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Being British How important is it to British people that they are British? Do they feel they belong to Britain? Perhaps because of the long tradition of a clear separation between the individual and the state, British people, although many of them feel proud to be British, are not normally actively patriotic. They are individualistic and do not like to feel they are personally representing their country. In the days of empire, the British had a rather patronizing attitude foreigners and foreign ways. Foreigners were considered amusing, even interesting, but not really to be taken seriously. These days, many foreign ways of doing things are admired and there is a greater openness to foreign influences. The modern British are not really chauvinistic. Open hostility to people from other countries is very rare. If there is any chauvinism at all, it expresses itself through ignorance. Most British people know remarkably little about Europe and who lives there. The popular image of Europe seems to be that it is something to do with French. The British continue to be very bad about learning other peoples’ languages. The British do not refuse to speak other languages. They are just lazy.
7. Write a 300- word summary of the whole text using the following: National (‘ethnic)’ loyalties; ethnic identity; a matter of emotional attachment; the mother tongue; consider themselves; describe themselves; radically different from traditional British attitudes; mixed cultural background; cultural practices; less distinctive; take pride in their cultural roots; defensive reaction; racial discrimination; feel proud to be British; actively patriotic; a greater openness to foreign influences. Discussion
Vocabulary notes to rally – собираться, сплачиваться, объединяться under intense strain – под сильным сомнением, под угрозой, под давлением to shatter - расшатывать devolved - автономный grip - контроль to unfold - развертываться this is the case – это действительно так to split – раздваиваться, разрываться margin - разница Identity crisis: are we becoming a disunited kingdom? Surveys suggest notions of Britishness are changing. The Guardian invites readers to share their views on national identity. So what makes us? We share the same islands, but we aren't all British. We call ourselves Scots, Irish, Welsh, English and often, but decreasingly, British. Every four years, we rally to the union flag for the Olympics, but when it comes to rugby and football, the divisions open up. There is much shared culture, whether on pop music, clothing, fish and chips, curries and Marmite, comedians and Coronation Street. But now, for the first time in several centuries, that notion of Britishness is under intense strain. Alex Salmond, the first minister of Scotland, will soon lead the country into a referendum that could prompt Scotland to declare independence, a move that would shatter a 304-year-old political union. Regardless of the Scottish referendum, the UK has four separate governments and now the three devolved administrations, in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are winning greater economic and legal powers, cutting London's grip on the country. And in each part of the UK, notions of nationhood and Britishness are changing and, arguably, the links are weakening. Because of this unfolding political situation, the Guardian invites readers to enter the debate about national identity and air your attitudes on Britishness. We will be asking if the country is more and more becoming a "disunited kingdom". There is much to suggest this is the case. John Curtice, from the Scottish Centre for Social Research, is co-author of the Scottish Social attitudes survey. He said: "The crucial thing to realise is that in Scotland, British is now very definitely a secondary identity; that's undoubtedly true to a far greater extent than it is in Wales." In England there are plenty of people who, if asked whether they're British or English, will say 'what's the difference?'. Comparing all the latest social attitudes surveys gives us this contrast: if voters are forced to choose, 52% of English voters choose British first compared to 19% of Scots, and 30% of Welsh. Intriguingly, the latest evidence from Wales suggests that devolution may be making the Welsh feel more British. That is one reading of a new study of 3,029 voters by the Economic and Social Research Council. Its results find that 16% of Welsh voters now feel "British not Welsh", compared to 9% in 2007 and in 2003. Meanwhile, only 19% felt "Welsh not British", a fall from 24% in 2007, with 30% feeling equally Welsh and British. In Northern Ireland, identity can be far more complex; loyalty to a larger nation splits between those feeling British and Irish, mostly down religious or ethnic lines. The 2010 Northern Ireland Life and Times the equivalent of the British Social Attitudes survey, have shown that 37% see themselves as British, 26% Irish and 29% Northern Irish. But asked the multiple-choice question, 58% of voters in Northern Ireland in 2007 saw themselves, to varying degrees, as both British and Irish. In 1998, 51% of those given a straight choice said they were British. It is 37% now. In England last year, 52% described themselves as British and just 34% as English in a straight choice between the two. That is the widest margin since 1997. Behind such figures emotions run deep. Yet, is national identity in the UK purely a personal badge to be worn with pride at sporting events – or could it fundamentally change the nature of British (and Northern Irish) state. You tell us …
What does it mean to be British – and does it still matter? It is a summer for celebrating Britishness, but in many ways our identity has never been more complex. In the wake of the Queen's diamond jubilee and before the Olympics, we asked five young people to debate the issue. The Observer, Sunday 17 June 2012 Discussing what it means to be British, businesswoman Shazia Awan; Countryside Alliance campaigner David Taylor; Labour activist Rowenna Davis; green campaigner Charlie Woodworth; and web company founder Rajeeb Dey. Charlie Woodworth: I would never really think of myself as British so much as English. I don't feel like I relate particularly to anything around the diamond jubilee or the Olympics….. In terms of being English, it's the nation and the state that I belong to. And I guess my sense of nationalidentity probably comes out when I feel my country or my nation is being criticized. But I'm not a flag-waving, patriotic English person. David Taylor : My mother's Scottish, my father's half-Welsh, so I can't really say I'm fully English but I am British. I'm a bit of everything. I'm a hybrid. And it's not until you go to a different country and look at the way they do things that we say, 'Oh, we do that differently'. So I think being British or being English is what we do naturally. Shazia Awan: I'm very proud to be British. I consider it an absolute honour and a privilege to be born in a western society where we've got democracy, human rights, the right to vote, rights for women, parliament. We have politicians, with all, who battle what they feel are injustices. As a society we have become ungrateful. We've got the NHS, we've got an education system and we're actually quite a caring, accepting, tolerant nation. There are a lot of negative associations about British identity. But as soon as you step outside Britain, people would love to have a passport that said 'British citizen'. My passport says British, born in Wales, which, you know, is how I see myself essentially. I've met asylum seekers who have left home, country, everything, in the hope that there's something better in Britain. You've got people that say, 'I don't see myself as British' and I think, well, you should be jolly well ashamed of yourself. Rowenna Davis: I was one of those teenagers who have dramatic political revelations and I decided when I was about 15 that you can feel English or British but the one that really should trump everything was your humanity and that was the bond that should really hold us together. And if we could just hold on to that as the strongest bond, then we could get rid of inequality and wars. And now I've changed. I recently watched Britain In A Day: it gave hundreds of cameras to people and made them film their days and talk. And I was incredibly moved by the fact that we share this time and this place, this tiny island together on this corner of the globe and every day we struggle together. We get up. We eat at the same times. We sleep at the same times. We share our sunsets. We share our institutions. That kind of common emotional bond is a reason to care about each other. It's a reason to pay our taxes at a time when things are really difficult. There's something about the way we live this life together that is quite British. It is about tolerance, this quiet struggle, about not giving up. It's the kind of awkwardness, it's the humour, it's the gentleness, and I'm proud of it. Rajeeb Dey: I see myself as a British Asian. To be British is very much about being a melting pot of different cultures and backgrounds. That's what I do love about Britain, the fact that there's people from so many different backgrounds who can share their own cultures, their backgrounds, their attitudes, and we live in a tolerant society where that is accepted and celebrated. And also what I like is the opportunity Britain gives you. So through the education system or the welfare system and healthcare and the NHS, people are generally given a basic level playing field to operate from and then it's up to you through your skills and your ambitions to make the most of that. Writing
Tapescripts Tapescript 1 People of mixed nationality. P=Presenter A=Amelia L=Lionel P ‘This week in The London Programme - People of mixed nationality. In the streets of London there are people from all parts of the world. They live side by side. Sometimes they marry and have children. Many Londoners have parents of a different nationality. Is this good or bad, easy or difficult for these children? Today two people of mixed nationality tell us their stories. First Amelia de Melo, a textile designer.’ A My father is half Malaysian, half Portuguese. My mother is Polish … erm… her family came to England when she was five, just before the war. She met father when they were both students in London. When I was a young child, …er … I grew up in both London and Malaysia, and we always spoke English at home. It’s my first language … er… but my mother taught me Polish, so sometimes I spoke Polish with her. And we often had Polish food, and I learnt Polish dancing – my aunts in Poland sent me wonderful, colorful costumes to dance in. I love them. But I loved Malaysian things too. Have you ever tried Malaysian food? It’s delicious. I often cook it for myself. I often think … I think that if I had just one nationality, life would be quite boring. I like the mix of cultures. I only ever had one problem that I can remember. It was when I was sent to boarding school. I was twelve, and … er… some girls joked about the shape of my eyes. I cried and cried. I hated my eyes! But now… now I like my eyes very much. I like to look a bit different! Last year I got married – to an Englishman. We live in London but we often visit my parents in Malaysia. I’ve never been to Poland, but we might go this summer. I’d love to meet my Polish relatives. P And now we meet Lionel Varley, who’s an architect. L My mother’s French and my father’s from Dominica in the Indies. They met and married in London, but they moved to Bristol….er... my father was a dentist there. They…er… that is my parents – always spoke both English and French at home, so my brother and I are bilingual. It’s really useful to have two languages. We (that’s me and my brother) used to spend every school holiday with our French grandmother in France. I love French food. We used to eat mainly French food at home in Bristol too…er…I think we didn’t eat West Indian food because where we lived there were no other West Indians and you couldn’t buy that type of food. I can remember one problem – a sad time for me. It was when I first started school. I was five and everyone in the school was white, except for one Chinese boy and me, and the others called us names. I was too young to understand why, but then I made some friends, and they forgot about my color. My father used to talk a lot of about Dominica and the West Indies. His stories were full of flowers and sunshine. So when I was sixteen, I went there. It was interesting, very interesting…er…but I didn’t feel at home, so I came back to England and studied architecture. If I lived there (in Dominica) I don’t think I would have the same opportunities. Next year I’m going to move to New York. It’s even more cosmopolitan than London. I know that I’ll feel very comfortable there, and my wife too. She’s Italian – Russian. P Thank you, Lionel and thank you, Amelia. Thank you for telling us your stories. Tapescript 2 Living in Madrid I = Interviewer K = Kate Leigh I Kate, you've lived in Spain for a long time now, haven't you? К Mm. About eight years. I So you know it well enough to compare living in Spain and living in London? К Well, I can compare living in Madrid with living in London ... I Ah, yes, all right... К ... not quite the same thing. I So what are the main differences? К I think the first one is the time of day that things happen. People get up later, and start work later. I start at ten, and lunchtime is much longer. Everything closes for about three hours. Then, at five, people go back to work. I And what time do they finish? К About seven or eight. Then they go out, and they go to bed incredibly late - about one or two in the morning. I Do they have a siesta? К No, not in Madrid. Well, only in summer, because in summer work hours change because it's so hot. Everyone works from eight thirty to three, then has lunch, then a siesta, and then goes out. I So office hours change? К Everything changes, on the first of June. I For how long? К Until the fifteenth of September. I How did you find the differences of time when you first went out? К Very difficult, because I was hungry all the time! I wanted to eat at about eight o'clock, but eating is very different in Spain. People eat all day. They have snacks in the morning, maybe an omelette and a beer, and then have their main meal at lunchtime, and then tapas, which are lots of little dishes, in the evening. I So that's what you do now? К Oh, yes. I like it. The Spanish think that the English eat very little! I And what about the people? К Well, this is the second big difference. People live in the streets, they live much more outdoors, so you see them more, and it's easier to get to know them. I So you think it's true that the English are cold? К No, but they live differently. Madrid is a lot smaller than London, and people live in the centre. It's not like London where people live in houses in the suburbs. In Madrid people live in flats in the centre, so it's natural to be out on the streets most of the time. I And how do you find living in Madrid? К I think it's nicer. It's a lot cheaper, and shops are open longer. I find it safer. I can be out in the streets at all hours, and there's never any problem. The family is still very important. I think people are more caring to other people, if you see what I mean. I Mm. Anything else about the people? К Er... They are terrible drivers! There are a lot more accidents - road accidents. And this is strange, because the public transport system is very good and very cheap, but people like to use their car. I There's an Underground, isn't there? К Mm, with a flat rate fare, so you get ten tickets for about two pounds. I That's very good. Are you thinking of coming back to England? К Er ... sometime, but not yet! The weather's much better, and I like living in a southern European atmosphere! Tapescript 3 Come round to my place! Sumie My name is Sumie. I come from Nagano, Japan. In my country we usually invite guests home at the weekend for dinner, at about 7 o'clock in the evening. Before they come, we must tidy the front garden and clean the entrance hall. Then we must spray it all with water to show that we welcome our guests with cleanliness. The guests usually bring a gift, and when they give you the gift they say, ‘I’m sorry this is such a small gift,' but in fact they have chosen it very carefully. When the meal is ready the hostess says, ‘We have nothing special for you today, but you are welcome to come this way'. You can see that in Japan you should try to be modest and you should not show off too much. If you don't understand our culture, you may think this is very strange. When we have foreign guests, we try to serve traditional Japanese meals like sushi, tempura, or sukiyaki, but when we have Japanese guests, we serve all kinds of food such as spaghetti, Chinese food, or steaks. When guests leave, the host and hostess see them out of the house and wait until their car turns the corner of the street; they wait until they can't see them any more. Kate My name is Kate and I`m from Bristol in England. We like to have people over for lunch and they usually get here around noon. We often have people over to eat, but sometimes when we invite a lot of people over, for a family gathering for example, we have what's called a 'potluck lunch`. A potluck is an informal occasion, so people dress casually. If the weather is nice we'll have it outside in the garden. What makes it fun is that everyone who comes has to bring a dish of food. They're given a choice: starter, main course, salad or vegetable, or dessert. As the host, I know how many of each kind of dish the guests will bring, but not exactly what the foods will be. That's why it's called `potluck' - it's a surprise, having a dinner party and not knowing what you're going to feed the guests! All I have to do is make one dish myself and get cups, glasses, and knives and forks together, and supply the drinks. As the guests arrive, they put their dish on the table, and people help themselves. Some guests might bring a bottle of wine or flowers as a gift but I don't expect anything. It's a fun, relaxed way of getting together with friends or family. Lucas My name is Lucas and I'm from Porto Alegre which is in the southern part of Brazil. We like to invite our friends over at weekends, on a Friday or a Saturday night for a 'Churrasco', or Brazilian barbecue. These are very popular in this part of Brazil. People come about 8.00 in the evening and stay to midnight or even later - sometimes until 2.00 in the morning, whenever people start getting sleepy. People stay a long time; there is no set time for dinner to end. We'll sit around and play cards or just talk. It's very informal. If people want to bring something, I'll tell them to bring something for the meal like a bottle of wine or something for dessert. Ah, but what about the food? At a 'Churrasco', we cook different kinds of meat on long metal skewers over an open flame. We have all kinds of meat: beef, pork, and maybe Brazilian sausage. Sometimes chicken too. Then we cut off slices of meat from the skewers to serve the guests. It's really delicious. We usually have potato salad or rice as side dishes. After the meal we drink coffee or espresso. Tapescript 4 America as seen by Britons Bob and Sheila spent two years living in New York because of Bob’s work as a banker. Neither of them had lived in a big city before. They now live back in England in a small village outside London. I = Interviewer S = Sheila B = Bob I How long did you live in the States? B We were there for two and half years, in New York. I And did you enjoy it? S Oh, tremendously. We had a wonderful time. B Yes, what I liked best was that I could work and still lead a normal life. I mean, the shops are open till 10 o’clock. I All shops? S Yes, everything, food shops, chemists… B There’s a huge department store called Gimbles on 86th Street that was open till 9.00. S And some supermarkets are open twenty-four hours a day. Most shops don’t open as early as in England, well they don’t open until about uhm..10 or 11 in the morning. B Yes, that’s right. S Because they all work much later. And everything’s open on Sundays B And the holiday’s, the public holidays are much shorter than here, and in the States only the banks are shut. Everything else stays open, so it makes life much easier. You could do what you liked when you liked. S And it was easier with the children, because I could wait till you got back and we did the shopping together, didn’t we? B Yes. I I see, um….do you think New York is as cosmopolitan as London? S Oh yes, but it’s not as mixed. Nationalities stay in their own areas; like there's the Ukrainian section, the Russian section . . . . the German section. We werein German Town, York Town, which is called German Town. And there was a row of German shops, all German-speaking. B Yes. S But you didn't find that anywhere else. And the Ukrainians were down on 14th and 2nd, and the Spanish kept to Spanish Harlem. S I think the major difference was the height of the place. Everything was up. We lived on the twenty-ninth floor. B And I worked on the sixty-third floor. S But I like heights. And of course everything is faster. And the people are much ruder. Which means of course that we're much ruder ourselves now we're back in Britain. I Oh. in what ways? B Well, pushing in the street. S Oh. I don't! В Fights about getting on the bus. No good old British queues. I But are all Americans like that? S Oh, yes. Well, all New Yorkers anyway. Not so much in other places. When we went to California it was very different. There weren't the same pressures at all, were there? B I think we were aware that New York is quite a dangerous place. We never had any problems at all, but when there was a crime, it was horrendous. S Oh yes, the subways are unusable. They're dirty, uncomfortable. I Did you make many friends? S Well, that's what's interesting really. We made more friends there than we have after two years of living here. I think Americans are more open, they, you know, they speak their minds, so if they don't like something, they actually tell you directly. Not like the British, who might think one thing and say another. So I suppose you could say that the English are ruder than the Americans. В Or that they're less honest. S Mmm. Yes. В Something else. We're actually moving from here back into London to try to find the things we liked in New York, but I don't suppose we'll find them. England as seen by Americans Terry Tomsha talks about her experience of living and working in England, where she has been for the past eleven years. I = Interviewer T = Terry I So, Terry. You've been in this country for quite a long time now. T Mmm. I What differences do you notice between the two countries? T Obviously the biggest difference is the people. The average Englishman is . . . mm cold and not very open. I Oh. T In the States it's very different. We start conversations with people in the street, in the subway; we're a lot more enthusiastic and spontaneous than people here. You know, when I first came, 1 couldn't understand why I was getting so little reaction from people, but now I see that they thought I was overpowering and that I was trying to be too friendly too soon. I But, tell me, does the Englishman improve as you get to know him? T Oh, yes. I Oh good. T Once you have made a friend, it's a friend for life, but it takes a very long time. I'll tell you something that I think is very important. An Englishman in America is respected. Everyone wants to talk to him. We're inquisitive, we love his accent and his country. An American though in England is thought to be a little inferior because of his behaviour and his language. One thing I've learned - it's funny now, but it wasn't at the time - I couldn't understand why when I was talking to someone he would move away, you know, move backwards, and I thought 'Do I smell? Am I boring him?' The reason was, you see, Americans stand closer when they're talking. Again, English people like a certain distance. I That's true. What about your impressions of living here? How does that compare with the States? T Well, mmm ... I think life's a lot easier in the States. It's easier to make money and it's easier to spend it. Shops are open all the time over there. Here you've got to race to reach the supermarket by 5.30. Generally though I find life more inefficient here. If you need an electrician, it takes days to get one, he doesn't do the job very well, the system is so old that he can't get the parts to repair it, and he doesn't care. This leads to another very important point. Americans work a lot harder than you do. To the English their private lives are important, their holidays are important, their gardens are important, their animals are important, but an American wouldn't admit that. For us. our work is the most important thing in our lives. You know, holidays seem to be longer here, people make the most ridiculous excuses not to go to work - 'My dog's got a cold', I heard the other day. I Oh, come on. T You have tea breaks that get longer and longer. In that respect we're quite like the Japanese. Our jobs come first, but there are all sorts of services to make life easier around our jobs. I Well, I take it you have a pretty negative opinion of England. T You would think so from this interview, wouldn't you? No, in fact I really love it here. I go home once a year and really look forward to coming back here. This is my home now. I find life safer, more relaxed, and much more enjoyable. Maybe I've gotten into English habits! England doesn't have the dramatic beauty of the States, but oh, it is very pretty and charming in a way that I find comforting. Tapescript 5 Stereotype and Reality 1 Eric: Many people think of my country as a great big, frozen land of ice, up north, with Eskimos and red-coated policemen but it's obviously a very different country from that, eh. It's a bilingual country, 40% of the population has French as a mother tongue and it has a very dispersed population, but 90% of it lives in a small ribbon of land just 90 kilometres from the US border, eh. In fact probably one of the biggest concerns we have is the effect of US domination on our unique culture, because of TV, sports and such like. I think many of us have an inferiority complex relative to the US. Here in Europe, a lot of the time people think we're American, it's annoying. 2 Mary: So our stereotype is that we're miserable, mean and dour and unhappy with our lot and that we're a proud people, maybe quite nationalistic, especially in sport - we'll support any team that's playing against England. Maybe there's an element of truth in all of this. I mean you do meet people who are mean but far more you meet people who are generous. I saw a guy collapse in the street and folk were running out the shops and bringing him a chair, and a glass of water and things and d'you know if somebody collapses in London, folk'll step over them, assume they're drunk or whatever. Oh, and as for whether people are miserable, well I remember standing at a bus stop and it was a gorgeous sunny day, real blue sky, you know you don't see many days like that here, not very often. And I said to the woman next to me ‘Isn't it a gorgeous day?’And she said ‘Aye, but we'll pay for it!’And I thought how can you be so pessimistic when it's such a gorgeous day. 3 Julia: Ah well, I think we have a very, erm, well-deserved reputation for being loud, we are certainly very loud, erm, everywhere, it doesn't matter where we are, we just talk all at the same time and quite loud. And we're also very disorganised, erm, people believe that we are, and another thing that is well-deserved. Erm, what else, we're very lazy, erm, I don't think that is true, erm, we used to sleep our siestas er, but I think we're a bit more European now and we all have the same sort of timetables. Erm, and then well, we're sociable and outgoing, erm, we're always with other people, we're rar... rarely on our own, erm, we tend to do lots of things at the same time, and, that's also because, there are so many places and they open until late, erm, it's a bit more relaxed atmosphere than in England. 4 Zoltan: Most foreigners seem to think that all our dishes are spicy and really hot, which is not exactly true ... er ... we use quite a lot of paprika but it's not hot at all especially not when it's compared to Asian dishes for example. And also the other thing that people think of is ... er ... horses and ... er ... the great plains ... one in five live in Budapest which is a big city, and quite a lot of people live in smaller towns and smaller cities and not on the great plains at all and many ... would not have seen a horse in their whole lives. 5 Rosemary: Erm ... I think that there is a stereotype in the eyes of a lot of British. I think they consider them loud, they consider them in many cases arrogant. Remember they lost the rev. .„ the revolutionarv war, and they still have this attitude of being, `we once ruled you’. And although that was two hundred years ago, I think there is still this attitude that they are the rebellious children, or the rebe... rebellious offspring of Great Britain. And -erm, I think it's, it's very silly as an attitude because I think there are, yes there are a lot, who are extremely narrow, they don’ t see beyond their border, they are very arrogant, but there are also an incredible amount who are very aware of what's goes on in the rest of the world. 6 Tristan: We're generally perceived as being quite cold and .., er ... really quite uptight as well and I know this from my own experience ... erm ... that they're perceived also as being somewhat hypocritical -two-faced, now I don't think that was in relation to me, I hope not anyway and I think now they also come across as incredibly yobbish, sort of heavy drinking, potentially violent, which is .. erm not entirely my experience. Tapescript 6 Martinique meets Paris INTERVIEWER: So how long have you worked for your company? MARC: Since 1998. INTERVIEWER: And why telecoms? MARC: The main reason was to work in an international environment. And over the last five years I’ve visited many many countries…like Hong Kong, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Colombia, Chile, Singapore …I was also in Miami in the sun, as well, so around 12 different countries over the world …across all continents. In fact, I’ve been working in the domestic market, at the headquarters, for one year now. But I travel every month to Italy. INTERVIEWER: So, Marc, with all this travel, where do you say you’re from: Paris, Europe, Martinique? MARC: I’d say that I’m from somewhere over the Atlantic, you know. I’d say that … I have a mixture of cultures, like everybody. I still have some West Indian feelings, hot temperatures are very important for me. On the other hand, I have moved or changed a lot, say, with the concept, my attitude … to time. When I first came to France, it was very strange for me to notice a train left on time…within one minute, or a few seconds. Caribbean people, like some southern countries, are more, let’s say, relaxed about time. Time is really of less importance. But, on the other hand, people in the Caribbean have a very different approach to life, more positive, more taking time to actually enjoy life…more so than the Europeans. INTERVIEWER: So is your lifestyle very different? MARC: Absolutely. In France I was surprised to see sunlight at 9 or 10 pm, it was very very strange…very, very, very … because in tropical countries … the sunset is around …five-thirty…six-thirty at the maximum. And the night comes very suddenly, you have only, may be, half an hour’s time…but in France at night you can go out for a walk, see friends…there are a lot of things to do…it’s good for my social life. INTERVIEWER: Do you still keep a contact with Martinique culture? MARC: I love Creole jazz. In fact, in my spare time I work with an organization that promotes Caribbean jazz in France. I try to because the job can be very stressful. So I love jazz and I very often go jazz clubs. We’ve got a lot of jazz clubs in Paris. INTERVIEWER: And do you organize concerts and things like that? MARC: Yes, exactly. We organize every year a Creole jazz festival in Paris in Jazz clubs, yes. We’ve been doing that for…for…ten years, roughly. |