看中國電影了

今天晚上在布魯塞爾Flagey看了《二十四城記》。好久沒有看中國電影了，大概3年左右，今晚看感覺很精彩。《二十四城記》講故事的方式很有意思，是半紀錄片，半演的戲，而且兩個格式混用，有的很難分別。我認為這是對中國電視格式的反應，再加上典型角色又被模仿，又被張開，至少可以說是給中國電視新聞和實施專題報道習慣做個評價。

映完後，陪著兩個同事和她三個相識一起去隔壁的Belga喝一杯。其中一個在電影院工作，我們三四個人談的很痛快。在回家的路上，心情好得我都想跳，甚至高高興興地跑十來米，腦子好像突然重哲血似地。就這兩天，創意感在我的心又開始露面，這過城由《二十四城記》這部電影催進了很多。在快要離開比利時的時祭，一邊戀愛在非洲的女孩，一邊喜歡周圍有魅力的東西，有魅力的文化，有魅力的人。:-)

India.Arie Part 3 – on NPR

So there is a neat follow to my previous two posts on this – India.Arie has done a live session on NPR's Weekend Edition, on International Women's day. And that interview and songs brought a lot together. 

First off, the language from host and guest was entirely public radio. And it was effective – enhanced yes by the voices of both people (I'm not a fan of "radio voices", but in a soul singer I guess it's a more than acceptable attribute) – listen to Ghetto. The lyrics could be from a radio report, a really good US public radio report. 

So there is the influence and the shared language, as much as the shared aspirations. Good job all round.

Doing my bit

The v funny BBC Radio 4 Today video – voilá:

Well deserving too coz it's funny!

More on Pearls and speech radio.

I've had some comments on that post from Françoise, the friend and huge India.Arie fan who introduced me to the song in the first place. She's allowed me use her comments here, and so I can make some more points about radio. Yay!

First off, the song is a cover, of one originally sung by Sade. Françoise points out "I also think this song is completely one that could have been written by her, and totally fits in the "politics" side of this album (along with songs like "Better way" and the great "Ghetto")"

Françoise says something I tried to say in the first post, only she says it, you know, clearly: "I also think the new shoes are more than a constrasting parallel for the pearls, knowing that the pearls she's looking for are meant for the same Western chicks whose shoes hurt (and that includes me, I know)"

Yep, I could have expanded on the meaning of contrasting parallel, but there's no need to now coz it's written just up there.

She points out how the song brings to mind this poster by Amnesty International.

"I really love what you say about how you can find a different meaning to the song each time you listen to it while a radio show is most of the time very poor (just delivering factual information) - that's why I loved… On est où là on RFI. I totally agree that radio is one of the most frustrating medium on earth for that!"

I generally agree, that the news bias of radio is more a weakness than a strength – while the general acceptance of it as a news medium keep a certain amount of funding coming into radio, it also plays a part in under-seling it. No radio programme will get the production or promotion budget of a Hollywood movie (nor the awards), but if you have a choice you can be as well entertained, enlightened or transformed in an hour at home – for free – than €10 worth of a trip to the cinema. Because, radio is for news and traffic, right?

Referencing: Towards the end, there are some vocals not in English. This is where I think of the typical Africa story on public radio – narrator-heavy stuff, that, frankly, switches me off. Does India.Aries' African ancestry change that? As a listener, hearing it once, not sure either way.

"These lines are really... Perplexing. First because I'm not sure I get why those "vocals not in English" make you think of the typical Africa story on the radio - rather than the lyrics of the song. By the way it's by Ivorian singer Dobet Gnahore, which I think is important because India makes a song on Africa that sounds African - the whole song's chords sound African actually. Please don't link this to India's African ancestry. Too much of a shortcut."

Exactly – does the performer (be it singer or host) being African-American mean their dealing with Africa in their work is more fair or accurate than someone else's? It's worth noting here that India.Arie has visited Africa, which is more than I have. But to go into more detail about my original post: So many radio pieces about Africa are narrator-driven, with the (usually white) reporter telling you pretty much everything, over a general sound bed of the events concerned. Interviewees are put to air far less than in other stories. The producer's line is probably a simple, mechanical radio one: the accent is too hard to understand on the radio.

Isn't that just patronising?

Well, once in a while one gets thorough, and suddenly, the feature's shows that have the values, the interest and the money to cover Africa, start getting kudos from features shows. Here's a recent and very good example: The Mender of Broken Hearts.

Back to the staid old model. Is it any different from how, towards the end, something obviously African briefly appears?

One reason why I am less qualified to have an opinion here is simply how it is a piece of music, and, I am ever happy to admit, I am not 100% on the vocabulary of music. Still, I wouldn't do it.

It's taken me days to finally sit down and write this, and so, I feel like I've left something out. Typical!

Update: Some very similar topics are being raised in photojournalism, at the duckrabbit blog. Simple, good points.