Have we finally turned the corner on the Bush era, now that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is reportedly reading philosophy books and sporting a new classic watch in order to appear as the cultured intellectual he is not, in preparation for a 2012 reelection bid? Perhaps Barack Obama is indeed inspiring change -- though poor Sarko is now à l'hôpital, having suffered the same sort of vasovagal reaction while running that his former friend W. experienced while inhaling a pretzel. Plus ça change... We begin with a topic in the truly classic French tradition, the Tour de France, to which Graham Lea turns his keen wit, enlightening us on the history, culture, and controversy of cycling's grueling, 3-week tour de force.
Having survived the Tour for another year, we turn our sights on a less sporting but equally challenging sociopolitical excursion. Before the competition begins, we are given a course by Michael Barker in social engineering management so that we can learn the skills to keep up with the ruling class and leave the masses behind in the dust. Barker then returns to his recent analysis of the counter-discourses on Female Genital Mutilation in response to a critical letter by Keith Harmon Snow. Next we join Raju Peddada in the remote villages of India, where he considers religious intolerance, Christian missionaries, post 9/11 hysteria, and exclusion dogma, followed by a stop in Florence with Martin Murie, who considers his World War II experiences, the end of Empire, the war on terror, and a Letter Against the War by Tiziano Terzani. Femi Akomolafe guides our final political venture, taking us to Ghana as he contemplates whether President Obama's recent trip will have done Africa any good; and then on to the corrupted land of contradictions that is Nigeria.
Our tour concludes on the cultural stage, as we stop in the Mediterranean for Peter Byrne's review of Paul Kenyon's I Am Justice, A Journey Out Of Africa. Charles Marowitz invites us to the movies for Sacha Baron Cohen's satirical porn Bruno. And in l'esprit du Tour, we return to France, this time in French, for a reflection on democracy by Simone Alié-Daram, a judicial examination of the latest debate on the Burqua and the Niqab (integral veils) in the context of French secularism by Marie-Laetitia Gambié, a short story by Marie Rennard, and one of the best known French poems by Joachim Du Bellay. Finally, Guido Monte invites us to travel through his memory of old and new poets; Michael Eddins takes us on an age-old journey of redemption; and we close with your letters from all sides of the spectrum with controversy aplenty.
Enjoy the tour, and as always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know about Swans. It's your voice that makes ours grow.
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Graham Lea: Le Tour De France -- Part One: The Avant-Tour
Graham Lea turns his keen wit and French perspective toward the history, culture, and controversy of the Tour de France. More...
Michael Barker: Subverting Civil Society 101: Managing The Masses
A fictitious social engineering management lecture intended for all budding members of the ruling class. More...
Michael Barker: Counter-Discourses And Female Circumcision
A critical discussion of the debate surrounding female genital mutilation. More...
Raju Peddada: The Conversion To Intolerance
Raju Peddada considers religious intolerance, Christian missionaries in India, post 9/11 hysteria, and exclusion dogma, and warns that when you are getting sold on religion and spirituality, which is an unfathomably deep personal issue, by someone like a shoe salesman, you need to question the motives and understand the consequences of buying from such gentry. More...
Martin Murie: Letter From Florence
Martin Murie reflects on Tiziano Terzani's Letters Against the War, Letter From Florence, his own World War II experiences, US foreign policy, and the inevitable end of Empire. More...
Femi Akomolafe: Welcome Emperor Obama
Femi Akomolafe considers America's colonialism, militarism, capitalism, and racism, pondering if brother Barack Obama's recent visit will have done Ghana or Africa any good, or whether Change We Can Believe In is simply more of the same-old American policies. More...
Femi Akomolafe: The Fountain Of Knowledge: Nigerian Election Fraud, Charms, and Amulets
Nigeria is a corrupt and dysfunctional country, where the distinction between the artistic and reality is indistinguishable. More...
Peter Byrne: Justice At Sea
Paul Kenyon's account of the ten-day ordeal endured by twenty-seven Africans seeking an escape to Italy follows the classic men-adrift-in-a-life-boat story. More...
Charles Marowitz: Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno
Sacha Baron Cohen's movie Bruno has in a sense created a new film genre, Satirical Porn, which demonstrates the extremes of bent behavior that, being stereotypical, manages to simultaneously amuse and agitate. More...
Simone Alié-Daram: Réflexions sur la démocratie
Simone Alié-Daram nous dresse un bref historique de la démocratie, et nous rappelle au devoir de vigilance. Que devient une démocratie quand un peuple, oublieux de l'intérêt général, n'agit plus que conformément à ses individualismes en se réclamant de ses libertés ? More...
Marie-Laetitia Gambié: Droit et Laïcité
Au moment où le débat est relancé sur la laïcité à la française et la nécessité de légiférer sur le port du voile par les femmes musulmanes dans la sphère publique, Marie-Laetitia Gambié fait un retour sur les textes fondateurs du droit français et nous interroge sur rôle de l'éducation dans l'apprentissage du respect de l'autre et de sa différence. More...
Marie Rennard: Alice
Alice lit des poèmes de ce côté-ci des miroirs. Il est plus facile de rêver dans les livres que de suivre les chemins de hasard. More...
Joachim Du Bellay: Heureux qui comme Ulysse...
Poème de Joachim Du Bellay -- le plus connu des français -- fut publié en 1558 dans Les Regrets. More...
Guido Monte: Haiku n.3
Guido Monte continues to travel through his memory of old and new poets. More...
Michael Eddins: Redemption
A poem on the joy and love, pain and struggles, of a teenage boy. More...
Controversy aplenty, with a defense of Optimum Population Trust's goal of population decrease, not control, as Michael Barker suggests; keith harmon snow's deconstruction of Barker's Female Genital Mutilation piece; a socialist's critique of critic Charles Marowitz's article, The Dreaded S Word; and an amusing letter from Nonviolence International. More...
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