The way we live together
There are three countries in which I lived during several years: France (my home country), Burundi and Mali. Over the last years, these countries experienced hard times. Indeed, these last years are likely to be the hardest ones each country has experienced for decades. In 2015, when problems were especially acute in these three countries, it really moved me. I needed to react. This led me to give a political dimension to my art work. I am here using the term political as Greeks did during Antiquity : to get involved in politics, it is about living in the same polis, which was the word Greeks used for city.
What makes us belong to the same city ? What makes us citizens ? How do we live together in 2017 in France, Mali and Burundi, while social tensions escalate ? Do we actually live together when cleavages are more and more numerous and when gaps are deepening ?
Obviously, issues differ from one country to another: in Burundi, murders of political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders, instrumentalisation of ethnic feelings... ; in Mali, terrorist attacks, putsh, instrumentalisation of ethnic and religious feelings... ; in France, terrorist attacks, rise of far-right ideas, violences against refugees, demonstrators and policemen... But in each country, violence is no longer insidious: some people and institutions use various kinds of violence and they even sometimes kill, either in the name of the way they think society should work or for private purposes. In Burundi, state violence plays a major part in the crisis the country currently faces. Even in France and Mali, it happens that state violence goes way beyond what is usually accepted as «state monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force» (cf. Thomas Hobbes or Max Weber).
So I needed to speak about what was going on in my countries. Many other countries face acute problems, but I had to work on the countries I am tied to. I needed to paint what jeopardize the way we live together in my places.
I built three works: each one deals with one of my three countries and pictures the flag of this country, either in a direct way (for Mali) or in a suggested way (for France and Burundi). Colors of Les collines, Maliba and Déchéance come from these countries' flags. On these three works, there are pieces of newspapers. This highlights the way some medias deal with some countries.
Communiqué sur "The way we live together" (en Français).
Communiqué about "The way we live together" (in English).
Les collines (2017)
Burundi is said to be Rwanda’s twin brother : current borders defined before colonization, similar landscapes, almost the same language, same faith, similar social tensions during decades… Since their independence, these two countries have taken different paths but both experienced massacres caused by instrumentalised ethnic feelings.
I lived in Burundi from 2006 to 2008. With hindsight, these years were among the most appeased there since 1993. Civil war was raging from 1993 to 2004, then tensions were more or less down for a few years. From 2009, government directly attacked people it regarded as its opponents. Many political leaders, journalists and human rights defenders were murdered. Situation has even worsened since 2015.
Les Collines represent Burundi’s flag with its three stars, as well as Burundi’s hills. Hills appear at the foreground (where press articles are teared) and at the background (where cardboard is carved). The most visible article’s title is «Avec le lui le chaos», referring to Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Republic since 2005, who seems ready to intensify terror and violence to keep power. No article from a Burundian media was used to make this work because I have not come back to Burundi since 2009. Whereas Déchéance and Maliba are fully covered by press articles, Les Collines is not. This shows that little attention is paid to this country in French and in African media.
Maliba (2017)
Maliba means Mali in Bambara, the most spoken language in the country. This naming is a way of celebrating the country. Since 2012, Mali has experienced its hardest times since independence (1962) : putsch, counter pustch, terrorist attacks, secession of Northern Mali under influence of various groups which had various and changing motivations (independence, contraband, religious radicalism…)… Living in Mali since 2010, I have followed closely this rise of tensions.
Maliba is made from press articles, released by French and Malian media. These articles deal with various issues - not only the crisis in Center and Northern Mali - and thus, Maliba tries to show Mali’s complexity and the issues Malian have to cope with.
Déchéance (2016)
Déchéance also questions identity. It reminds us that in 2015, French Government aimed at passing a constitutional reform which would have allowed to strip French nationality from French people condemned for terrorism if they had another nationality, even if they were born French and had always lived in France. This was part of government response to attacks which killed more than 130 people in Paris region on November 23th, 2015. More than 400 people were also injured. Thousands of families were stricken.
Everyone, including those who drafted this reform, acknowledged that it was very unlikely to prevent new attacks. Indeed, this was a political move from French executive power to get popularity and weaken opposition. As if the way we live together did not matter. During months, this issue became central in public debate, as reflected by Déchéance which is made of newspapers and thus highlights the way media dealt with this issue. Such media coverage was in my mind consistent with what was at stake.
On February 10th 2016, French national Assembly voted the text without reference to binationals. This vote had no constitutional power. In the end, contestation was so high that government did not try to pass this reform. But since 1998, the Civil Code has allowed to strip nationality from a category of binationals, those who gained French nationality. It seems clear to me that this rule does not respect 1st article of French Constitution which states that the Constitution “shall ensure the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction of origin”. In my mind, such equality before the law implies either the opportunity to strip nationality from all French citizens, either the removal of current rules allowing to strip nationality from some binationals.
The first option would not hurt me. Stripping nationality from all people convicted of terrorism is coherent with Ernest Renan’s definition of nation as “a daily referendum”. But creating apatrid people raises serious problems. Under these circumstances, it seems to me necessary to change article 25 of the Civil Code.
Déchéance advocates for such a change. It calls for a strict interpretation of the French Constitution 1st article. It claims for a full equality before the law.
Communiqué about Déchéance.
Everyone, including those who drafted this reform, acknowledged that it was very unlikely to prevent new attacks. Indeed, this was a political move from French executive power to get popularity and weaken opposition. As if the way we live together did not matter. During months, this issue became central in public debate, as reflected by Déchéance which is made of newspapers and thus highlights the way media dealt with this issue. Such media coverage was in my mind consistent with what was at stake.
On February 10th 2016, French national Assembly voted the text without reference to binationals. This vote had no constitutional power. In the end, contestation was so high that government did not try to pass this reform. But since 1998, the Civil Code has allowed to strip nationality from a category of binationals, those who gained French nationality. It seems clear to me that this rule does not respect 1st article of French Constitution which states that the Constitution “shall ensure the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction of origin”. In my mind, such equality before the law implies either the opportunity to strip nationality from all French citizens, either the removal of current rules allowing to strip nationality from some binationals.
The first option would not hurt me. Stripping nationality from all people convicted of terrorism is coherent with Ernest Renan’s definition of nation as “a daily referendum”. But creating apatrid people raises serious problems. Under these circumstances, it seems to me necessary to change article 25 of the Civil Code.
Déchéance advocates for such a change. It calls for a strict interpretation of the French Constitution 1st article. It claims for a full equality before the law.
Communiqué about Déchéance.