Travel sketchbooks Fair - Brest, France


Subway : 2 dogs and 3 singers...

I'm dreaming : I've just been invited to the Travel sketchbooks French fair at Brest, to present my sketchbooks (Festival du carnet Ici et Ailleurs - Brest). This year, it's about Reports comics, people working at sea, and travellers communities. 

Speaking about this, every time I go to Lyon's suburb town Décines to teach comic workshops, I usually see Roms people as they organised a camp there. The other day, three young Roms came in the subway and began to play the accordion and sung beautifuly a famous tune which cheered up people on board. When two passengers, quite excentric, saw their two dogs barking after the music, they wiggled to stop them without success... Which made all the passengers laughing. What a great musical performance all together !

But seeing these 3 young Roms, who sure don't have any easy life going on, cheering us up and giving us sunshine for the whole day, that really moved me.  

As did Anina who grew up crossing Europe, begging to live. Today she's 23, and claims she's proud to be a tzigan. With her whole Rom family, she left Roumany and discrimination, escaped to France, from the camps to the Sorbonne's benches. A strong testimony which makes us see Roms differently for now on. (Interview France Inter here)

2 comments:

bigoudene46 said...

Très contente de t'y retrouver Emily... Moi aussi je suis sur un petit nuage depuis que j'ai été invitée à ce festival. J'ai encore du mal à y croire !

Emily Nudd Mitchell said...

Génial, rdv là-bas !