Flashmag February 2019 www.flashmag.net
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. For artists, professional time is intimately fused with privacy. The writing of the chronicles, the repetition of the spectacles that is done at my home, on a time which is that of my private life. But this is the lot of all artists. We chose this life. It can be exhausting at times, but it is also very free.
As an African, who have emigrated to France, the great debate of the communities remains that of immigration. Some people in France do not want immigrants any more, while in Africa some people think that immigration remains a way of salvation. In your opinion, what is the right measure? To immigrate if we have the means? And on the other side, do we have to close our doors to emigrants? Isn’t true that immigration become a problem because there has been a disruptive relation between the North and the South, whose imbalance in trade has led to intense misery in the South?
I believe that the differences in living standards between the southern countries and those of the north, necessarily cause desires for migration. Isn’t it, legitimate to aspire to a better life? On the other hand, we can see that in the countries of the North intolerances are mounting and destabilizing democracies. But really, I am only an actress, and I have no simple solutions to offer such complex problems.
The voices of the peoples are lost more and more in the social networks where one sells his anger until the breathlessness. However, the artists still have platforms that allow them to pass certain messages. Isn’t it time, for the African artistic community to take a more active position on burning issues? when artists complain that they are not taken seriously? Maybe it's time for some to talk about serious things?
African or not, artists are free to choose. What is expected of them is that they are artists, not activists. Certainly, when one has the chance to express oneself in public, one has certain responsibilities, but one cannot require artists to be the systematic spokespersons of such and such causes. Personally, I make chronicles in a program that no one in France is not unaware of the political orientations. I write columns in an environmental journal, and I support organizations that fight for education and health in Africa that are dear to my heart. But these are
my personal choices and I do not comment on those of other artists.
Well, we have talked enough about politics. May be time to throw a joke to close this interview?
You know I'm not a professional comic, I'm an actress who works on texts that are not composed of jokes as in the stand up comedy. Fortunately, in France we have caramel candies, the carambars brand, their packaging is always riddled with jokes like the cookies fortune teller. It is a true national institution. Here is one: "What is the name of the female hamster? Amsterdam. It is absolutely lamentable. I love that!
What is your agenda in this year that begins? What are your projects during this artistic season?
In addition to my chronicles on France Inter and Kazein magazine, there is obviously my show, Je Demande la Route, which is played every Wednesday at 11 Pm. at the théâtre de l’œuvre in Paris from January 30 to 24 April. At the same time, I have a big tour all over France. I also participate in various audio-visual projects but I will tell you when they will be made.
A trivial pursuit for the end? Did you know that When we laugh, we secrete endorphins? Which are hormones that have analgesic properties that reduce the production of adrenaline and cortisol that are generated by stress.
Laughing allows us to oxygenate our brain well. It is a muscle relaxant because the contraction of the diaphragm stimulates the nearby organs: liver, stomach, intestine, spleen ... laughter thus reinforces the immune system. To stay young, you have to laugh.
I should be reimbursed by Social Security (laughs).
Roukiata Ouedraogo Flashmag and his readership say thank you for this cordial and open interview . All the best
Interviewed by Hubert Marlin
Journalist