Africa in Paris. The first Africans were brought to Paris as examples of Colonial-era trophies, then as soldiers and gunners in World War I, later they came to pursue higher education and work in factories rebuilding industry after World War II. Today the most visible concentration centers in the 18th district, known as La Goutte d’Or (literally, the drop of gold). A marvel of colorful outdoor market and tiny groceries, regal women in their traditional boubous with babies strapped on their backs, side streets lined with textile shops, beauty and hair suppliers, inventive discounters, and numerous community services and places of worship. Read French? - pick up the latest edition of the community newspaper at the media kiosk beside the metro, to uncover the concerns of locals, including the encroaching gentrification. Metro stops: Barbès (pronounced barb-ess) and Chateau Rouge.
Riveting African Art. No where else in the city will you glimpse such magnificent yet disconcerting creativity from the African continent. Opened in 1986 and tucked away on a side street in the 16th district, the Musée Dapper displays permanent and itinerant exhibits of sculpture, masks, objets d’art, and paintings & photos that reveal African art’s significance in the world’s aesthetic heritage. Excellent bookstore and cafeteria on lower level. Museum open daily 11 am - 7 pm, except Tuesdays. Musée Dapper: 35 rue Paul Valery. Metro stop: Victor Hugo, Charles de Gaulle-Etoile or Argentine. English-language tours for groups available by advance request. www.dapper.fr.
Get It Fresh! Chefs from across the capital buy their fish from the bountiful Déjean Market at Chateau Rouge in the African district and comb Belleville market for spices found no where else. Both of these markets are located in the heart of Paris’ visibly immigrant populations. While Déjean Market offers up the delicacies of Black and Arabic Africa, Belleville - in the centre-east Paris - serves its neighborhood of Algerian, Senegalese, Chinese, Orthodox Jews and the throngs of Parisians looking for rock-bottom prices and an exuberant atmosphere.
Marché Déjean: Metro stop - Chateau Rouge (line 4) Daily except Monday.
Belleville Market - Metro stop: Belleville (line 2).Tuesday and Friday 7 am-2 pm.
Black music has inspired the French to both imitate it and create exemplary venues for its enjoyment. They made an icon of Sidney Bechet and his big band in the 20s and idols of Beboppers Miles Davis and Bud Powell in the 50s. Today you can bop to the finest jazz at: New Morning; the historic Bibloquet that has kept its ambiance of 1930s St.Germain-des-Pres; 7 Lézards, frequented by American jazz expat Bobby Few; the very elegant Lionel Hampton Club at the Meridien hotel, and Le Caveau de la Huchette, haven for New Orleans jazz, and dancing to swing, bebop and R&B in the cellar.
Clustered around Rue des Lombards in the Chatelet-Les Halles area are Au Duc des Lombards named for Duke Ellington; Le Sunset/Sunside, downstairs for American and Euro musicians, upstairs for electro jazz and world music; and Le Baiser Salé (The Salty Kiss) offering unusual multi-ethnic blends.
These same Lombard-area clubs fostered the rise of world music in the early 80s where then little-known Benin-born Angelique Kidjo got her first gigs and ran into the likes of Manu Dibango, Mory Kante, Papa Wemba and Toure Kunda.
Although Paris boasts the centre of world music, few independent music shops still exist. Fill up your CD case at the FNAC multimedia chain at Saint Lazare, Montparnasse, Nation, Bastille and the gigantic flagship Les Halles. New in the game is the late-closing Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysees and now in the African district of Barbès. Also, check out the bookstore bins around Boulevard St.Michel for inexpensive collections of black and world music.
Antilles on the Seine
French West Indians started migrating to mainland France in the 60s and now number close to half a million. The community is reeling these days from the loss of their popular radio station, Media Tropical, license but for awhile longer you can still catch the vibes of the Iles, on www.mediatropical.com. When you get to Paris, first stop on the Creole trail - sipping rum cocktails at the sunny La Rhumerie, 166 boulevard St.Germain, Metro: Mabillon.
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