a program for equality, for people of different sexes, colour, races and sexuality. For someone who listens to others and is not afrad of changing his mind if convinced by others. If he would agree that there is something wrong when women are close to 50% of the workforce but always under-represented in the media (in France - quotations by women in the press are only 17%) and they more often than not do not land high seats in commities. Out of 75 daily newspapers in France - until yesterday, there were no women executives. The same often applies in economic institutions for executive positions.

Its funny, because these are not just numbers. When I am at work and there are 2-3 english-speaking journalists (and if these happen to be all girls, due to coincidence) we often encounter problems in translating the soundbites, that is quotations of MEN.. because there is no english-speaking man around. And Most of the soundbites are by men. I should maybe do a little test to night. to see how many women were truly quoted. - to be continued.

All this to repeat myself once again.. While women are almost the sole care-taker of young children and encounter inequality at home, I don't think we can progress that much at work either. And it just makes me laugh when I hear women say "well, women will just have to try harder". Enough already. It's time things change around here. And that we start talking about how the guys look - and how on earth they find time for their family with all their time going into politics. Who's taking care of the children?

When you work in international news, it seems that you are always covering the same stories - melting of polar ice-caps, middle east peace proces,repressing regimes, train bombings, deadly bird flu outbreaks, opposition protests and so on. When it comes to choose what is important news we seem formatted. We only "tick" to certain words when reading the wires (the raw source of information for news channels) and it is like every day is a follow up of what we've heard before. We completely ignore certain regions and the problem of television is also that we don't have time (or give ourself time) to go into complicated stories or explain something unfamiliar. I doubt the average viewer in Europe is interested in major business deals between China and African countries for example. How to make news more interesting? What a big question. Many news channels have begun to categorise news into segments such as "business", "international", "Celebrities" and so on. Thatcan maybe help but it makes news even drier than it already is.

And how is it that it always has to be about pain and death? About opression and torture by certain regimes (since western countries are always flawless in their warfare) Happy news doesn't really exist. Odd images of dogs in funny clothes or celebration pictures from Rio can be seen for a few secondes but apart from that news is majoritively bad news. So let me see how many died in the Baghdad bombing of the day and how many politicians have talked nonsense and promissed things that will never happen...

Yes that's right - at least 30 die in Baghdad while - 66 died on a train blast in India. Meanwhile Rice, Olmert and Abbas meet for talks in Jerusalem where everyone will agree on a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, except that Hamas will not regognise Israel, the international community will not recognise the Hamas-led government and the fighting will go on. What's new under the sun? And why do we even bother?

What is it with authority? I don't like it. I don't like when its forced upon me (which does happen but then I have a really bad reaction - I get all red and yell at people) and I don't like to use it on people. Why cant we just all get along? (hehehe.. or let me rephrase that: Why can't just everybody think just like me and go in my direction ALL the time?) Just kidding. I know I'm wrong sometimes, and then I'll admit it of course. - Which is alot more than many people in the tv business allow themselves to do. I think this has also alot to do with wanting to have everything perfect - which I've come to find impossible (no really?!!!) I try to do the things the best I can and I hate it when others just don't care about their own job ...and then if you criticise them they just find some laim excuse and blame someone else.

Ok It can be helpful sometimes to put the blame on others when you don't want to look stupid: Hi, yes I know I'm late but really it's all my friend's fault - but at work - everyone is responsible for their own work.

God, why am I rambling on like this? Probably because I have a job in which you have to look authorative (hmm) and most of the time, when things go the way you want it's not a problem. But when they don't you have to raise your voice and tell people off. That happened today. I had to tell someone off. (ok it's not the first time of course). But still.. how to keep a straight face when you like the person and its so obvious! That person is never going to take anything you say serisously. Or when you're friends?

Ok, now I get it - THAT'S WHY you are not supposed to get involved with people at work

 

not that I am... I just like people, but not in that way ;)

ahh.. Who am I kidding.. I'm never going to be THAT professional.

et je n'es pas sommeil.

A quote from a famous french song. A beautiful one on parisian life at night. A song I used to listen sometimes on my bike on my way to work at 4 in the morning last summer. I preferred though the other one by the same artist about how 95% of women are bored during lovemaking. That is truly a masterpiece. Unfortunately the little thing I like to call my Ipod decided all by itself - unhelped and completely independently to jump out of my pocket and on to the tramway rails (don't ask what I was doing running along the railway tracks). Anyway.. no more music for this little helper... Bommer
Guess I'll HAVE to go to NYC to buy a new one.. poor me.

And it is 5 a.m. again - A new day beginning and I should go to sleep. But I wont. came home from work at 4 - had to do a little overtime, which wasn't that annyoing since I met good old friend Benoit and other chaps that started the night shift. Some people that might be doing something else than just drinking coffee to stay awake by the way. Oh yes..Very suspicious yes.. think I have discovered someone's dirty little secret - White powder is not just used to bake cookies you know... Some evil evil persons use it to powder their noses. Anyway.. it's none of my business...and definately none of yours!

Since mrs fashion-victim is sleeping I think I might just follow her lead (she must be dreaming about helicopters and loud fans hearing the sound of my #%&?$ computer fan through her sleep) How great it is to have someone in the house...someone that understands every word you say - and doesn't need explanations for anything, just someone to talk to- that is what they call " a best friend". Note to self. Must get more of these.. they can come in handy.. especially when crisis hits you and help is needed for beating sense into your little lost head.

Mind you, since I stopped doing nightshifts and am sleeping at decent hours, I have the impression I found my sanity again. What a lovely feeling. Life isn't that bad..Actually its pretty damn awesome.

• What's beneath the Iceberg? | 30-07-2008
• Im back! | 29-07-2008
• Það er komin 17. júní | 17-06-2008
• In memoriam | 09-06-2008
• Noh Það er bara svona! | 22-05-2008
• Remember 5 fruits and vegetebles per day! | 21-05-2008
• How much is enough? | 09-05-2008
• Where is Iceland's money coming from? | 06-05-2008
• There's no way out | 19-04-2008
• Sendi it back to China | 07-04-2008
• Poisson d'avril | 01-04-2008
• Wish I was | 30-03-2008
• lesser of two evils | 27-03-2008
• in my head | 25-03-2008
• Where are all the drugs going? | 11-03-2008