tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84039107787532844132024-03-05T13:20:16.086+00:00Learning about the worldA journey around the world through music, movies, books and foodMauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.comBlogger292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-45910800484010467542018-02-09T12:04:00.000+00:002018-02-09T12:04:23.665+00:00Move to a new platform <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Please note that I have recently moved all my blogging and writing activity to a new platform - if you’d like to continue reading my work, please visit<br />
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<a href="https://maukdonnabhain.wordpress.com/">https://maukdonnabhain.wordpress.com/</a><br />
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See you there!<br />
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Mauk Donnabhain </div>
Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-48920866058088355912016-02-09T18:42:00.000+00:002016-02-09T18:42:16.621+00:00Learning About . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><i>Please note that I have stopped writing blog posts for Learning about the World, as I'd like to concentrate on my latest novel - working title: </i>The Hanging Tree</b></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>I'm leaving my archive of blog posts on the web, so you can read these at your leisure. Also, I will continue my learning journey in a new way and you can follow this on my Learning about the World Facebook page:</b></span></i><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/theworldabout/"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>https://www.facebook.com/theworldabout/</b></span></a><br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-10975010972283246182015-11-13T08:00:00.000+00:002015-11-13T08:00:02.234+00:00Tatarstan - The Other Russia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsC3S9qeVAMbBr5fii1G9FO0z0RV6bJy4TBntwTHLA4sHDRUNLE0uOpA4fIkjnVdyBFosoVIF993KL-d9YLCJRjy6HHn1stnF5_q4FM7ZVqenmRNBZi9BUqjKnfJDAWS4rtoz4XrTdi4/s1600/600px-Flag_of_Tatarstan.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsC3S9qeVAMbBr5fii1G9FO0z0RV6bJy4TBntwTHLA4sHDRUNLE0uOpA4fIkjnVdyBFosoVIF993KL-d9YLCJRjy6HHn1stnF5_q4FM7ZVqenmRNBZi9BUqjKnfJDAWS4rtoz4XrTdi4/s200/600px-Flag_of_Tatarstan.svg.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag of Tatarstan</td></tr>
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I<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">t took a while after the break-up of the Soviet Union in the late 80's for 'the Stans' to secure a solid place in the mental geography of people outside the Soviet world and, when I moved to Uzbekistan in 2001, most people had never heard of it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">All that changed after September 11 and now people will have a vague awareness of the existence of countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakstan and Turkmenistan, countries that were, for so long, hidden behind the name 'Soviet Union'. </span></div>
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Nowadays, the Russian Federation still hides a lot of smaller 'countries' within its borders and the Republic of Tatarstan is one of the most prominent entities of this Federation - nominally independent, it's still very much part of Russia, although many non-Russians won't even know that it exists. </div>
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Ever since I lived in Russia, I've been quite fascinated by its 'Federal subjects' and Tatarstan is just one of the Russian Federation's 22 republics! It's very much 'the other Russia' - Muslim, historically a rival power to Moscow and, in recent years, one of the wealthier parts of the country. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kazan Kremlin by Mikhail Koninin</td></tr>
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Although other republics like Chechnya and Ingushetia have captured the news headlines in recent years, I think if Tatarstan really became independent from Russia, it would be the beginning of the end for the Russian Federation. Having said that, Tatarstan's population is tiny compared to the rest of Russia (less than 4 million) and Moscow is careful to keep the power of the Federation flowing centrally, so regional capitals, like Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, remain relatively unimportant backwaters. </div>
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I also come from a European republic (Ireland) that is part of a federation (the European Union), but it would be a mistake to think of republics in the Russian federation in the same way and being nominally independent doesn't give Tatarstan a place at the world table of nations, nor does it mean that Tatarstan is seen as a nation globally. In terms of Tatarstan's place in the world, it's very much part of a strong and unified Russian state. </div>
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Perhaps this explains why I'm already struggling to get a sense of the culture of Tatarstan and whether it's through books, movies or music, it seems as though all roads lead back to Moscow. As with many of the nations within Russia, Tatarstan has an officially sanctioned culture, but it's not at all globalised and I would need to be a Turkic language specialist to engage with the cultural outputs that are sanctioned by the Russian state. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kazan shop front by Nat Urazmetova</td></tr>
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I'm not saying that Russia wilfully blocks access to the cultural achievements of Tatarstan, rather that anyone producing music, literature or movies in Tatarstan will need to go through Russian culture first, before it can reach a global audience. I think this is the sacrifice of belonging to a Federation and it seems as though Tatarstan doesn't have its own 'cultural conversation' with our globalised world. </div>
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I'm deliberately talking about the 'culture of Tatarstan' here, rather than Tatar culture. Tatar culture is a more complicated thing, as there are Tatars all over Russia and Central Asia, including the well-known Tatar minority in Crimea. In my blog posts, I want to concentrate on issues, culture and people who are somehow connected to Tatarstan, whether or not they are also connected to Tatar culture. </div>
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Interestingly, most artists, musicians etc that I have been able to find are only half-Tatar and I think that says a lot about a modern Tatarstan that has found its place in the world as a partner in the shadow of Russian culture. That's why I've called Tatarstan<i> 'the other Russia'</i> and I'm intrigued by the influence of Tatar culture on mainstream Russian culture - I believe that, whether people recognise it or not, cultural imperialism can flow both ways. Perhaps Tatarstan represents another side of Russian culture, which is Asian, Islamic and multicultural, whereas many people see Russia as European, Christian and monocultural. </div>
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I've started my research by reading <b>Daniel Kalder</b>'s book <i>The Lost Cosmonaut</i> (2007), an anti-tourist's account of his travels to Tatarstan, Kalmykia, Mari-El and Udmurtia. I think Kalder does Tatarstan an injustice in his description - I travelled to Kazan in 2007 and it's a more interesting place than he makes it out to be. </div>
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Something I learned from Kalder's book though was that Kazan became very famous in the 1970's because of its gangs! Gangs were something that were pretty much unheard of during Soviet times and they were a social problem usually associated with the cities of the capitalist West, so Kazan's gangs brought turmoil to the otherwise compliant Soviet nation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhjEbhyl1zI7xd6MTIwoc3Ezb-GkI96asBsZXSbkBJSF7ppYpD93CU85kgU7RxIFe9ZBH3QBeGsrivAQRH8WTDDBN2JVYgIoY9OJuzdVkfE2ZoRpnt6iDCWTNiD9bQRa0O_Ng9uY4fk8/s1600/3842469071_19876c09bc_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhjEbhyl1zI7xd6MTIwoc3Ezb-GkI96asBsZXSbkBJSF7ppYpD93CU85kgU7RxIFe9ZBH3QBeGsrivAQRH8WTDDBN2JVYgIoY9OJuzdVkfE2ZoRpnt6iDCWTNiD9bQRa0O_Ng9uY4fk8/s320/3842469071_19876c09bc_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kazan market by Nat Urazmetova</td></tr>
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Interestingly, these gangs became the building blocks of the corrupt form of capitalism that Russia has inherited from the Soviet Union and it was my first real piece of evidence regarding Tatarstan's influence on Russia as a whole. </div>
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Tatarstan is situated at the heart of the Volga region and is, therefore, quite a suitable second choice in terms of my Learning about Russia. I first blogged about Russia (Urals Federal District) in 2010/11 and you can see an overview of the topics I covered on my <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/urals-federal-district.html">final blog post</a> about the Urals. I also quite sneakily referenced Kazan a couple of months ago, when I was blogging about <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/solomon-islands-swimming-in-pacific.html">the Solomon Islands</a>, as Kazan was the host city for this year's FINA World Championships. <br />
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I look forward to learning more about Tatarstan and Russia over the coming weeks and I hope you'll join me on my virtual learning journey.<br />
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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The image of Kazan kremlin is by Flickr member, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/mksystem/">Mikhail Koninin</a>. Mikhail is from Novosibirsk and you can see more of his images on his <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksystem/">photostream</a>.<br />
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The images of the Kazan shop front and Kazan market are by Flickr member <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/hidden_shine/">Nat Urazmetova</a>, who is originally from Ufa in Bashkortostan, but now lives in London.<br />
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Thanks to Nat and Mikhail for sharing these images with us, using the Creative Commons license. </div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-61198494507751440372015-10-18T13:09:00.000+01:002015-10-18T13:09:42.091+01:00Solomon Islands - The Final Word<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwm4Gf1VWjq5Us8XVvDveUds9Bf3TKIMh-SGijrrEygpCj_LI3DxlRu8AUlXijGDIRHDi3m3GRsNCVHxZwq3eq5HYE2EnFoejtHxREjKLxmEP-6KrtSo3OLYPH9dQzzje4y5k6pXOOMg/s1600/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwm4Gf1VWjq5Us8XVvDveUds9Bf3TKIMh-SGijrrEygpCj_LI3DxlRu8AUlXijGDIRHDi3m3GRsNCVHxZwq3eq5HYE2EnFoejtHxREjKLxmEP-6KrtSo3OLYPH9dQzzje4y5k6pXOOMg/s200/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
I've really enjoyed learning about the Solomon Islands over the past few months. We haven't had the greatest summer in England this year, so it's been nice to transport myself on a virtual journey to the soft seas of the Pacific ocean!<br />
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I was starting from scratch with the Solomon Islands, to be honest, so I've learned a lot about this island nation and it intrigues me - I hope that, one day, I'll be able to visit for myself and understand the real context of everything I've been blogging about.<br />
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<b>Summary of the themes</b><br />
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To summarise my virtual learning journey to the Solomon Islands, I started with a bit of <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/solomon-islands-welcome-to-happy-isles.html">history</a> and the first European contact with the islands, during the period of Spanish exploration in the 16th century. I also learned about the shameful 19th century tradition of <i>blackbirding</i> (kidnapping of Pacific islanders to work on plantations in Queensland) and the fascinating <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/solomon-islands-blackbirders.html">story of Jack Renton</a>. <br />
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August saw the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Tatarstan and I took this opportunity to learn about <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/solomon-islands-swimming-in-pacific.html">different swimming styles</a> and the contribution made by the Solomon Islands to the Solomons/Australian crawl!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAb0GfWoubYp7YJn1i1JDet0VBqKj_OfGV4eXiEKElHInctYaR04CcJ1CLkYadOWrgsJlPW5wzeybgWy0_xk3dshNBWC0fLLzd5Jz8QCEAdDc4K2JHDj8573I-IwVRl2heWk63B90v8s/s1600/IMG_4460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAb0GfWoubYp7YJn1i1JDet0VBqKj_OfGV4eXiEKElHInctYaR04CcJ1CLkYadOWrgsJlPW5wzeybgWy0_xk3dshNBWC0fLLzd5Jz8QCEAdDc4K2JHDj8573I-IwVRl2heWk63B90v8s/s320/IMG_4460.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solomon Islands <i>Fish and chips</i></td></tr>
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In any virtual journey to the Solomon Islands you'll be sure to learn about the Pacific battles in World War Two. The seas around the Solomon Islands are full of wrecked battle ships and submerged aircraft, as Guadalcanal became a major theatre of war between the Japanese and Allied forces. As part of my research, I <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/solomon-islands-on-silver-screen.html">watched</a> Terrance Malick's <i>The Thin Red Line</i> - a beautifully shot movie, which captures the surreal timelessness and brutality of war. <br />
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I couldn't really find a national dish from the Solomon Islands that wasn't essentially <i>palu sami</i> (which I've made several times before), so I created my own dish, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/solomon-islands-how-i-made-pacific.html">Pacific-style fish and chips</a>, using ingredients that would be more common in the Solomon Islands. <br />
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As usual, I did all of this with a fabulous soundtrack and I managed to find lots of great <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/solomon-islands-playlist.html">music</a> from the Solomon Islands, including the lullaby <i>Rorogwela</i> which was sampled by Deep Forest in the early 1990's. <br />
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<b>Books</b><br />
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I read four books as part of my research into the Solomon islands - here's the list:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51npE%2BNmARL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51npE%2BNmARL.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Devil-Devil</i> by GW Kent</td></tr>
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<i>Lonely Planet: Solomon Islands </i>(1997) - <b>ed. Mark Honan</b> and <b>David Harcombe</b> - although this edition is almost twenty years old, I still found it very informative and, interestingly, it's hard to find a more modern guidebook on the Solomon Islands. I guess the rule of <i>'profit margins'</i> has taken over and publishers are less keen to take on more exotic projects these days - in any case, I love reading guidebooks from the mid-90's as it coincides with the period when I started travelling and, therefore, leads me virtually down alternative paths that my life might have taken!<br />
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<i>Solomon Time </i>(2002) by <b>Will Randall</b> is one of the few travelogues based in the Solomon Islands. The story of an English school teacher who gives up his life in the UK, to set up a chicken farm in Rendova, it was an amusing read, but I can't say I learnt a lot from this book.<br />
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<i>Devil-Devil </i>(2011) by <b>G.W. Kent</b> - unfortunately, I didn't find time to blog about this wonderful book by GW Kent. It's a detective novel set in Malaita and Honiara and I really enjoyed reading it, although I don't usually read that genre. I loved the characters and I learnt a lot about Solomon culture as well - I'd highly recommend this series of novels!<br />
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<i>The White Headhunter</i> (2003) by <b>Nigel Randell</b> - a really informative and 'heavy' read, which I used for my blog post about blackbirding and Jack Renton. <br />
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<b>Movies</b><br />
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I watched three movies in total, that were somehow connected to the Solomon Islands:<br />
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<i>The Thin Red Line </i>(1998) <b>dir. Terrance Malick</b> - see the link to my blog post on this above.<br />
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<i>Operation Pacific </i>(1951) <b>dir. George Waggner</b> and starring <b>John Wayne</b> and <b>Patricia Neal</b> - this was a more traditional war movie and, as it turns out, was set more around the Philippines than the Solomon Islands. It was interesting to compare the approach to war movies in the 1950's, when everything was so romanticised and the late 90's, when the real horror of war was more in focus. It's not a bad movie, as they go and very typical of that era.<br />
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<i>Tanna</i> (2015) <b>dir. Bentley Dean </b>and <b>Martin Butler</b> - the <a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff">London Film festival</a> is on at the moment and I've always intended to go to a showing, but somehow managed to miss this in previous years. Unfortunately, they didn't have any movies from the Solomon Islands on the programme this year, but they <i>did</i> have this wonderful movie from neighbouring Vanuatu, so I decided to watch it as part of my research into the Pacific region. It's set on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu and a representative of the community in which the movie is shot came all the way to London to talk to us about his culture and traditions. It was a truly memorable experience and it's a really beautiful movie. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/di2cHkHrPwg" width="560"></iframe>
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I'm going to try to make a visit to the London Film festival an annual outing that coincides with whichever place I'm blogging about in future (or as close as I can get, culturally).<br />
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<b>Other themes</b><br />
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As usual there were many other themes that I didn't have time to blog about, but if you're interested in continuing a learning journey about the Solomon Islands, I would suggest the following additional themes:<br />
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Diving<br />
Headhunting<br />
Futsal<br />
Tattoos<br />
Coconuts<br />
Albinos<br />
IATA codes<br />
Missionaries in the Pacific<br />
The Malaita Massacre<br />
The shark callers of the Pacific<br />
The Lau people<br />
Crocodiles<br />
DBS - Distressed British Subjects<br />
The Chinese in the Pacific<br />
<i>Kastom</i><br />
<i>Te lapa</i> - navigating with underwater lightening strikes<br />
Quonset huts<br />
The <i>Marching Rule</i> movement<br />
The <i>Kakamoras</i> or pygmy people<br />
<i>Nguzunguzu</i> - traditional carvings on war canoes<br />
<i>Pijin</i> English<br />
Richard Francis Burton - the British adventurer and orientalist<br />
Evil spirits like the <i>basana</i><br />
JF Kennedy's time in the Solomon Islands<br />
Cargo cults<br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-41833841973627562742015-10-03T14:08:00.001+01:002015-10-03T14:15:25.463+01:00Solomon Islands - Playlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I always enjoy discovering new music, when I'm researching for this blog. I found quite a lot of music from the Solomon Islands, compared to other art forms like literature or movies, so I've made up a playlist of some of my favourites.<br />
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<b><i>Sweet Lullaby</i> - Deep Forest</b><br />
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Probably the most famous of all songs to come out of the Solomon Islands is the lullaby <i>Rorogwela</i> from the Baegu people in Malaita, which was sampled by Deep Forest on their 1992 album, <i>Sweet Lullaby. </i><br />
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The original vocal was recorded by a Swiss-French ethnomusicologist called Hugo Zemp when he travelled to the Solomon Islands in 1970 and the singer is a woman called Afunakwa. <br />
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I was a big fan of <i>Deep Forest</i> when I was a student in the 1990's and I've always loved this song, although I had no idea of its connection with Malaita and the Solomon Islands.<br />
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I'm also posting a YouTube video which has the original recording from a UNESCO Musical Sources collection from 1973.<br />
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<b><i>Mato</i> by Narasirato</b><br />
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Solomon Islands is probably most famous for its traditional <i>panpipe </i>music and <b>Narasirato</b>, who come from the island of Malaita, are one of the Solomon's most famous <i>panpipe</i> groups. They played at festivals such as Glastonbury and Roskilde, so they're well known on the World Music stage. I particularly liked a song called <i>Mato</i> from their 2012 album <i>Warato'o</i>, but all of their stuff is great!<br />
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I found this video on YouTube which will give you a flavour of their music. <br />
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<b><i>Soso Kakoi </i>by Wasi Ka Nanara</b><br />
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Also quite well-known internationally is a panpipe group called <b>Wasi Ka Nanara</b> and I really liked the song <i>Soso Kakoi</i> from their album <i>Sounds of Paradise - Native Pan Flutes of the Solomon Islands</i>. There's nothing like a soft panpipe breeze from the Pacific Ocean when you're making your way to the train station on a rainy London morning!<br />
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I'm sharing a video from YouTube, which was made on a tour the band did in New Caledonia in 1998.<br />
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<b><i>Funeral Song</i></b><br />
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One of the most beautiful pieces of music I came across was, quite sadly, a funeral song, which appears on the 2011 album <i>Spirit of Melanesia</i>. The album features a collection of songs from Melanesia collected by the British ethnomusicologist, David Fanshawe, who had died the previous year. Fanshawe spent around 10 years travelling to the Pacific to record the music of remote islands in Melanesia, but also Polynesia and Micronesia.<br />
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If you wish to hear the song, you can get an excerpt on its <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QMY798/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk18">page at Amazon</a>. <br />
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<b><i>Ta'Umai</i> by Sharzy</b></div>
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When I was in Barbados earlier this year, I heard a lot of reggae music, as we were spinning around the island on the local shared taxis. There's something about reggae that seems to lend itself to tropical locations and I remember when I was blogging about <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/fiji-final-word.html">Fiji</a> back in November 2012, I was surprised to find that a lot of the most popular music there these days, is essentially a Pacific version of that very Caribbean sound!</div>
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Reggae seems to be very popular in the Solomon Islands as well and I really liked the song <i>Ta'Umai</i> by Sharzy, a well-known artist from Simbo in the Western Province. This song comes from his 2010 album, <i>Iu Mi Flow </i>and is an interesting mixture of English, Tok Pisin and Simbo! Another great song for a rainy London commute!</div>
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<b><i>Murderer</i> by Jahboy</b><br />
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Another popular artist of recent years is <b>Jahboy</b>, a.k.a. Kirwan Hatigeva, who combines reggae with a bit of hip-hop. He's of mixed Melanesian and Polynesian heritage and I really liked the song <i>Murderer</i> from his 2012 album <i>LuvNLife. </i><br />
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<b><i>Beautiful girl </i>by DMP</b><br />
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I know it's a bit cheesy, but I developed a soft spot for the song <i>Beautiful Girl</i> by DMP. I find it really interesting in cultures that are incredibly masculine, how romantic the lyrics of male singers are sometimes and I can't imagine a woman singing a song about a man which has such a note of sad desperation! <br />
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Anyway, it's kind of catchy and I'm posting a YouTube-generated video below, so you can hear for yourself.<br />
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<b><i>The Lagoon</i> - </b>conducted by<b> Gavin Greenaway </b>and composed by<b> Hans Zimmer</b><br />
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I wrote about the movie <i>The Thin Red Line</i> in a previous <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/solomon-islands-on-silver-screen.html">blog post</a> and, whilst I was doing my research, I also listened to the soundtrack for <i>The Thin Red Line</i> written by Hans Zimmer, the German composer who also did <i>The Lion King</i> and <i>Gladiator</i>. <br />
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My favourite track was <i>The Lagoon</i> as there is something quite haunting about this piece and it captures the slow-motion horror of the war in Guadalcanal, as well as integrating some native themes from the Solomon Islands. Although it's not traditional music from the Solomon Islands, I still felt it should be represented, as the Solomons and the war in Guadalcanal were the inspiration for the movie and its soundtrack. <br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-50856525865382527672015-09-20T14:53:00.000+01:002015-09-20T14:53:38.072+01:00Solomon Islands - How I made Pacific-style Fish and Chips<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When it comes to food from the Pacific islands, it seems as though all roads lead back to <i>palu sami.</i> As I've made <i>palu sami</i> twice before (once when I was blogging about <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/kiribati-part-3.html">Kiribati</a> in 2009 and again when I was blogging about <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/fiji-how-i-made-palu-sami.html">Fiji</a> in 2012), I was determined to cook something else this time! <div>
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Unfortunately, my internet searches for the Solomon Islands' national dish came to a dead end - <a href="http://www.recipeisland.com/blog/solomon-islands-national-dish/">one website</a> even suggested the Middle Eastern <i>Kibbeh</i> as the national dish of the Solomon Islands, but that just didn't seem right to me!<div>
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So I improvised! Interestingly, whilst reading my blog post about cooking <i>palu sami</i> as part of my research on Fiji - I'd noted how far along my cooking had come since 2009 - that I was now <i>able</i> to improvise and didn't feel the need to stick to the exact recipe. Well, I guess this current recipe is a step further for me, as I'm not only improvising, but adapting one nation's dish and giving it a make-over with another nation's staple foods.</div>
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I chose <i>Fish and chips</i> for several reasons - mainly because all my reading suggested that, despite their love of tinned meats like <i>corned beef</i> and <i>spam</i>, people <i>do</i> still eat a lot of fish in the Pacific islands. I also found out that people in Melanesia love sweet potato, so that gave me the idea of making sweet potato chips or wedges. </div>
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Perhaps most importantly, I wanted to pay homage to the fact that the Solomon Islands were once a British territory, so my Pacific-style <i>fish and chips</i> is an attempt to capture the history, as well as the cuisine of this island nation.</div>
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<b>The Sweet Potato mystery</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My photo of sweet potato</td></tr>
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When I was researching for my blog posts on Oaxaca, Mexico - I first came across the concept of <i>the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/oaxaca-columbian-exchange.html">Columbian Exchange</a></i> - how European contact with Central America saw the introduction of tomatoes, potatoes, chillies, chocolate and many other crops to the diets of people outside the Americas. </div>
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Unfortunately, the other half of the <i>exchange</i> meant death, disease and decimation of the native American populations! </div>
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The interesting thing about the sweet potato is that it appeared in the Pacific islands <i>before</i> the Columbian exchange. No-one quite knows how the sweet potato ended up in places like Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Philippines and Japan, but somehow it happened and sweet potato has been a part of the Pacific diet for more than 1,000 years!</div>
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<b>The Ingredients</b></div>
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4 fish fillets</div>
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3 limes</div>
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1 bunch of spinach</div>
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4 sweet potatoes (cut into chips)</div>
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1 tomato</div>
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1 onion</div>
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1/2 tin of coconut milk</div>
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<b>How I made the sweet potato chips</b></div>
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The first thing I did was to prepare the sweet potato - peeling off the reddish-coloured skin and chopping the flesh into chips or wedges.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into wedges</td></tr>
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I then parboiled the chips, before roasting them in the oven. I <i>did </i> think about deep-fat frying the chips but, in my (admittedly limited!) experience of Pacific-island cuisine, they seem to bake things more than fry them, so I thought baked sweet potato wedges would be the best option. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parboil the sweet potato chips . .</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. . then bake them in the oven</td></tr>
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<b>How I prepared the fish and sauce mixture</b></div>
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I used fish fillets that had been frozen - defrosted them and marinated them for a couple of hours in lime juice, sprinkled with some rind.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marinate the fish fillets in lime juice</td></tr>
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I decided to also bake the fish, so put the fillets into an oven dish, in the marinade liquid, covered it with tinfoil and baked it for about twenty-five minutes, at the same time as the sweet potato was baking. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bake the fish for about twenty-five minutes</td></tr>
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To prepare the ingredients for the sauce, I washed the spinach and chopped the tomato and onion.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZIooL3kbv008a4coigifwUQ7erabwD9wpn_TR00XkxCeOFvNdfTgmLxoYvOpSVbn4f992VG6KZYuRdBEJiWfVNZeD2XQuvYC8XMrcRliPS6eqt8iuCCLOZz27ut5NRzM-V-HmP7r3Y0/s1600/IMG_4449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZIooL3kbv008a4coigifwUQ7erabwD9wpn_TR00XkxCeOFvNdfTgmLxoYvOpSVbn4f992VG6KZYuRdBEJiWfVNZeD2XQuvYC8XMrcRliPS6eqt8iuCCLOZz27ut5NRzM-V-HmP7r3Y0/s320/IMG_4449.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wash the spinach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs316aQDElvLsE3ojEHrzc-uOYQe2lYAoFAQPiQF1pcqn2zce4egIOEavHsdGmTKzYXi3nOX-ME6IIjgrrRWdjMTqzFniME-Qz1Jv2wRbVeuBAHarGPxyoY8pv6ujZJTTvtgB06_txaeY/s1600/IMG_4451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs316aQDElvLsE3ojEHrzc-uOYQe2lYAoFAQPiQF1pcqn2zce4egIOEavHsdGmTKzYXi3nOX-ME6IIjgrrRWdjMTqzFniME-Qz1Jv2wRbVeuBAHarGPxyoY8pv6ujZJTTvtgB06_txaeY/s320/IMG_4451.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chop the tomato and onion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I fried the tomato and onion on a fairly high temperature, so they would make a kind of paste.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRucaw7BwbgAnwFbPmgZ5G-MQI4DUbzkl1XlCFrj6G2fXNgZo2rZagxvPfAz7P5JucyWUsoB9A2imsx9e9f9JsJrV6r2D3mFXNFGCP9_Vm1z3r0WczKNl3ZSZNZorSkrDHxXMQpL7rZKU/s1600/IMG_4452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRucaw7BwbgAnwFbPmgZ5G-MQI4DUbzkl1XlCFrj6G2fXNgZo2rZagxvPfAz7P5JucyWUsoB9A2imsx9e9f9JsJrV6r2D3mFXNFGCP9_Vm1z3r0WczKNl3ZSZNZorSkrDHxXMQpL7rZKU/s320/IMG_4452.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fry the tomato and onion in a saucepan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I then added the spinach and coconut milk, bringing the mixture to the boil, before simmering for around twenty minutes. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iC8U8097UNDjOus7j9EEa7H0FFWn_AnjYpqMRsROMtj0ksbNvixnM8jWpnUF2EroalFoh1HEh22oDyKr-O1FZAiqZZs4EHRYHJftThCh-5kJ11m86rmzHUpTLuyoxAMcjiwMe-pcHiY/s1600/IMG_4456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iC8U8097UNDjOus7j9EEa7H0FFWn_AnjYpqMRsROMtj0ksbNvixnM8jWpnUF2EroalFoh1HEh22oDyKr-O1FZAiqZZs4EHRYHJftThCh-5kJ11m86rmzHUpTLuyoxAMcjiwMe-pcHiY/s320/IMG_4456.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add the spinach and coconut milk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The end result was really rather tasty!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIIatkQTV4FztM07vFOe_H3vbcmH8Rj5gakta4aAXhz_tjd1Y8JKpX7w6da_BgjP9kguwEZ3y5dHtsDm65joGebxkkToDU9-9-YxjrRU1mSrOa7gRaalSMExtL2VZiK9_j_HHr8Y7Z4U/s1600/IMG_4461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIIatkQTV4FztM07vFOe_H3vbcmH8Rj5gakta4aAXhz_tjd1Y8JKpX7w6da_BgjP9kguwEZ3y5dHtsDm65joGebxkkToDU9-9-YxjrRU1mSrOa7gRaalSMExtL2VZiK9_j_HHr8Y7Z4U/s320/IMG_4461.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific-style <i>Fish and Chips</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b>Image credits</b>:</div>
<div>
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<div>
All photos were taken by me on my trusty iPhone - please feel free to re-use them under the Creative Commons license: <i>Attribution, Share Alike, Non-commercial</i></div>
<div>
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<div>
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<div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-41337423749356765542015-09-15T19:00:00.000+01:002015-09-15T21:50:25.854+01:00Happy blogiversary! Six years of Learning about the World!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP5jfdXvkWFyzj5jBND6FYBYQ2l30pkZz06p0swSagsdeqd6btkBN_xxeGgzDcqGtzxtQbOyf38vyuvt7Icyv_BC_XgilvlUo78hwEaxLTHNisHYTyuVB0de7ec5E33x7t26_6XTN60c/s1600/First+blog+post.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP5jfdXvkWFyzj5jBND6FYBYQ2l30pkZz06p0swSagsdeqd6btkBN_xxeGgzDcqGtzxtQbOyf38vyuvt7Icyv_BC_XgilvlUo78hwEaxLTHNisHYTyuVB0de7ec5E33x7t26_6XTN60c/s1600/First+blog+post.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
Today marks the six-year anniversary of <i>Learning about the World</i>. <br />
<br />
I must admit that it feels like I've slowed down a lot in recent months. I moved to a new department at work in March of this year and a new role which has been quite demanding of my energy and creativity! Rather than giving up on my blogging, I've decided to continue at a slower pace. <br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been hard work at times during the last six months and I've also felt a bit restricted by having my reading, listening, culture explorations limited to the place I'm currently blogging about - so I've branched out a bit recently and expanded the scope of my learning beyond this blog, which has also slowed me down (but hopefully not too much!)<br />
<br />
To date, I've blogged about 39 countries/places around the world, including four new places since my last blogiversary: <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/palestine-final-word_30.html">Palestine</a>, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/quebec-final-word.html">Quebec</a>, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/reunion-final-word.html">Reunion</a> and (not yet finished) <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/solomon-islands-welcome-to-happy-isles.html">Solomon Islands</a>. Highlights of the past year have included listening to Palestinian <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/palestine-playlist.html">music</a>, discovering the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-on-silver-screen.html">movies</a> of Xavier Dolan, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/reunion-in-kingdom-of-sorcerers.html">reading in French</a> and learning about the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/solomon-islands-blackbirders.html">beachcombers</a> of the South Pacific. <br />
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<b>Some stats</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9YQWkPxpI_R9j5zn5vluUpfRfJgRHnBuxYqydQOuczo3moV4gkpPHTQnDsVjaityqxOgnipHGeusy7KEsuEMlrp5ONJz-tN15pNu8qxKiYphlStragUzLmoZTPiTg714BsVH_vn2wdQ/s1600/Visitors+to+LATW+Sep+2015.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9YQWkPxpI_R9j5zn5vluUpfRfJgRHnBuxYqydQOuczo3moV4gkpPHTQnDsVjaityqxOgnipHGeusy7KEsuEMlrp5ONJz-tN15pNu8qxKiYphlStragUzLmoZTPiTg714BsVH_vn2wdQ/s320/Visitors+to+LATW+Sep+2015.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worldwide visits to <i>Learning about the World</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My blog has had 64,284 page views, almost a 40% increase since this time last year. April this year saw the most page views ever in a single month at 2,582 so it seems that <i>Learning about the World</i> is more popular than ever!<br />
<br />
It's interesting to compare the top twenty countries to my blog this year with last year - in general it seems as though the blog has been steadily growing in popularity in places like Australia, Canada, Germany and France. Other countries seem to be losing interest (Saudi Arabia, Barbados, India), perhaps because my blog posts about those countries are 'older' now? <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0Do6ACGMx8wVUf3T7EbWUOjw_4lJzHySKxJC8LEyMwz28KLCmrE7G78SKVeWB-FLstLVoW-Xz_hIgMx-9Qtt-J3XJVaE77l4PW9ht4hvLoprKvVhHfLHmuICvA4A8HLiye11-PySZeA/s1600/Flag+of+Palestine.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0Do6ACGMx8wVUf3T7EbWUOjw_4lJzHySKxJC8LEyMwz28KLCmrE7G78SKVeWB-FLstLVoW-Xz_hIgMx-9Qtt-J3XJVaE77l4PW9ht4hvLoprKvVhHfLHmuICvA4A8HLiye11-PySZeA/s200/Flag+of+Palestine.png" width="200" /></a>There are some new entries to the top 20 list; Kenya, Russia and China, whilst a few other countries have dropped out of the top 20 list (Belgium, Brazil and UAE). <br />
<br />
The USA and UK continue to provide the majority of hits on my blog, with people in the US making up almost 35% of my readership in the past year. <br />
<br />
<b>The top twenty</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLwNT7LTRsBMb8mGzkOIJ7deM_nz_iROPiXxEgA3_0LF4s09c_kkO5FKarlcm-krfHkI9HV3vBf_l3Lxb0k9sYkvwa4wt493Hc0ED14O9r9yqMP5Svm104NhbTeHqGta0H0vz6yuWjEs/s1600/Flag+of+Quebec.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLwNT7LTRsBMb8mGzkOIJ7deM_nz_iROPiXxEgA3_0LF4s09c_kkO5FKarlcm-krfHkI9HV3vBf_l3Lxb0k9sYkvwa4wt493Hc0ED14O9r9yqMP5Svm104NhbTeHqGta0H0vz6yuWjEs/s200/Flag+of+Quebec.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
1. United States (-)<br />
2. United Kingdom (-)<br />
3. Australia (+1)<br />
4. Canada (+1)<br />
5. India (-2)<br />
6. Germany (+1)<br />
7. France (+3)<br />
8. Kenya (<i>new</i>!)<br />
9. Netherlands (+6)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_HbzBl4sscKfWSHIcjY_md08XbIsYupbU6OCY6NDnRqHgI4TagepaBqmn2NyPEy-KTGqQEHsUlFHNRAYgv4Ys1UKJxRzfFG7BctQGd6pdM5ksi6m8E6TSo2Eo5jMbx6QTDIR5ohw2sE/s1600/Proposed+Flag+of+Reunion.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_HbzBl4sscKfWSHIcjY_md08XbIsYupbU6OCY6NDnRqHgI4TagepaBqmn2NyPEy-KTGqQEHsUlFHNRAYgv4Ys1UKJxRzfFG7BctQGd6pdM5ksi6m8E6TSo2Eo5jMbx6QTDIR5ohw2sE/s200/Proposed+Flag+of+Reunion.png" width="200" /></a>10. Italy (-4)<br />
11. Cambodia (+1)<br />
12. Russia (<i>new</i>!)<br />
13. China (<i>new</i>!)<br />
14. New Zealand (+2)<br />
15. Malaysia (+4)<br />
16. Spain (+2)<br />
17. Japan (<i>new</i>!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYbkgZghVXS-Syi6rMgpWiXE5ZqmPxT50gZyq5po3c59apORwYTUIGqXMonk-zFwPv82KfGB8Oel8GHcfHhStZSXJNmbu1U15KTHIuhYYV17jjLsWiHqCRpE_Xz9LVZjhNVGJowL-gOY/s1600/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYbkgZghVXS-Syi6rMgpWiXE5ZqmPxT50gZyq5po3c59apORwYTUIGqXMonk-zFwPv82KfGB8Oel8GHcfHhStZSXJNmbu1U15KTHIuhYYV17jjLsWiHqCRpE_Xz9LVZjhNVGJowL-gOY/s200/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
18. Saudi Arabia (-7)<br />
19. Barbados (-5)<br />
20. Ireland (-14)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The blog has had visitors from 166 countries in total (9 new countries since last year) and the newest country to appear on my readership list was Cameroon in July 2015.<br />
<br />
<b>Popular posts</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
You can see a list of the ten most popular posts of all time below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZdTplT1HBvUEtbcIi2FRjIe-lsUaOQCWIiq3f7hyphenhyphen_cQEeqsaA305V9ue_t7AZ0IRjrVdjNT2G4KMP-GrB1z-JPx-J0wLIVujKXF8QWnI_0NRrtg-Mtg-eV552QtRejEsBTQ8fUh4-1U/s1600/Popular+post+until+Sep+2015.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZdTplT1HBvUEtbcIi2FRjIe-lsUaOQCWIiq3f7hyphenhyphen_cQEeqsaA305V9ue_t7AZ0IRjrVdjNT2G4KMP-GrB1z-JPx-J0wLIVujKXF8QWnI_0NRrtg-Mtg-eV552QtRejEsBTQ8fUh4-1U/s640/Popular+post+until+Sep+2015.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And it's interesting to compare this with the ten most popular posts when I blogged about this last year:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpLOr5etrsWIrAsZduR2ef1A-_gmGaOsOBQ17Qjrdt5e-SntqvIFwz1BKpmVXdYplymS2zNRTMBlEjctewbe9fmJQCtSdSxAaJFZ-1k2bpD6QErhG7kEpWQFEJpR7WbAB5T0VAFXcTx8/s1600/Popular+posts+until+Sep+2014.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpLOr5etrsWIrAsZduR2ef1A-_gmGaOsOBQ17Qjrdt5e-SntqvIFwz1BKpmVXdYplymS2zNRTMBlEjctewbe9fmJQCtSdSxAaJFZ-1k2bpD6QErhG7kEpWQFEJpR7WbAB5T0VAFXcTx8/s640/Popular+posts+until+Sep+2014.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Sum total of my learning</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Since last September, in my pursuit of learning I have:<br />
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<i>Read 21 books</i><br />
<i>Watched 18 movies</i><br />
<i>Learned how to cook 4 new dishes</i><br />
<i>Listened to countless hours of Palestinian rap, Leonard Cohen, maloya and Pacific reggae!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I'm looking forward to another year of learning, reading, cooking, movie-watching and blogging - don't forget to join me! <br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-70747890640082038602015-09-13T12:57:00.000+01:002015-09-13T12:57:09.864+01:00Solomon Islands - On the Silver Screen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BVsBsKxodRimYf_0_9wxKqSWI_dO2y_lC8019WhKQt1AThvnrRgjMNhaj7U-44HlC9RfvCVhK3t6MPxAILyyUR8qAgLtWNMwdZp4coc4ukos236orc-DUL9-faHLjV7X3fPhPjkBG20/s1600/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BVsBsKxodRimYf_0_9wxKqSWI_dO2y_lC8019WhKQt1AThvnrRgjMNhaj7U-44HlC9RfvCVhK3t6MPxAILyyUR8qAgLtWNMwdZp4coc4ukos236orc-DUL9-faHLjV7X3fPhPjkBG20/s200/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
As part of my research for this blog, I've been reading <b>Lonely Planet</b>'s <i>Solomon Islands</i> 3rd edition, which dates back to 1997. Although that's almost 20 years ago, I like to read the LP editions from the late-90's, as this coincides with my early 20's and the time when I started travelling in earnest, so I feel like I'm following paths I never took - not merely armchair travelling, but time-travelling as well!<br />
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Something that's really struck me whilst reading through this older version of Lonely Planet <i>Solomon Islands</i>, is the fact that most of the main 'sights' that you are recommended to visit, are ship wrecks, war graves and pieces of aircraft downed during the intense battles that raged in this part of the Pacific during World War Two. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Pacific_Theater_Areas%3Bmap1.JPG/800px-Pacific_Theater_Areas%3Bmap1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Pacific_Theater_Areas%3Bmap1.JPG/800px-Pacific_Theater_Areas%3Bmap1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Theatre in World War 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Sunday morning, 7 December 1941, Japanese Imperial forces bombed Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, effectively declaring war on the United States and setting off a chain of events that saw Japan occupy former British colonies such as Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore and Burma, as well as islands in the Pacific such as the Philippines, Solomons and Papua New Guinea.<br />
<br />
This Japanese expansion opened up a 'theatre' of war in the Pacific, right on the doorstep of Australia, so the Allied Australian, British and US forces were quick to respond. Guadalcanal suddenly found itself in the spotlight, as Allied forces deployed a land invasion, capturing the main air base at Honiara and holding the island during a six-month campaign in 1942/43, which eventually saw the Japanese withdraw their forces. <br />
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The only movie I could find that was partly shot on the Solomon Islands was <b>Terrance Malick</b>'s <i>The Thin Red Line</i> (1998). Amazingly, I'd never actually seen this movie before and it wasn't like other war movies that I've watched - actually, I found it incredibly slow-moving, languorous and reflective, a welcome change from the usual action-packed movies full of explosions and violence.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Marines_rest_in_the_field_on_Guadalcanal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Marines_rest_in_the_field_on_Guadalcanal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marines rest in the field in Guadalcanal</td></tr>
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Malick has a way of expressing the horror of war, without showing the horror and I loved the fact that nature was everywhere in his movie - a painful human death would cut to the shot of a baby bird being born, or a lizard crawling on a tree. It's like war itself is a repulsive imposition on the natural world.<br />
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For practical reasons, most of the movie was shot in Queensland, Australia, however, they did also spend twenty-four days shooting on Guadalcanal and it was really the first time I got to see the Solomon Islands on the silver screen. The portrayal of the Solomon Islanders is fleeting and has a dreamy quality to it, the native people almost blend into the background, as nature does, removed from the war and its violent intentions. <br />
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It must have been bewildering for the Solomon Islanders to suddenly find themselves at the heart of the most globalised war in human history, when the islands had always languished in the shadows of the global stage, far removed from the forces that shaped the 20th century. I'm sure the US soldiers' experience of Solomon Island culture was just as fleeting as in the movie and most of them would never have heard of Guadalcanal, had it not been for the Japanese invasion of the western Pacific.<br />
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Malick's movie also introduced me to the concept of <i>ensemble</i> <i>epic</i> - i.e. a large-scale movie with a massive cast of characters, each one of them claiming a similar importance of role, rather than having one or two defined 'heroes'. Malick managed to secure a lot of really well-known actors for his movie - Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, Nick Nolte, Jared Leto, John Travolta, George Clooney, Adrien Brody to name but a few. In fact he had so many actors and so many hours of footage that some performances like those of Gary Oldman, Mickey Rourke and Vigo Mortensen didn't make the final cut! <br />
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<i>The Thin Red Line</i> is well worth seeing and different that your usual war movie - a good Sunday-afternoon watch!<br />
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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Both images used in this blog post are from Wikipedia and are in the public domain. You can click on the images to see their source page. </div>
Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-72239120614609923122015-08-15T07:30:00.000+01:002015-08-15T07:30:00.857+01:00Solomon Islands - Blackbirders, beachcombers and the story of Jack Renton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGBH3Y9yMURIWxQoaQk5WgU6UPVnJ1nSg6a3WDrFjGWNIcu_tWnxfGqSa5CWnfWHy_FOf_i0nxU7WdmSVb5ZhEJRY6cPSbELlHlJFtFQdKX12hB2u9Z_JRQXBjCkVYHt2cFuqkS2LfN8/s1600/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGBH3Y9yMURIWxQoaQk5WgU6UPVnJ1nSg6a3WDrFjGWNIcu_tWnxfGqSa5CWnfWHy_FOf_i0nxU7WdmSVb5ZhEJRY6cPSbELlHlJFtFQdKX12hB2u9Z_JRQXBjCkVYHt2cFuqkS2LfN8/s200/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
I'd highly recommend <b>Nigel Randell</b>'s book <i>The White Headhunter: The story of a 19th century sailor who survived a South Seas' heart of darkness</i> (2003). It's incredibly well-researched, informative and I found it very easy to read. </div>
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The sailor in question was <b>Jack Renton</b>, a young man from the Orkney Islands who was press-ganged into working on a ship bound for the Pacific Ocean. Finding himself in hellish conditions extracting guano on a remote island in (what is now) <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/kiribati-ti-bo.html">Kiribati</a>, he and several other men escaped and spent weeks drifting across the Pacific until they finally made landfall in Malaita, in the Solomon Islands. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randell's <i>The White Headhunter</i> (2003)</td></tr>
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Jack Renton was the only survivor of the journey and went to live with a tribe in Sulufou, one of the artificial islands on Malaita's east coast. He remained on Malaita for eight years, during the 1870's, before being 'rescued' by fellow Europeans and brought to Australia, where his sensational story was published in <i>the Brisbane Courier</i>. </div>
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Perhaps the most sensational parts of Renton's story (his involvement in war parties, headhunting and his marriage to a local Malaitan woman) were glossed over, being considered subjects that were too sensitive for his 19th century audience.<br />
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People were much more interested in hearing about how savage the tribes were in Malaita, which already had a reputation for being one of the most dangerous places in the world. </div>
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Randell's theory is that it wasn't a black and white case of <i>'civilised white man forced to live with savages'</i> but, rather, that Renton experienced a lot of kindness from the native people of Sulufou; he learnt their language and came to understand a culture steeped in centuries of tradition.<br />
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In fact, after a visit home to his native Orkney Islands, Renton missed the Pacific so much that he returned to Australia to take up a post inspecting ships that were sourcing Pacific labourers for work in Queensland's sugar cane plantations. </div>
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The press-ganging of native Pacific Islanders to work in <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/queensland-where-are-you-going.html">Queensland</a>, known as <i>blackbirding</i>, was quite common in the mid-19th century. Ruthless <i>blackbirders</i> took advantage of the Pacific Islanders' desire to trade and they tricked men and women to come on-board their ships, so they could remove them from their native islands and transport them to a life of hard labour in Queensland. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Seizure_of_blackbirder_Daphne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Seizure_of_blackbirder_Daphne.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Islanders being freed from a blackbirding ship<br />
State Library of Victoria, file on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbirding#/media/File:Seizure_of_blackbirder_Daphne.jpg">Wikipedia</a></td></tr>
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Blackbirding caused a lot of problems, culturally, to the extent that white Europeans were no longer welcomed, as the Pacific Islanders feared kidnapping and death as a result of contact with the white Europeans on the blackbirding ships. </div>
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Some blackbirders even masqueraded as Missionaries, because they knew that Missionaries had a relatively good reputation in places like the New Hebrides (modern-day Vanuatu), until it got to the point that the Pacific Islanders felt they could trust no-one and there were several cases where <i>bona fide</i> Missionaries were murdered, because the Islanders thought they were blackbirders. </div>
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By the time Renton was rescued from Malaita, the recruitment of labour from the Pacific Islands had settled down somewhat into, more-or-less, acceptable three-year contracts. Once the Islanders understood that they would be able to earn some money and return home after their contracts expired, there was a lot more interest in travelling to Queensland for work.</div>
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What I loved about the way Randell did his research was that he used parallel narratives, i.e. both European sources, such as the many 19th century Beachcomber memoirs and the oral traditions of the Islanders themselves. It's interesting to note how the Islanders' oral accounts of Renton's time on Malaita, differ somewhat from the more official European version of his time on that island. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks-ILf6w0_7LBmEe_CciZa7bDTWAS2NC3EBmCh6HD6HCvOBBItIcE9_rI3_IKMEaD-09QAW7udD5f9ZdiRaH6HlsPYeKNtjfyY_GbuC_6SFQtWDjBgloL_VSem_61bYH-5IDJVuOD6kE/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks-ILf6w0_7LBmEe_CciZa7bDTWAS2NC3EBmCh6HD6HCvOBBItIcE9_rI3_IKMEaD-09QAW7udD5f9ZdiRaH6HlsPYeKNtjfyY_GbuC_6SFQtWDjBgloL_VSem_61bYH-5IDJVuOD6kE/s320/IMG_0222.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Footprint in the sand, from my own photos</td></tr>
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I'm also fascinated by the role that Beachcombers played in the politics of the 19th century Pacific region. According to Randell there were an estimated 1,500 Beachcombers of European origin living on various Pacific Islands in the 1830's. Most beachcombers lived on the friendlier Polynesian Islands rather than places like the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu. </div>
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Some of them ended up in the Pacific as a result of shipwreck, others chose to live on Pacific Islands, in order to escape enforced labour or imprisonment in the new British penal colony of New South Wales. They played an interesting inter-cultural role, as contact between Europeans and the Pacific Islanders developed and I couldn't help but think again of the flip side of Solomon, i.e. <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/yemen-queen-of-sheba-and-women-of-yemen.html">the Queen of Sheba</a> and the birth of international diplomacy. </div>
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Randell also writes a lot about the establishment of Missionary stations in the Pacific and the power and influence that Missionaries eventually gained. Renton's friend, Kwaisulia, who eventually became the 'big man' in Sulufou, was dismissive of Christianity, but there was something inevitable about the advent of European traditions in the Pacific. <br />
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Nowadays 92% of people in the Solomon Islands profess Christianity as their religion, with only 5% of people following traditional animist beliefs (funnily enough, most of these are on Malaita!)<br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-84676788781511977142015-08-09T14:18:00.000+01:002015-08-09T14:18:37.294+01:00Solomon Islands - Swimming in the Pacific<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhmCZRLVn3iaoT3jp5rhZlkSLqV9VZ_hOHQrcafuFglaoAaMUYtiFkzwKpSZjDGIMjq1KRV7RYeFBugI9ARhAKva6co9b9sSwtlcxuQKvACiAm3ytMTy49sEuTQkZjD4Ocr4aAONQLaY/s1600/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhmCZRLVn3iaoT3jp5rhZlkSLqV9VZ_hOHQrcafuFglaoAaMUYtiFkzwKpSZjDGIMjq1KRV7RYeFBugI9ARhAKva6co9b9sSwtlcxuQKvACiAm3ytMTy49sEuTQkZjD4Ocr4aAONQLaY/s200/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
As part of my research into the Solomon Islands, I read <i>Solomon Time</i> (2002), <b>Will Randall</b>'s account of the time he spent in New Georgia, where he attempted to run a sustainable chicken farm with a local community in Rendova. </div>
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Although Randall's book wasn't packed with facts or interesting insights into the culture of New Georgia, it was an amusing read and a rare 'western' view of one of the world's most forgotten corners. </div>
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Something I learned from his book, that I hadn't been aware of before, is the fact that the modern 'front crawl' in competitive swimming can trace its origins back to the style of swimming practised in the Roviana lagoon.<br />
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<b>The Solomons Crawl</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF06ZE72hh9wI_A7P0jCIj5RGLz2PYxOGpPiPGMDNcjtgWJiLWsMieR2vIuHa-8ACM0bDj8DeK78kuPFY2s4MUhrhLfHMghcX5imCdZxjUvtvCoFGftDn1CnsZNaNWtuENrqpATWyq_Q/s1600/2294898377_691717833c_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF06ZE72hh9wI_A7P0jCIj5RGLz2PYxOGpPiPGMDNcjtgWJiLWsMieR2vIuHa-8ACM0bDj8DeK78kuPFY2s4MUhrhLfHMghcX5imCdZxjUvtvCoFGftDn1CnsZNaNWtuENrqpATWyq_Q/s320/2294898377_691717833c_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freestyle by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/mknightphoto/">Michael Knight</a></td></tr>
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Also known as the 'Australian crawl', this swimming technique was fully developed by the famous Cavill brothers, who had observed a young Solomon Islander who was living in Sydney, called <b>Alick Wickham</b>, using this swimming style. They refined the style and made it into a modern competitive sport. </div>
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Interestingly, although versions of the front crawl have been around since ancient times, competitive swimmers in Britain, where the sport was first regulated in the 19th century, mostly used the breaststroke, which involves bobbing your head in and out of the water to get air. </div>
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The first time people in Britain saw a competitive version of the front crawl was during a swimming race held in London in 1844, where native Canadian swimmers, from the Anishinaabe nation of Ontario, demonstrated this technique.<br />
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<b>Styles of swimming</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/mknightphoto/">Michael Knight</a></td></tr>
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There are three major swimming strokes that are recognised by FINA (<i>La</i> <i>Fédération Internationale de Natation</i>), the body that regulates competitive swimming for the Olympics, but these don't include the front crawl, which usually features during <i>freestyle</i> events. </div>
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Competitive swimming events have taken place during the Summer Olympic Games since the modern games were founded in 1896. The first four games had swimming in outdoor bodies of water. Freestyle swimming featured in the first modern Olympic games (Athens 1896) and eventually the three FINA-regulated styles were introduced, as separate competitions for <i>backstroke</i> (Paris 1900), <i>breaststroke</i> (St Louis 1904) and <i>butterfly </i>(Melbourne 1956). </div>
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The butterfly (or dolphin) stroke was also developed by an Australian, Sydney Cavill, who was from the same family as the brothers who developed the front crawl.<br />
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<b>Olympic champions</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freestyle swimmer by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/mknightphoto/">Michael Knight</a></td></tr>
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I was surprised to learn that a Hungarian, <b>Alfréd Hajós</b>, became the world's first (male) Olympic champion. Hungary still ranks fourth in the world, in terms of winning Olympic medals in swimming - curious for a country that is landlocked, although I suppose they do have a fantastic lake in the middle of the country!<br />
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I also learned that women weren't allowed to compete in the first modern Summer Olympic games in Athens in 1896. Women first competed at the Summer Olympics in Paris in 1900, but didn't compete in swimming events until the Stockholm Olympics of 1912. </div>
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Solomon Islands first participated in the Olympics as a new nation in Los Angeles in 1984. They haven't yet won any medals and they haven't competed in swimming events, concentrating more on Athletics and Weightlifting.<br />
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<b>Swimming in the Pacific</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> FINA World Championships in Kazan</td></tr>
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The <i>Oceania Swimming Association</i> (OSA) is the governing body for swimming competitions in the Pacific region. I don't think Solomon Islands participates in OCA events, which seems a shame considering the legacy of the front crawl swimmers from Roviana lagoon. </div>
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FINA also runs its own world championships and, by coincidence, the 16th FINA World Championship is concluding today in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation. There are 190 nations taking part in the 16th FINA championship but, unfortunately, Solomon Islands isn't one of them. </div>
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Perhaps not surprisingly, Australia and New Zealand dominate Oceanic swimming events, however, Papua New Guinea has a strong swimmer, <b>Ryan Pini</b>, the first Papuan swimmer ever to reach an Olympic final. Fiji and Samoa have hosted international swimming events, but neither of these nations have ever won a medal at the Summer Olympics. <br />
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Bizarrely, Fiji also competes in the Winter Olympics and has sent skiing competitors to the Winter Olympics in Calgary (1988), Lillehammer (1994) and Salt Lake City (2002). <br />
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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For this blog post, I've used images by US-based photographer and Flickr member, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/mknightphoto/">Michael Knight</a>. Thanks Michael for sharing these images with us, using the Creative Commons license. You can see more of Michael's photos on his <a href="http://www.knightfoto.com/">website</a>. </div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-33932716327344700742015-07-31T12:30:00.000+01:002015-07-31T12:30:21.346+01:00Solomon Islands - Welcome to the Happy Isles!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The first time I remember becoming aware of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, was when I was living in Thailand in 2004 and I used to watch the weather reports on Australian TV. I'd never heard of this <i>interesting-sounding</i> place, although I probably had a vague awareness that the Solomon Islands existed. Ever since then, I've had a mild fascination with this small nation, in the western Pacific Ocean and, it goes without saying that I'd love to visit sometime although, for now, a virtual journey to the Solomon Islands will have to do!<br />
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<b>The quest for <i>El Dorado</i></b><br />
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As I've started my research into the Solomon Islands, I'm already making connections to places I've blogged about previously, namely <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oaxaca-final-word.html">Oaxaca</a> in Mexico, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/yemen-goodbye-to-arabia-felix.html">Yemen</a> and <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/fiji-final-word.html">Fiji</a>. <br />
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When I was blogging about Oaxaca, I learned about the arrival of the Spanish in central America - the disastrous <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/oaxaca-columbian-exchange.html">first contact</a> with Mesoamerican people, such as the Aztecs and the bloodthirsty greed for gold that led the Spanish to Peru and the search for the <i>Golden one</i> or <i>El Dorado</i>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEPo3S6XPcI5PezAn1D6H1_CvsEl1dObwZ-H_qWPv1oR2aOi8EZuT19l7VvCnbQuftyAfK-7Qo41GPggtvzCotk1GPf-IF7tkgAMI43Rz_3l-IgjI3haMpHZGTtopF-f3I9M4nZKMHKo/s1600/9530782954_a2c8362255_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEPo3S6XPcI5PezAn1D6H1_CvsEl1dObwZ-H_qWPv1oR2aOi8EZuT19l7VvCnbQuftyAfK-7Qo41GPggtvzCotk1GPf-IF7tkgAMI43Rz_3l-IgjI3haMpHZGTtopF-f3I9M4nZKMHKo/s320/9530782954_a2c8362255_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach near Havalo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/adelaide_archivist/">Jenny Scott</a></td></tr>
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The story of European contact with the Solomon Islands very much starts in Peru. Having failed to find the fabled <i>El Dorado</i> in the Amazon jungle, the Spanish listened to Inca legends about Tupuc Yapanqui and the discovery of a fabulously rich kingdom of <i>Terra Australis</i> in the Pacific ocean. In 1567, Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira, the nephew of the governor of Peru, managed to convince his uncle to fund an expedition in the Pacific ocean, which ultimately brought him to what we now call the Solomon Islands. <br />
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The expedition was a disaster but, rather than admit this and in the hope of funding a second, more successful expedition, Mendaña returned to Peru with stories of a wealthy Pacific kingdom, which soon became known as the Solomon Islands, named after the wealthy Biblical King. Mendaña eventually died in the Solomon Islands, on his equally disastrous second expedition, but the name has survived to the 21st century - a strange Middle Eastern reference, in a faraway place.<br />
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<b>The Queen of Sheba and the man-eating myth</b><br />
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In 2011, I blogged about the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/yemen-queen-of-sheba-and-women-of-yemen.html">Queen of Sheeba</a> and her visit to King Solomon, a prototype of subsequent diplomatic missions. Mendaña's tales from the Pacific also set in stone a pattern of cultural interaction, where Europeans began to believe that cannibalism was widespread amongst the people of the Pacific and this reminded me of the research I did when I was blogging about Fiji in 2012 and Obeyesekere's study of <i><a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/fiji-cannibalism-or-just.html">the man-eating myth</a></i>. <br />
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<b>The Lost islands and World War Two</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCb74TM7DFcAgprVu7wodjk7OLk9L16g0Mazo3jrmu7hSx1iRNR4gnsrKQQosP-kLI3ebTX2ZUbAHyNsWG-NUmvGWzzVwowfiffXLxb767UXU5x1CpYG2lyQpvHcrvSu5He2Y3ffpzv5A/s1600/9530764908_ff82916081_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCb74TM7DFcAgprVu7wodjk7OLk9L16g0Mazo3jrmu7hSx1iRNR4gnsrKQQosP-kLI3ebTX2ZUbAHyNsWG-NUmvGWzzVwowfiffXLxb767UXU5x1CpYG2lyQpvHcrvSu5He2Y3ffpzv5A/s320/9530764908_ff82916081_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House in Havalo village by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/adelaide_archivist/">Jenny Scott</a></td></tr>
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After two unsuccessful attempts by the Spanish to colonise the Solomon Islands, they pretty much remained lost in time, as contemporary maps of the Pacific were so inaccurate, that the Solomon Islands was believed to be much further to the east than they actually are.<br />
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Despite this loss of contact between Europeans and Solomon Islanders, the European memory of the islands remained and, even today, many of the main islands <i>Santa Isabel, Santa Cruz</i> and <i>Guadalcanal</i> still have the names that were originally given to them by the Spanish in the 16th century.<br />
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Guadalcanal is probably the most well-known of the islands and became a theatre of the Pacific war in the 1940's, when the US army fought the Japanese to gain control over this strategic island group, so close to Australia. The British first started getting interested in the Solomon Islands towards the end of the 18th century, but it wasn't really until the 1890's that they established a protectorate over the island group and the <i>British Solomon Islands</i> joined the world stage. <br />
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British interest in the Solomons was mostly linked to their fledgling colony in Australia, but also the fact that, in the late 19th century, the Germans were muscling in on (what is now) Papua New Guinea. A strange anomaly in the Solomons' story is that Bougainville, one of the islands in the Solomon group, is now part of Papua New Guinea rather than the modern-day nation of Solomon Islands.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcSC9DzMlgF0mAE8neurWcnoJ9CNK1LfOzBjobUd2CG30M1xXpvKfOiW4346DAT6ZNeSYVYZSSWw7oDpUNVb6zIib7pkl7fzxmb4Ti36xn_UTJPzhZUkBY90LfzIpaPKAidEizM3BiWw/s1600/9530830538_6b85510068_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcSC9DzMlgF0mAE8neurWcnoJ9CNK1LfOzBjobUd2CG30M1xXpvKfOiW4346DAT6ZNeSYVYZSSWw7oDpUNVb6zIib7pkl7fzxmb4Ti36xn_UTJPzhZUkBY90LfzIpaPKAidEizM3BiWw/s320/9530830538_6b85510068_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man in canoe by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/adelaide_archivist/">Jenny Scott</a></td></tr>
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<b>Islands adrift in time</b><br />
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The Solomon Islands has a couple of nicknames; <i>the Happy Isles</i> and <i>the islands adrift in time</i>. I'm looking forward to finding out more over the next couple of months, reading, listening, cooking and watching movies associated with the Solomon Islands. I do hope you'll join me on my virtual journey to this remote corner of the Pacific!<br />
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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For this first blog post, I wanted to highlight the photos of Flickr member Jenny Scott, a.k.a. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/adelaide_archivist/">Adelaide Archivist</a>. Jenny took these photos in Halavo village, which is on the Nggela Sule island in the Solomons' central province. Thanks Jenny for sharing these images using the creative commons license. </div>
Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-12081101439697115882015-06-14T14:14:00.000+01:002015-06-14T14:18:10.080+01:00Réunion - The Final Word<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proposed flag for Réunion</td></tr>
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I've found Réunion a fascinating place to blog about - as I've been researching for this blog and learning more about the interesting mix of cultures that Réunion has inherited, I've been mentally planning a trip to the island, at some unspecified time in the future! <br />
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As it happens, I <i>have</i> visited a few of the places I've blogged about, having become really interested in these places as a result of my 'armchair learning' experience. The places I've visited so far as a result of this blog are: Hong Kong, Iceland, Jersey, Quebec and Barbados and I'm hoping to visit Korea and Mongolia later this year!<br />
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Of course, there are quite a few places I've blogged about that I may never get the chance to visit (I'm thinking of places like Kiribati, Liberia and Yemen), but a visit to Réunion is a distinct possibility and, as with any of the places I've blogged about, I'd love to visit sooner, rather than later, before Réunion changes too much!<br />
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<b>The Themes</b><br />
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During my time blogging about Réunion, I've learned about the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/reunion-france-in-indian-ocean.html">history</a> of the island and how Réunion is part of France, although it lies thousands of miles south of Paris, in the Indian Ocean. I've learned about the role that Réunion has played in the cultivation of <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/reunion-in-search-of-ice-cream-orchid.html">vanilla</a>, a notoriously expensive plant that originates in Mexico and is incredibly difficult to grow. I also learned how to make <i><a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/reunion-how-i-made-canard-la-vanille.html">Canard a la Vanille</a></i>, a typical Réunionnais dish and this was my first time to physically handle vanilla and cook with it.<br />
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<b>Books</b><br />
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I read the following books, as part of my research:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunxeidYfMcNrcmZbdmR4asRdkWz0dp3Me1PPZ_a0Lzga5KDu23Al1NyG9YaX7JPa6bDGC94a5ullHto0wzAkP9WJYUZP9lGY3H9Xpo47AnPcHy0QTwLdUcR2I1r90iahHm1dX0dXNpCw/s1600/IMG_3651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunxeidYfMcNrcmZbdmR4asRdkWz0dp3Me1PPZ_a0Lzga5KDu23Al1NyG9YaX7JPa6bDGC94a5ullHto0wzAkP9WJYUZP9lGY3H9Xpo47AnPcHy0QTwLdUcR2I1r90iahHm1dX0dXNpCw/s320/IMG_3651.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the books I read as part of my research on Réunion</td></tr>
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<i>Insight Guides: Mauritius, Réunion and Seychelles </i>(2009) - the second edition that <i>Insight guides</i> have published about the Mascarene islands - very informative, as <i>Insight guides</i> usually are.<br />
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<i>Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid</i> (2004) by <b>Tim Ecott</b> - which has chapters on Réunion, but also covers Mexico, Tahiti and Madagascar. <br />
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<i>La Grand-Mere Kalle</i> (2006) by local writer <b>Yves Manglou</b> - which brings to life the mythology of Réunion. You can read my <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/reunion-in-kingdom-of-sorcerers.html">blog post</a> about this book for more information. <br />
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<i>Island Born of Fire</i> (2006) by <b>R.B. Trombley</b> - a scientific book about the geological make-up of the island - a little bit over my head and difficult to read, but interesting all the same.<br />
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<i>The Age of Kali </i>(1998) - a collection of travel essays by <b>William Dalrymple</b> - I'd never read Dalrymple before, but I definitely want to read more! His essays are mostly about India and Pakistan, but he <i>does</i> include a couple of interesting essays on Sri Lanka and an essay on Réunion called <i>The Sorcerer's Grave.</i><br />
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<b>Movies</b><br />
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I could only find one movie which was set on Réunion, <b>Francois Truffaud</b>'s <i>La sirène du Mississippi</i> (1969), which I also <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/reunion-call-of-mermaid.html">blog</a>ged about.<br />
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<b>Music</b><br />
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I also had a wonderful time listening to the music of Réunion and I created a <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/reunion-playlist.html">play list</a>, which includes songs by artists such as Firmin Viry, Granmoun Lélé and Faham. <br />
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<b>Other themes</b><br />
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As usual, I came across other themes that were interesting, but I didn't have time to research into further - if you want to continue your own learning about Réunion, I would suggest the following 'other' topics:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BYhLG3x1sDkrlmcsHwNCoAx71RynLaV0aLsMF0Zygg4ANYIzH4Uejr9rz8_wgISduU28C-_Oc5TN-yatIpB4lsiiS_vNzqgYJ9BNg0_9pjouDyZZL8zcLKLsmlI_qMS6TZY9nitO6MI/s1600/Edwards%2527_Dodo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BYhLG3x1sDkrlmcsHwNCoAx71RynLaV0aLsMF0Zygg4ANYIzH4Uejr9rz8_wgISduU28C-_Oc5TN-yatIpB4lsiiS_vNzqgYJ9BNg0_9pjouDyZZL8zcLKLsmlI_qMS6TZY9nitO6MI/s320/Edwards%2527_Dodo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Edward's Dodo</i> by Roelant Savery (1626)</td></tr>
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The <b>Euro</b> and how Réunion was the first place to adopt this new currency<br />
The pirate <i><b>La Buse</b></i> and his hidden treasure, which people believe is still buried somewhere on the island<br />
<i><b>Les enfants de la Creuse</b></i> - Réunion's own stolen generation of children who were removed from their parents and brought up in France<br />
<b>Volcanoes</b><br />
The <i><b>Dodo</b></i> and how it became extinct<br />
The French <i><b>code noir</b></i> which sought to prevent the intermarrying of races<br />
Réunion during <b>World War 2</b><br />
The <b>Kerveguen sugar empire</b><br />
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<b>The Final Word on Métissage</b><br />
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One thing that came through strongly during my research on Réunion was the importance of <i>métissage</i> in the identity of this far-flung French outpost. <i>Métissage</i> is the French word for <i>mixing</i> and it's a good way of describing the development of culture on Réunion, which has mixed elements of Africa, Asia and Europe to produce a new culture, totally unique to the island.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9ddqg7uqJAmuFesFD3sJs9AtW24NBdBRTTruCIcTuLHb4XyxPbCRwk3yhkTyWSfiiZB9rDl6Qf8-BNdbWmFYA85W2JyH-5j3qSjYD68hJQ3Ph02RSXu0zVdpQmtKfD1w-thwy09KGUQ/s1600/Saint-expedit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9ddqg7uqJAmuFesFD3sJs9AtW24NBdBRTTruCIcTuLHb4XyxPbCRwk3yhkTyWSfiiZB9rDl6Qf8-BNdbWmFYA85W2JyH-5j3qSjYD68hJQ3Ph02RSXu0zVdpQmtKfD1w-thwy09KGUQ/s320/Saint-expedit.JPG" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expeditus, photo by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint-expedit.JPG">Jean Poussin</a></td></tr>
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An interesting manifestation of <i>métissage</i> is the cult of <i>St Expédit</i>, the island's unofficial patron saint. According to William Dalrymple, in his book <i>The Age of Kali</i>, the cult of <i>St Expédit</i> on Réunion started in 1931, when a mysterious package, supposedly containing relics of a Christian saint, arrived on the island from the Vatican and bore a stamp saying <i>spedito,</i> which is the Italian word for <i>expedited</i> or 'sent quickly'.<br />
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The cult of <i>St Expédit</i> took such a hold on the island that the Catholic Church was forced to create a 'back story' for the saint and aligned <i>St Expédit</i> with the Roman soldier, <i>Expeditus</i> who became an early Christian martyr in 4th century Armenia. Whether it's true or not, Dalrymple's theory is an interesting one and I <i>do</i> love a good mystery!<br />
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In modern times, shrines to <i>St Expédit </i>on Réunion are usually painted blood red and people pray to the saint for all kinds of things - the cult of <i>St Expédit</i> lends itself to Réunion's <i>métissage</i> culture, mixing African ancestor worship, Hindu reincarnation's of <i>Vishnu</i> and Tamil interpretations of Christianity. Statues of <i>St Expédit</i> are sometimes mysteriously beheaded and there is something distinctly un-<i>Christian</i> about the magical powers and ability to answer prayers, that <i>St Expédit</i> has been credited with.<br />
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The cult of Expeditus is also really popular in Chile, for some reason and I find the whole thing fascinating but also slightly bizarre!<br />
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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Although I've been using a coat of arms to represent Réunion during my blog posts, I have since discovered a proposed flag for the island, so I wanted to represent this in my final blog post.<br />
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The image of <i>Edward's Dodo</i>, the 1626 painting by the Flemish painter, Roland Savery is in the public domain. <br />
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The photo of the Expeditus statue has been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Jean Poussin and you can see more information on this image <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint-expedit.JPG">here</a>. </div>
Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-33451122938395103352015-05-24T13:34:00.001+01:002015-05-25T12:58:57.687+01:00Réunion - Playlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9HBMOEwckpTDU8mmmrwmgx_Oc0e8zP0uuyaihSX87gBI9dh68m2w8n-13oYQaDksjzJmLwuK_QIp2c202DQupcv9mCrIMFg6PvzgkUr19u28LyYfbYl2BxXnjdoCGCKMXkg9wrbVv7g/s1600/Seal+of+Reunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9HBMOEwckpTDU8mmmrwmgx_Oc0e8zP0uuyaihSX87gBI9dh68m2w8n-13oYQaDksjzJmLwuK_QIp2c202DQupcv9mCrIMFg6PvzgkUr19u28LyYfbYl2BxXnjdoCGCKMXkg9wrbVv7g/s200/Seal+of+Reunion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Like many other aspects of its culture, the music of La Réunion is a mixture of different influences - whether it's the traditional ballads and <i>chansons</i> of France, or the mesmerising <i>maloya </i>rhythms of Africa, or the fusion of different traditions in <i>séga</i>, with its hints of the Indian subcontinent. <br />
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Over the past couple of months, I've been listening to a range of musical artists from Réunion and I've put together this playlist of the songs I liked most, so you can get a flavour of what Réunion has to offer.<br />
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<b>1. <i>Mon île</i> by Jacqueline Farreyrol</b><br />
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This is a beautiful song with lyrics that could have been written by the Réunionnais tourist board! It's very much a traditional ballad, in French style and was first performed by Farreyrol on local television in the 1970's. It describes the beauty of Réunion and celebrates the positive unity of the people who live on the island - a really good anthem, which I'm sure has been sung at many a party!<br />
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I found this video on YouTube, which also has the lyrics, so you can hear for yourself.<br />
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Here are some of the lyrics, which I found interesting, as they also mention Réunion's relationship with France:<br />
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<i>Mon île </i><br />
<i>Tu as réunis dan ton coeur</i><br />
<i>des gens de toutes les couleurs </i><br />
<i>Comme un défi au monde entier</i><br />
<i>pour le pire et pour le meilleur </i><br />
<i>Tu as choisis comme âme soeur </i><br />
<i>le pays de la liberté</i><br />
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<i>My island</i><br />
<i>You have reunited in your heart</i><br />
<i>people of all colours</i><br />
<i>Like a challenge to the entire world</i><br />
<i>for better or worse</i><br />
<i>You have chosen as your soul mate</i><br />
<i>the country of liberty</i><br />
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<b>2. <i>Koundy</i> by Firmin Viry</b><br />
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At the other end of the cultural scale from French <i>chanson </i>is <i>maloya</i> the music of the former slaves - very much rooted in African traditions and similar to the music of Madagascar. <i>Maloya</i> uses percussion instruments like the <i>caïambe</i> and string instruments like the <i>bobre</i>, a kind of musical bow which is very similar to other instruments found throughout the south of Africa. <br />
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<i>Maloya </i>is the music of the sugar cane fields and through its rhythm you can picture the workers busy cutting and stacking the sugar cane, calling out to each other in repetitive phrases, as they while away the working day. <br />
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The French authorities were so threatened by the power of <i>maloya</i> that they banned it in the late 1950's, at a time when African independence movements were in full swing. It wasn't until much later, in the 1970's, that singers like <b>Firmin Viry</b> championed this musical tradition, now recognised by UNESCO as part of the list of <a href="http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00559">Intangible cultural heritage</a>.<br />
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I've embedded this video from YouTube, so you can hear <i>maloya</i> with your own ears.<br />
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<b>3. <i>Soleye</i> by Granmoun Lélé</b><br />
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Another great <i>maloya</i> singer is Granmoun Lélé who was born in Réunion in 1930 but, sadly, passed away in 2004. I like this video because you can see the music, singers and dancing. As well as being the music of work and protest, <i>maloya</i> has its roots in a spiritual tradition and I think this really comes across in the songs of Granmoun Lélé.<br />
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Like other maloya artists, Granmoun Lélé sings in Kreol - unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to find any translations of the lyrics of these songs, although with a knowledge of French you'll get the gist of the odd sentence here and there!<br />
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<b>4. <i>Batarsité</i> by Danyèl Waro</b><br />
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No blog post about the music of Réunion would be complete without reference to Danyèl Waro, a native of the island with a great passion for Kreol language and <i>maloya</i>. Danyèl Waro is probably more well-known in France and outside Réunion than any other <i>maloya</i> artist and he seems to do quite well on the world music scene.<br />
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Waro's music sounds quite <i>bluesy</i> and reminds me of the music of the southern United States. I think this is a deliberate technique of linking African traditions with the music of African-Americans. <br />
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This video from YouTube shows Waro playing the <i>caïambe</i> at a concert in France.<br />
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<b>5. <i>Bato Fou</i> by Ziskakan</b><br />
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I really love the music of Ziskakan, who mix <i>maloya</i> with European-style instruments and a distinctive Indian beat. They've been around since the late 1970's and have played all over the world - Paris, New Delhi, London and the United States. <br />
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<b>6. <i>Flèr Malèr</i> by Ousa Nousava</b><br />
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More <i>easy-listening</i> than frenetic African drums, I nevertheless enjoyed listening to the group Ousa Nousava - their name is Kreol for <i>where are we going </i>(in French, <i>Où allons-nous</i>). <br />
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<b>7. <i>Alon dansé</i> by Baster</b><br />
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I'm not sure if I fully understand the difference between <i>maloya</i> and <i>séga</i> - although <i>maloya </i>seems to be specific to Réunion, whereas <i>séga</i> is more widespread across the Indian ocean islands. <i>Séga</i> also seems to be a lot more 'chilled' and I really liked this song, by Baster which I think means <i>Let's dance</i>.<br />
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Baster's music reminds me a lot of the music of Caribbean countries like <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/barbados-large-up-wunna-self.html">Barbados</a> and I'm sure there is a musical connection between Réunion and French Caribbean territories like Martinique and Guadeloupe. <br />
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This video from YouTube is a live performance and, although the sound quality isn't perfect, it's great to see everyone dancing and having a good time!<br />
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<b>8. <i>Zalouzie</i> by Lindigo</b><br />
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Lindigo is a more modern <i>maloya</i> group and I really liked this song from their recent (2012) album <i>Maloya Power</i>. It's interesting to note the presence of the accordion in this track - definitely a French influence, as traditional French music has some great examples of accordion-playing!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4IK_3_Z4fQA?list=PLhJ41Ukvy6Mg2SqiUplNUOvoB88XDMO4S" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>9. <i>Mi Ème a Ou</i> by Faham</b><br />
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I was actually a fan of Faham long before I started blogging about Réunion - I came across their music through a fantastic world-music magazine called <a href="http://www.songlines.co.uk/">Songlines</a>. Faham has four members, three from Réunion and one from Mauritius. <br />
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They all grew up in La Creuse, in the French region of Limousin and there is a very well-known scandal around children from Réunion who were brought up in Limousin, a kind of 'stolen generation' like the case of the Aboriginal children in Australia who were forcibly removed from their parents. <br />
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I think <i>Mi Ème a Ou</i><b> </b>means 'where are you taking me' and I assume it's a reference to this stolen generation, who were brought up in France, far from the island of their birth. <i>Faham</i> is a type of orchid found on Réunion and I see a reference there to an exotic flower which is transported far away from its origins.</div>
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<b>10. <i>Ti Fleur Fanée</i> by Georges Fourcade</b><br />
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I thought it would be appropriate to finish with <i>Ti Fleur Fanée</i>, the unofficial anthem of La Réunion. It's been sung many times by many different people down the years, but I found this wonderful video on YouTube which features the original singer Georges Fourcade and shows some really old footage of the island. <br />
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The song dates from the 1930's and the title means <i>Petite Fleur Fanée</i> or 'Little wilted flower'. I guess it captures a lot of French colonial nostalgia for the colder climate of Europe, as opposed to the heat of Réunion, where the little flowers wilt?<br />
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I hope you've enjoyed this playlist - if you have any other favourite songs from Réunion, please post links to the videos in the comments below.<br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-21049187647684461642015-05-17T14:41:00.001+01:002015-05-17T14:41:53.755+01:00Réunion - The Call of the Mermaid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I could only find one movie which was set on Réunion Island, <b>François Truffaut</b>'s 1969 <i>La sirène du Mississippi</i> (in English, <i>Mississippi Mermaid</i>) starring <b>Catherine Deneuve</b> and <b>Jean-Paul Belmondo</b>.</div>
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I've realised I definitely don't know enough about Truffaut and that I need to see more of his movies. His 1959 film <i>Les Quatre Cents Coups</i> (<i>The 400 Blows</i>) was a defining moment in French New Wave cinema and he seems to be a kind of French Hitchcock, telling stories of passion and crime, filled with intensity and romanticism. </div>
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<i>La sirène du Mississippi</i> was no exception. It's based on a novel published in 1947 called <i>Waltz into Darkness</i> by the U.S. writer <b>Cornell Woolrich</b>, who wrote under various pseudonyms. <i>Waltz into Darkness</i> was written under the pseudonym <b>William Irish</b> and is a kind of <i>Noir</i> fiction, telling the story of a wealthy man who is duped by a beautiful woman, but he persists in loving her and being duped even more, even if it means he will lose everything. </div>
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One of the big themes of the novel and the movie is mundane stability versus momentary pleasure. The wealthy man has a good life and wants for nothing except female company and adventure. When the mermaid appears on the scene, in the guise of a woman answering a lonely hearts column, he can't resist the call and plunges headlong into financial ruin. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truffaut's 1969 film <i>La sirène du Mississippi </i></td></tr>
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Truffaut's movie is well worth seeing - Belmondo and Deneuve put in fantastic performances and the premise of the original story is enhanced by an international setting which includes not only Réunion island, but also Nouvelle Caledonie, Djibouti, the Côte d'Azur and Switzerland. </div>
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Truffaut's choice of Réunion is an interesting one and I couldn't help but wonder why he chose to use the island as his setting for this <i>histoire noir</i>. The first part of the movie gives the viewer a brief overview of Réunion's geography and history, so I thought perhaps Truffaut wanted to increase public knowledge about Réunion in France, perhaps a politically motivated choice? </div>
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However, I think the main reason he chose Réunion was because of its exotic location, which gave the story an additional dimension that was quite Gothic in its nature. I've been interested in Gothic fiction for quite some time and a common theme of Gothic literature is an innocent young virgin, held hostage by a wealthy but cruel man in a faraway castle, on a remote mountain top or deep in the forest. </div>
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Cornell's novel turns the Gothic theme on its head, as it's the<i> 'not so innocent' </i>and <i>'not so virgin'</i> young woman who takes advantage of the wealthy man. Whilst Cornell's novel was set in the culturally remote Gothic landscape of New Orleans, Truffaut cleverly uses Réunion as an exotic, faraway, frightening back-drop for the main part of the story. </div>
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It was my first time to see the island on film and I thought it looked amazing - gorgeous plantation houses deep in the jungle, Belmondo wearing a see-through white shirt and driving around the island in a 60's car. It's very much a movie of its time and stylish in a way that would be difficult to replicate nowadays.<br />
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I also watched the movie <i>en français</i>, but with French subtitles, which definitely increased my enjoyment of the language and the drama, although I did have to pause every now and then, to look something up in my French-English dictionary! </div>
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Truffaut also makes references to <i>Blanche-Neige et les septs Nains</i> aka <i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarves</i> - a reference that I'm still mulling over. He also references sources I'd not heard of before, such as <b>Jean Renoir</b>'s 1936 movie, <i>Le Crime du Monsieur Lange</i> and <b>Balzac</b>'s 1831 novel, <i>La peau du chagrin</i>.<br />
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I guess I have a lot more learning to do!<br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-26643516989853186342015-05-05T19:37:00.000+01:002015-05-05T19:49:11.304+01:00Réunion - In the Kingdom of Sorcerers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As Réunion remained without any permanent human habitation until the 17th century, it's perhaps not surprising that the island's mythology relies heavily on the mythologies of neighbouring countries, such as Madagascar. </div>
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When searching for a good book to read by a Réunionnais writer, I was lucky to come across <i>La Grand-Mere Kalle</i> by <b>Yves Manglou</b> (2006). Manglou has done a great job at bringing to life the story of Réunion, through the fictional eyes of its first inhabitants and under the spell of the witch <i>Grand-Mere</i> (Grandmother) <i>Kalle</i>. </div>
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Whilst the myth is very strongly connected to Madagascar and the first part of Manglou's novel takes place there, I couldn't help but compare the witch <i>Kala</i> and her daughter <i>Grand-Mere Kalle</i> with the Indian incarnation of Kali, a terrifying aspect of the Goddess Parvati. I wonder if the 'myth' of Kali crossed the Indian Ocean to Madagascar, before being transplanted to Réunion? </div>
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As far as I'm aware, this book hasn't been translated into English, but I was really happy to have an excuse to read a novel in French, as I don't get enough opportunities to re-connect with this language. </div>
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Anyone who's learned another language will know that, no matter how much you learn, there's always more and it was fun grappling with a whole new set of vocabulary that covered the different parts of a ship, trade winds and the names of plants and animals specific to the southern Indian Ocean. </div>
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Coming across words like <i>clin-foc</i> and <i>artimon</i>, I would find out the English translations (<i>blink-jib </i>and <i>mizzen</i>) and then have to look the words up again, this time in my English dictionary! As a result of reading this book, I've learned that ships have different names for the right-hand and left-hand side (<i>tribord</i> and <i>bâbord</i> in French, <i>star board</i> and <i>port</i> in English). </div>
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I've also learned the words for the different masts on a ship - the complicated French names for <i>beaupré, mât de misaine, grand mât </i>and <i>mât d'artimon</i> and the more prosaic English terminology of <i>bowsprit, fore-mast, main-mast </i>and <i>mizzen-mast</i>! </div>
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I noticed that some of the seafaring words in French look suspiciously English in origin and it made me think about the extent of words being borrowed from English and Dutch into French, rather then the more commonly acknowledged borrowing of French words into neighbouring Germanic languages. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jungle by Fabien Gelle</td></tr>
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I also came across a lot of French words for birds and birds feature highly in the tale of Grand-Mere Kalle - the <i>fouquet </i>and <i>papangue</i>, which are birds associated with evil and the <i>paille-en-queue</i> (or <i>straw-tail</i>), the 'good guy' in the story, whose presence brings luck to the human settlements.<br>
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Much of the novel is like a 'battle of the birds' and it's interesting to see our feathery friends playing such a strong role in Réunionnais mythology. Birds play a strong role in Irish mythology too, particularly swans and it made me think of Irish stories like the <i>Children of Lir</i>. </div>
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Manglou's novel has a strong ecological message and highlights the importance of teaching children about the need to preserve endemic species. When the children in the story are tricked by the witch and destroy the nests of the <i>pailles-en-queue</i>, a natural disaster happens and many people in the nearby village lose their lives. </div>
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Grand-Mere Kalle and her mother Kala (who resides in Madagascar) are symbols of the destructive power of nature. Grand-Mere Kalle is born in a volcanic eruption and there is something in this myth that exposes the fear that early settlers had of living in such a geologically unstable environment. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset by Fabien Gelle</td></tr>
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I also came across some Réunionnais Creole for the first time and the following sentence gives you a sense of what Creole on Réunion sounds like. When the birds meet their cousins on Mauritius, they say: </div>
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<i>Pé na problèm cousin, to nèk dire moi li pou kan to bizness! </i></div>
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No idea what it means, but it sounds good! </div>
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I also liked a phrase that was repeated several times in the novel: </div>
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<i>Dans la royaume des sorcières, le temps n'existe pas</i></div>
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(In the kingdom of sorcerers, time doesn't exist)</div>
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It gave me a feeling of the languorous nature of life in a small island like Réunion, adrift in the timeless ocean and far away from the bustle of human civilisation.<br>
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<b>Image credits:</b><br>
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For this blog post, I wanted to highlight a couple of photographs of Reunion Island by Flickr member <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/fabiengelle/">Fabien Gellé</a> - thanks Fabien for sharing these images using the Creative Commons license. </div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-65025805054033597642015-04-18T12:58:00.000+01:002015-04-18T13:30:01.078+01:00Réunion - How I made Canard à la Vanille<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzkz00N7JbFyBddHvLtblWqnw9t_SQe9li22EwFASTw0kpjEJOjjQpGI39cci9nECSQg93txGZlzbGmAI4BMBQ7csOMflxZnyEaU7oXueddCj1lxc1exugatvmYjTJFOBBjWGpf7J23g/s1600/Seal+of+Reunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzkz00N7JbFyBddHvLtblWqnw9t_SQe9li22EwFASTw0kpjEJOjjQpGI39cci9nECSQg93txGZlzbGmAI4BMBQ7csOMflxZnyEaU7oXueddCj1lxc1exugatvmYjTJFOBBjWGpf7J23g/s1600/Seal+of+Reunion.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></a></div>
Due to its strategic location in the western Indian ocean and its history as a centre of contact between European, African and Asian cultures, the island of Réunion has quite a variety of culinary traditions. Whether it's Indian-style <i>carris</i> or Madagascan-style stews like <i>rougail</i>, there's quite a lot to choose from.<br />
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I plumped for a dish that combines European and African traditions, with a bit of Chinese duck thrown in for good measure! As I've recently been learning about the history of <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/reunion-in-search-of-ice-cream-orchid.html">vanilla</a> and the role Réunion has played in global vanilla cultivation, I really wanted to experiment by cooking with vanilla myself, for the very first time. <br />
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I looked at a few different sources online and then made my own recipe, but I was heavily influenced by <a href="http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-canard-au-tangor-et-vanille">Celtnet,org</a>'s recipe for <i>Clementine and Vanilla Duck</i>. This is a great website, that I've used many times in the past and it's a labour of love which currently needs some funding to keep the website going, if you're interested in supporting a worthy cause!<br />
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<b>The ingredients</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJ_gsBdcjKpANWzasDcBlEm357aTbstBJ0EFFVGOI4HGs-_9HEzbMX58xjkQFdqLVNxVSDF39Kt1lxl98Sr37I1mzoZjWVbR-zI8V7bXjR8TL3izRTAD878Nwi9PtBiYPsL5h_IeXjf8/s1600/IMG_2923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJ_gsBdcjKpANWzasDcBlEm357aTbstBJ0EFFVGOI4HGs-_9HEzbMX58xjkQFdqLVNxVSDF39Kt1lxl98Sr37I1mzoZjWVbR-zI8V7bXjR8TL3izRTAD878Nwi9PtBiYPsL5h_IeXjf8/s1600/IMG_2923.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ingredients for Canard à la Vanille</td></tr>
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4 duck breast fillets - <i>4 filets magret de canard</i> (my fillets were marinated in lemon juice and star anise, which gave them a lovely taste)<br />
2 vanilla pods - <i>2 gousses de vanille</i><br />
6 oranges - <i>6 oranges </i>(smaller oranges like <i>clementines</i> or <i>mandarins</i> work best - I used <i>mandarins</i>)<br />
orange juice - <i>jus d'orange</i><br />
4 tomatoes - <i>4 tomates</i><br />
2 onions - <i>2 oignons</i><br />
a cup of rice - <i>une tasse du riz</i><br />
1 lemon - <i>1 citron</i><br />
rocket salad - <i>salade de roquette</i><br />
French dressing - <i>vinaigrette</i><br />
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<b>How I made <i>Canard à la Vanille</i></b><br />
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I usually start by making my rice, which I added lemon juice and rind to, once it had cooked, to give it nice tangy taste. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_KMxgaXt8ilqa6-7x2lxNM0MZ9ydm4Lq5oPaEOPDqACzEo2KEw22cUNbMwWHXbv547L6f12ddl8KBS9bX6Lglc-439S7BID-j7w1YHt6Tpl3ExMghFSf48oAnI42-xjEjKtCbYcDhYg/s1600/IMG_2936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_KMxgaXt8ilqa6-7x2lxNM0MZ9ydm4Lq5oPaEOPDqACzEo2KEw22cUNbMwWHXbv547L6f12ddl8KBS9bX6Lglc-439S7BID-j7w1YHt6Tpl3ExMghFSf48oAnI42-xjEjKtCbYcDhYg/s1600/IMG_2936.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the orange juice</td></tr>
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Next, I prepared the main ingredients. I chopped the duck breasts into bite-sized pieces; separated four of the oranges into segments or <i>carpels</i>;<i> </i>juiced the other two oranges;<i> </i>chopped the onions; chopped the tomatoes; halved the vanilla pods, then sliced them lengthwise to expose the vanilla seeds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLmOPOkvZXFAdFVErDa4gcwSLjuftm8qWn0Jgdl9SjfLz7Xoh_wEWGr9sFRk4G1zHgsG9beim15D5Nurqyarf5klw8tkcIeOgBwaKlPOqbd88ofnVi6untJd22zINKW8Lwd8TgItiCf8/s1600/IMG_2942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLmOPOkvZXFAdFVErDa4gcwSLjuftm8qWn0Jgdl9SjfLz7Xoh_wEWGr9sFRk4G1zHgsG9beim15D5Nurqyarf5klw8tkcIeOgBwaKlPOqbd88ofnVi6untJd22zINKW8Lwd8TgItiCf8/s1600/IMG_2942.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepare the ingredients for the Vanilla Duck stew</td></tr>
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I started by frying the duck breasts until they had cooked through and browned on the outside - I removed the duck pieces and set them to one side.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTOgKjNcRsXncNg3V3H83_GitAA4hBhK970C0tYCSgEBA8s60ImtMaSH9AUE0pFKdZA_Jbh3s2ifY4E0Sjt-JCUT1JQrFv626l9ov3WQfSrHG-NOEbhjCypH1R6cx3DdJ_c6G5C7-yGk/s1600/IMG_2958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTOgKjNcRsXncNg3V3H83_GitAA4hBhK970C0tYCSgEBA8s60ImtMaSH9AUE0pFKdZA_Jbh3s2ifY4E0Sjt-JCUT1JQrFv626l9ov3WQfSrHG-NOEbhjCypH1R6cx3DdJ_c6G5C7-yGk/s1600/IMG_2958.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cook the duck pieces until they brown</td></tr>
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Next I fried the chopped onion, until it had softened and yellowed a bit - I added a dash of water and some orange juice, to collect some of the duck fat at the bottom of the pan, so I could start making a sauce. Next I added the orange pieces and vanilla pods, finally adding the chopped tomatoes and letting the whole mixture stew on a low heat for about 20 minutes, occasionally adding orange juice or water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-MUmMInjkWxy36OATJxQ-WLoe9TdwAvZgreWaVWsHnvHyRnTlGNZb1UHALm90ToXnQNxoMeiwod7FQxgyrHxQj5APWdtMKswS7tpLs5_Xc_wA3bPwUusjCdggUAkrFfFexYBQe6zP7I/s1600/IMG_2964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-MUmMInjkWxy36OATJxQ-WLoe9TdwAvZgreWaVWsHnvHyRnTlGNZb1UHALm90ToXnQNxoMeiwod7FQxgyrHxQj5APWdtMKswS7tpLs5_Xc_wA3bPwUusjCdggUAkrFfFexYBQe6zP7I/s1600/IMG_2964.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla and orange stew</td></tr>
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It was interesting handling the vanilla - the pods were quite 'earthy' and smelt amazing, when I'd split them open. Most people I know have only ever used vanilla to make ice-cream or dessert, so it was a thrill to add it to a stew - it also felt a bit decadent, considering the price of vanilla pods!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxa0-NhrRO2XCBSLDNqLt9UW2zg0T7pRcedlWlVvGZzvAkNKriHw3lIvubX655jlNmd4l66oRNHdGN1d_gkOPV04AWk3LqxZvrXNLprdFLk2Hh7XFLfW_pFiPwl-phMZF7ZRJxUoYAR0/s1600/IMG_2937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxa0-NhrRO2XCBSLDNqLt9UW2zg0T7pRcedlWlVvGZzvAkNKriHw3lIvubX655jlNmd4l66oRNHdGN1d_gkOPV04AWk3LqxZvrXNLprdFLk2Hh7XFLfW_pFiPwl-phMZF7ZRJxUoYAR0/s1600/IMG_2937.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla pods</td></tr>
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Once in the ingredients had stewed a bit, I re-added the duck pieces and some more orange juice and let the whole lot stew on a slightly higher heat for another ten minutes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoA5Xhip4rjRHZFYUJ4vd3gb-NQOaPNzi9qJm1iQ_mAOmDB2uXKGfw6-ojwVU5R-HvP3VnXXbH69olc3EqN0B4Fp9WkCDMCUseyoTJb3QukC38h9vIdmh0V5-2CI0eD3UlmyZalz1BUw/s1600/IMG_2971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoA5Xhip4rjRHZFYUJ4vd3gb-NQOaPNzi9qJm1iQ_mAOmDB2uXKGfw6-ojwVU5R-HvP3VnXXbH69olc3EqN0B4Fp9WkCDMCUseyoTJb3QukC38h9vIdmh0V5-2CI0eD3UlmyZalz1BUw/s1600/IMG_2971.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla Duck stew</td></tr>
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I served with the lemon-rice, rocket salad and French dressing. The end result was <i>miam-miam</i>!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY5zgdT1Ja0SCfSQ9wWzQXe99s2YD_FMccebAQA7JwMkiyK6XH5f4PR78C5yBSAiY7uKCqukNruQvpKmmZOr_tiyuZK1w1aDOy1zCOvb3GxADRYOFngbnpUe1nL5SpTzjTyhC06-yxXg/s1600/IMG_2976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY5zgdT1Ja0SCfSQ9wWzQXe99s2YD_FMccebAQA7JwMkiyK6XH5f4PR78C5yBSAiY7uKCqukNruQvpKmmZOr_tiyuZK1w1aDOy1zCOvb3GxADRYOFngbnpUe1nL5SpTzjTyhC06-yxXg/s1600/IMG_2976.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canard à la Vanille served with lemon-rice and rocket salad</td></tr>
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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All images were taken by me on my trusty Canon EOS 1100D. Feel free to re-use these images with the Creative commons license:</div>
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<i>- Attribution (especially to this blog post)</i></div>
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<i>- Non-commercial</i></div>
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<i>- Share alike</i></div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-72225584712456019722015-04-03T12:12:00.000+01:002015-04-04T10:42:19.477+01:00Réunion - In Search of the Ice-Cream Orchid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9DzGy5Dp5DtY-K442wwm4J-MnyFyHLwx7iXguBGGoJX-eKgfxtohv22ywFXfVqebiHdsWjle1U-RFGsNJpBn7rk1T5_lqNchONZxOOHcwXNWuewJQsE4n3QQwBSXf_zxdVQA2MoxxvQ/s1600/Seal+of+Reunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9DzGy5Dp5DtY-K442wwm4J-MnyFyHLwx7iXguBGGoJX-eKgfxtohv22ywFXfVqebiHdsWjle1U-RFGsNJpBn7rk1T5_lqNchONZxOOHcwXNWuewJQsE4n3QQwBSXf_zxdVQA2MoxxvQ/s1600/Seal+of+Reunion.jpg" height="153" width="200"></a></div>
When I started researching Réunion, I was interested in finding out what the island is famous for and <i>vanilla</i> came up quite quickly as a potential topic, which surprised me, as I had no idea about Réunion's role in the history of vanilla production. <br>
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To prepare for this blog post, I managed to get my hands on a copy of <b>Tim Ecott</b>'s <i>Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid</i> (2004), a really informative and enjoyable book, which traces the history of vanilla from its natural habitat of Veracruz/<a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oaxaca-final-word.html">Oaxaca</a>, to the first successful cultivation of vanilla overseas in Réunion and its later cultivation in other parts of the world. <br>
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As I've blogged about Oaxaca and the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/oaxaca-columbian-exchange.html">Columbian Exchange</a>, I wasn't <i>that</i> surprised to learn that vanilla comes from the 'New World'. I'm developing a default assumption that many of the world's most popular plants/food products come from the Americas (cacao, chillies, rubber, turkey, potatoes, to name but a few!).<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Vanilla_6beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Vanilla_6beans.JPG" height="320" width="155"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla pods by <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vanilla_6beans.JPG">B.navez</a> </td></tr>
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What's interesting about vanilla, at least <i>vanilla planifolia, </i>the highly aromatic species of vanilla that we use in food flavouring and perfumes, is that it really wasn't that widespread, even in the Americas and has only been found in its natural state, in a very concentrated area of southern Mexico. The Aztecs called vanilla <i>tlilxochitl</i> or 'black flower' as, by the time vanilla pods arrived in Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico city), they had dried out and discoloured, therefore the Aztecs had never seen live vanilla plants.<br>
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Of course, there are many types of vanilla and most are not aromatic. Due to the scarcity and labour-intensiveness of vanilla farming, it has become a much sought-after delicacy and could cost anything between $20 and $300 a kilo, depending on the global harvest, the second most expensive ingredient after <i>saffron</i> - not bad for a non-essential food! <br>
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Similar to my blog post on <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/zanzibar-curious-cultivating-of-cloves.html">cloves</a>, it turns out that vanilla is a type of flower and it's the only orchid which is cultivated as a food source, rather than for decorative purposes. There are many artificial vanilla extracts on the market and the chances are, if you think you've tasted natural vanilla, you probably haven't!<br>
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So what drives our obsession with this hard-to-cultivate flower pod? It seems there are three main answers: chocolate, ice-cream and soft drinks. Vanilla has long been added to chocolate and this is how Europeans first encountered its taste. In the late 19th century, people in the United States started becoming a bit obsessed with ice-cream production, which pretty much sealed the future success of vanilla! Also, although they don't release details of their 'secret recipes', I'm pretty sure that companies like <i>Coca-Cola</i> and <i>Pepsi</i> use real vanilla extract in the manufacture of their soft drinks. <br>
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Because of its dependency on pollination by a particular species of mountain bee that's only found in southern Mexico, vanilla cultivation didn't transfer to other parts of the world as quickly as other American plants, such as cacao and potatoes. In his book, Ecott tells a really interesting story about Edmond Albius, the slave-boy on Réunion island who discovered the technique for self-pollinating vanilla plants and opened up the rest of the world to vanilla production. <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwFsNbMVjllzLCHZOXSVBx7hpFc3_YSNekvLIix8afFi8gp3Hkgf5DuxY2h2gpvU_B_YsafHbIYwgd_oh3tFL5FygRdcGsdFaLRgY4EuuvuGsvwLnMlR4ZJQky3AL833AUlu6n-4YHpY/s1600/Edmond_Albius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwFsNbMVjllzLCHZOXSVBx7hpFc3_YSNekvLIix8afFi8gp3Hkgf5DuxY2h2gpvU_B_YsafHbIYwgd_oh3tFL5FygRdcGsdFaLRgY4EuuvuGsvwLnMlR4ZJQky3AL833AUlu6n-4YHpY/s1600/Edmond_Albius.jpg" height="320" width="223"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edmond Albius, circa 1863</td></tr>
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Albius' fate was tied up with the racism of that time and, rather than being fêted or honoured for his ingenious discovery, white Europeans couldn't believe that a slave-boy would have the intelligence to make such an important contribution towards the world of science and many refused to recognise that his intervention in the development of vanilla production was anything more than an accident. He died impoverished on Réunion island in 1880, during the decade when Réunion became the first place to overtake Mexico in terms of vanilla production. <br>
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Ecott also travels to some of the other great centres of vanilla production such as French Polynesia (Tahiti) and Madagascar. As the price of vanilla is so high, there is a lot of secrecy around the industry and Ecott's book gave me an insight into a world of armed vehicles, heavily-guarded crops and clandestine flights between Antananarivo and Paris!<br>
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A bad harvest can inflate the price of next year's vanilla, as happened in 2004, when the price reached $500 dollars per kilo. There has also recently been a hike in worldwide vanilla prices, so the drama around vanilla cultivation seems destined to continue for many years to come. <br>
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I found some really useful information on the <a href="http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E">website</a> of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. According to their stats, the top producers of vanilla in the past two years have been Indonesia and Madagascar (both producing over 3,000 tonnes of vanilla), followed by Mexico, Papua New Guinea and China (with just around 500 tonnes each). <br>
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As you can see from the stats below, the production of vanilla in Réunion has fallen dramatically in the last twenty years, from 93 tonnes of vanilla in 1993, to just 8 tonnes of vanilla in 2013. <br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIqIVtHWm6V__bltMUJvV26H9qFItHEpFphyzHGYFe1O9fXpcmReewHB0LRbdNBgHgiKxU7fpYmJUBiX15elptZRjCYNPABDwL1QX-j5E0BTa11Rzt3JwuHW1XxWNDB2CDw_KNf91yt8/s1600/chart.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIqIVtHWm6V__bltMUJvV26H9qFItHEpFphyzHGYFe1O9fXpcmReewHB0LRbdNBgHgiKxU7fpYmJUBiX15elptZRjCYNPABDwL1QX-j5E0BTa11Rzt3JwuHW1XxWNDB2CDw_KNf91yt8/s1600/chart.jpeg" height="118" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla production in Réunion, according to <a href="http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E">FAO</a></td></tr>
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Réunion's main crop these days is sugar cane and, by way of comparison, I learned that Réunion produced almost 2 million tonnes of sugar cane in 2013 - nothing near the 460 million tonnes produced by world leader Brazil, but not bad for a small island in the Indian ocean and obviously they now produce a lot more sugar cane than they do vanilla. <br>
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In the same period, vanilla production has doubled in Indonesia and trebled in Madagascar. Something to think about next time you tuck into a tub of vanilla ice-cream!<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqcSEAW0kXrhXuv1u-UteleQQMt1Gp7q-rG5LoMIe2e3iu76RjkM3WnaB2QD5KLL8bdG1T9iTxc3lNhP2DKDZlPFwl9Y_8tKJ8NzkbVfd1C-k-UwpIqWJY-4fjSWPaY7n_NnKq_yDw9Q/s1600/chart+(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqcSEAW0kXrhXuv1u-UteleQQMt1Gp7q-rG5LoMIe2e3iu76RjkM3WnaB2QD5KLL8bdG1T9iTxc3lNhP2DKDZlPFwl9Y_8tKJ8NzkbVfd1C-k-UwpIqWJY-4fjSWPaY7n_NnKq_yDw9Q/s1600/chart+(1).jpeg" height="118" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Vanilla production in Indonesia, according to </span><a href="http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">FAO</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oBGcs9l0sipvDFIbIo9_rq91z2oIuywrhWPpLuz6NtxazTAtQpfwt9MEOfLIKdk1Pw3mao-o2jYx2O6_ExRb4hR3UV6HiLLjafqDyAQxQadbGI1XS_aXGxIN5Kp66nZ-jRssHjAI_pg/s1600/chart+(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oBGcs9l0sipvDFIbIo9_rq91z2oIuywrhWPpLuz6NtxazTAtQpfwt9MEOfLIKdk1Pw3mao-o2jYx2O6_ExRb4hR3UV6HiLLjafqDyAQxQadbGI1XS_aXGxIN5Kp66nZ-jRssHjAI_pg/s1600/chart+(2).jpeg" height="118" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Vanilla production in Madagascar, according to </span><a href="http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">FAO</a></td></tr>
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<b>Image credits:</b><div>
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The image of the vanilla pods is from Wikipedia and has been shared using the Creative commons license - see more details about this image on the file <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vanilla_6beans.JPG">information page</a>. </div>
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The image of Edmond Albius is in the public domain and the statistic images are from the Food and Agricultural Organisation's <a href="http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E">stats portal</a>. <br><br></div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-31533228921063697902015-03-22T13:21:00.000+00:002015-03-22T13:21:02.565+00:00Réunion - France in the Indian Ocean<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdxmuWQv6Tqbdk1D3DFia9J6vK465hY4-PIYvmPJxqetl6t7a4DtN33geW97heY2qLmR6WbbR1hjKmx8vvJGJbgL7W0l1TNDiVs7HaxXbv89s-eyhJkz7-2lU9KGxRfsG55keYUgstlg/s640/blogger-image-1019420370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdxmuWQv6Tqbdk1D3DFia9J6vK465hY4-PIYvmPJxqetl6t7a4DtN33geW97heY2qLmR6WbbR1hjKmx8vvJGJbgL7W0l1TNDiVs7HaxXbv89s-eyhJkz7-2lU9KGxRfsG55keYUgstlg/s200/blogger-image-1019420370.jpg" width="200" /></a>For one reason or another, I haven't managed to blog about any French regions until now and it's strangely apt that my learning about France should start in one of France's most far-flung regions, the island of Réunion, which lies about 600 miles east of Madagascar, in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. </div>
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Réunion is one of France's many DOMs/TOMs, short for <i>Départements</i> (or <i>territoires</i>) <i>d'outre-mers</i> - i.e. overseas departments or territories. France is currently divided into 27 regions, 22 of which are in '<i>Metropolitan</i>' France (i.e. Europe) and the other 5 are '<i>outre-mer</i>' - these include Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, French Guiana on the South American mainland and Mayotte and Réunion in the Indian ocean. </div>
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It's around 5,800 miles from Paris to St-Denis, the capital of Réunion, yet the people of Réunion island participate fully in the French state, sending deputies to the <i>Assemblée nationale</i>, receiving the same state benefits as people in metropolitan France and using the Euro, which is the official currency in France. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4n-1amKtLoxA80qyRtpBYPjfRaaw1bZWAKUJk7uJtMCgu2G61gK0jt-W8o24iZwyirTL3iD8no2gGP7DxupHnP0DBIibZnW5IyzLDTvcAtFj9B_z1n3xnyt0FN6x0Ta8YVJfIT_CuiA/s640/blogger-image--1769153930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4n-1amKtLoxA80qyRtpBYPjfRaaw1bZWAKUJk7uJtMCgu2G61gK0jt-W8o24iZwyirTL3iD8no2gGP7DxupHnP0DBIibZnW5IyzLDTvcAtFj9B_z1n3xnyt0FN6x0Ta8YVJfIT_CuiA/s200/blogger-image--1769153930.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of the French DOMs/TOMs</td></tr>
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Apart from overseas regions, France also has many overseas territories as far apart as St Pierre et Miquelon off the coast of Canada, to Kerguelen near Antarctica and Tahiti in French Polynesia. I've long been fascinated by the French DOMs/TOMs and I'd love to visit all of them some day, despite the fact that's prohibitively expensive to get to places like Nouvelle Caledonie or Wallis and Futuna!</div>
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As I've started learning about Réunion, I've begun to realise that I'm not just learning about France and a French overseas territory, but I'm also learning about other islands of the Indian ocean, known collectively as the Mascarenes. </div>
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Unlike most other places I've previously blogged about, Réunion and the other Mascarene islands remained uninhabited until Europeans settled there in the 17th century. Previous to that the islands were known to Arab and (no doubt) Chinese sailors, but they weren't considered to be particularly important, until the drive for European trade with India and the Far East made Réunion and other Indian islands strategic recuperation points for European ships, after their long voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. </div>
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Not surprisingly, the Portuguese were first on the scene and the name '<i>Mascarene</i>' comes from the Portuguese explorer, <b>Pedro Mascarenhas</b>, however, it was the French who eventually colonised the Mascarene islands, <i>Ile Bourbon</i> (Réunion), <i>Ile de France</i> (Mauritius) and Rodrigues. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Ppalmistes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Ppalmistes2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Plaine des Palmistes by Jo Kerozen</td></tr>
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Due to political wrangling during the French revolution and the Napoleonic wars, <i>Ile Bourbon</i> changed its name to Réunion, to honour the joint campaign of the Marseille revolutionaries and the National guard, then briefly became <i>Ile Bonaparte</i>, before reverting back to Réunion again, when Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. </div>
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Seeing the chance of gains in the Indian ocean, the British took control of <i>Ile de France</i>, renaming it Mauritius, after an earlier Dutch colony. They also took control of the much smaller island of Rodrigues, which is still administered from Mauritius. As well as the Mascarene islands, the French had established a settlement on the Seychelles in the 18th century, but Britain also took over these islands after the fall of Napoleon. </div>
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By all accounts, Réunion is quite different than the other Mascarene islands and the Seychelles. Whilst Mauritius and the Seychelles have some of the world's best beaches and have, therefore, massive tourist industries, Réunion has lurked quietly in the background, largely unknown to the English-speaking world and a hidden treasure of volcanoes, fantastic hiking trails and an interesting mixture of French, Indian, African and Chinese cultures.</div>
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I'm really looking forward to learning more about this little piece of France in the Indian ocean and I hope you'll join me on my learning journey as I read books, watch movies, listen to music and cook the food of Réunion. <br />
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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All images were taken from the English language <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union">Wikipedia page</a> on Réunion</div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-79751926464449478492015-02-28T08:30:00.000+00:002015-02-28T08:30:00.435+00:00Quebec - The Final Word<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuanqgya0LbMTAeNBURNcXb36WURKmHF0WhMWN39zwikhSjouRy1mPASC2l6PQluSUHR5n-DI-tvJX2LALHR5zqgBlUQmmbVoLSPZ9PmNVwxDAxxdtjyqUCbkHlRc71ugfHmN2FJP0tM/s1600/Flag+of+Quebec.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuanqgya0LbMTAeNBURNcXb36WURKmHF0WhMWN39zwikhSjouRy1mPASC2l6PQluSUHR5n-DI-tvJX2LALHR5zqgBlUQmmbVoLSPZ9PmNVwxDAxxdtjyqUCbkHlRc71ugfHmN2FJP0tM/s1600/Flag+of+Quebec.png" /></a></div>
The time has come to say <i>au revoir</i> to Quebec and it's been an amazing learning journey - as well as physically travelling to the place I've been blogging about, I've also had fun on my journey through Quebecois <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/quebec-playlist.html">music</a>, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/quebec-reading-list.html">literature</a> and <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-on-silver-screen.html">cinema</a>. I've seen <i>Le Vent du Nord</i> live in concert in Bury (near Manchester) and the <i>Institut Francais</i> in London is showing a <a href="http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/cine-lumiere/whats-on/festivals-series/xavier-dolan-complete-retrospective/">retrospective</a> of Xavier Dolan's movies - although I've now seen all of his movies, I'll looking forward to finishing my Quebecois experience with a few trips to the cinema in February and March.<br />
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I learned quite a bit about Canada, as well as Quebec and I learned about memory and Quebec's motto, <i><a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/quebec-je-me-souviens.html">Je me souviens</a></i>. I learned about the <i>other</i> Titanic, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-empress-of-ireland.html">The Empress of Ireland</a> and about <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-putting-god-in-gaspe.html">religious beliefs in Canada</a>. I learned how to make the traditional Quebecois dish, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-how-i-made-poutine.html">La Poutine</a> and I learned about the significance of <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-my-country-is-winter.html">winter</a> in Quebec and how it's become so unpopular, especially in a busy city like Montreal. Finally, I learned about Quebec <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/quebec-in-other-words.html">in other words</a>, like <i>joual, bougeotte, pure laine</i> and <i>tabernac</i>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfm_IAO0ZMahrxJ2ADmudLMVrb1PHwbjTbdEcG40rweRhh2DtEpfCQJfJDI8u6wVQXzQSk8h9pqjtYzkWqUYFLXmbmU79xYJLOarfroAnoX1y7678KBFZgaQBqgPa6utoEPDHZ9k50S1c/s1600/Flag_of_Canada.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfm_IAO0ZMahrxJ2ADmudLMVrb1PHwbjTbdEcG40rweRhh2DtEpfCQJfJDI8u6wVQXzQSk8h9pqjtYzkWqUYFLXmbmU79xYJLOarfroAnoX1y7678KBFZgaQBqgPa6utoEPDHZ9k50S1c/s1600/Flag_of_Canada.svg.png" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Canadian flag turned 50 this month</td></tr>
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As usual, there were many areas of research I didn't have time to go into, so if you're interested in learning even more about Quebec, I would recommend the following topics:<br />
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The North American number plan for dialling codes<br />
The Huron people and the origin of the country name, <i>Canada</i><br />
British-French relations<br />
The French in North America<br />
Hydroelectric power<br />
Pepsi v Coke and the 'rock and roller cola wars'<br />
US invasions of Canada<br />
Nunavik<br />
The snowy owl and the white lily, Quebec's symbols<br />
Ann Coreo and Lily St Cyr, the exotic dancers of Montreal<br />
The Jews of Montreal<br />
Marc Lepine and the Montreal massacre<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3WheExgbmZsYxoagC_QraQoVi_uUNzx4u1bYTCT3vYhjbgIaeOlgXKlHmzeTBC8lylokSp-RewbhuaJCgHyrLBStMWwiWnhYYs35sZ7VaBuYgeY4LakT_l-Gj1EekvWZbSI3gS-eDiY/s1600/Habitat+67+in+Montreal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3WheExgbmZsYxoagC_QraQoVi_uUNzx4u1bYTCT3vYhjbgIaeOlgXKlHmzeTBC8lylokSp-RewbhuaJCgHyrLBStMWwiWnhYYs35sZ7VaBuYgeY4LakT_l-Gj1EekvWZbSI3gS-eDiY/s1600/Habitat+67+in+Montreal.jpg" height="203" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moshe Safdie's <i>Habitat 67</i> in Montreal</td></tr>
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Mattieu de Costa, the freed African slave who was fluent in Mi'kmaq<br />
The architecture of Moshe Safdie<br />
Failed attempts at gaining independence from Canada<br />
Quebecois soap operas<br />
The Americanisation of Quebec<br />
French-Canadian media and newspapers<br />
The <i>Desjardins</i> group of artists<br />
Ice-hockey<br />
The Mohawks of Brooklyn<br />
The Cirque du Soleil<br />
The 1885 smallpox epidemic, which resulted in 3,000 deaths<br />
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<b>Final word on the Mohawk nation</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKGNn9ewJQ2n_ZNpu9Hp_ptw3EeOkvn88oib2QaRlEyJIm2WWXUU2IeQS2Y0_k4lSCMvM7jy79xM8IW76_kOC_fzhhEr_7pj1tPOy8cxhtmj2cR7P5SA2vD5wc9GZtkf34ynZh-MIYC0/s1600/360px-Flag_of_the_Iroquois_Confederacy.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKGNn9ewJQ2n_ZNpu9Hp_ptw3EeOkvn88oib2QaRlEyJIm2WWXUU2IeQS2Y0_k4lSCMvM7jy79xM8IW76_kOC_fzhhEr_7pj1tPOy8cxhtmj2cR7P5SA2vD5wc9GZtkf34ynZh-MIYC0/s1600/360px-Flag_of_the_Iroquois_Confederacy.svg.png" height="188" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag of the Iroquois confederacy</td></tr>
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I only managed to scratch the surface in terms of my learning about First Nations people who live in Quebec and I'd like to return to the First Nations some day and do more research on native American culture. Around 1% of Quebec's population is native American and I'm quite interested in the First Nations people, who are distinct from the Inuits or Metis peoples. First Nations in Quebec include people from the Algonquian and Iroquoian groups. <br />
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Contact with Europeans has rarely worked out in favour of the First Nation peoples and there is a still a lot of tension between First Nation communities and neighbouring 'white' communities. I watched a really interesting documentary on YouTube called <i>Acts of Defiance</i> which documents events around the Oka Crisis, which began in July 1990, and the impact that this conflict had on the Mohawk people of Kahnawake.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DcjQA5S74PI" width="420"></iframe>
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Watching the documentary gives you a real understanding of the cultural gap that exists between First Nations people in Quebec and the dominant French/European culture. Mohawk people belong to the Iroquois league or <i>Haudenosaunee</i>, which stretches from the St Lawrence River in Quebec, to southern Ontario and northern New York state. <i>Haudenosaunee</i> has issued its own passports since the 1920's and attempted to send a delegation to the League of Nations, post World War 1. <br />
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As well as Mohawk reservations, Quebec has also granted a certain amount of sovereignty to the Cree people in <i>Eeyou Istchee/Baie James</i> and these communities are represented by the <i>Grand Council of the Crees</i>, which has embassies in Montreal and Quebec City.<br />
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Although I've called this my <i>final word on the Mohawk nation</i>, what I really mean is that my final word is that I would like to do some more research on the Mohawk nation and the other First Nations of Canada. </div>
Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-47922146327657503252015-02-21T08:30:00.000+00:002018-02-21T12:54:57.554+00:00Quebec - In Other Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmZYGQ3HAS_1W7aLGbXHrP0rEj8hoQ5UsYcKef-FcdfCqqPd8lDXhrXiqVmY-8BgLPTTZl868o0l0yn2bnux9rcOBoNdpRvcta1_hkoG_1czO2FCrfF_tMWWAy_mXavCqr2TrMcuSSrI/s1600/Flag+of+Quebec.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmZYGQ3HAS_1W7aLGbXHrP0rEj8hoQ5UsYcKef-FcdfCqqPd8lDXhrXiqVmY-8BgLPTTZl868o0l0yn2bnux9rcOBoNdpRvcta1_hkoG_1czO2FCrfF_tMWWAy_mXavCqr2TrMcuSSrI/s1600/Flag+of+Quebec.png" /></a></div>
<b>The Quiet Revolution</b> </div>
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Time and again, as I've been researching Québécois culture, I've come across the expression <i>The Quiet Revolution</i> or <i>la révolution tranquille</i>. <i>The Quiet Revolution</i> is the Québécois equivalent of the social revolution that happened in the 1960's in the United States. During the 1960's, Quebec, like many parts of the world experienced a great deal of change in societal attitudes to all kinds of things, including politics, religion, art, sexuality. There was no great 'revolt' in Quebec but rather, <i>quietly</i>, a new generation began to abandon the conservative beliefs of their parents, move to the city and transform Québécois urban life.<br />
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The period of the Quiet Revolution also stands in contrast to the period before the 60's, known as <i>Le Grand Noirceur</i> or <i>The Great Darkness</i>, when Maurice Dupleissis was in charge. And it contrasts with the <i>not-so-quiet</i> 1970's, which kicked off with the October crisis, an extreme left-wing attempt to challenge the Québécois establishment.<br />
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I found this documentary on YouTube (only in French, sorry!) which describes the beginning of this period really well and has lots of great footage.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wZ401Oz-OJM" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>Tête carrée</b></div>
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This is a term I've come across several times and is slang for 'English-speaking Canadian'. It means 'square-head' and seems quite offensive and racist to me, as it focuses on an assumed physical characteristic, i.e. that non-French Canadians have more angular/square-shaped heads than the rounder heads of people who are of French/Gallic descent.<br />
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When it's used, it's not in a nice way and square-head also suggests 'thick' or 'stupid' based on the fact that someone can't speak French. Not surprisingly, there is a big cultural and linguistic divide in Quebec, particularly in Montreal and this leads to some animosity, as people resort to stereo-types and assumptions. </div>
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<b>Joual</b></div>
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Whether it was in the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-on-silver-screen.html">movies</a> of Xavier Dolan, the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/quebec-playlist.html">music</a> of Loco Locass or the <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/quebec-reading-list.html">literature</a> of Michel Tremblay, I came across the word <i>joual</i> (pronounced <i>zhoo-al</i>) quite a few times during my research into Quebec. <i>Joual</i> is the name of the Montreal dialect of French, mostly looked down upon by those who speak 'standard' French and, in more recent times celebrated as the working-class dialect of Montreal, an authentic North American language, as opposed to standard French, a language that is so closely connected to Europe. North American French is a mish-mash of regional dialects, mostly from the north of France (places like Normandy and Picardy), so it was never really the same as the standard spoken in Paris. </div>
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French speakers first came to North America before the French Revolution (1790's) and Québécois French retains some old-fashioned words that hark back to the age of aristocratic France. According to <b>Taras Grescoe </b>in his book <i>Sacré Blues</i>, the Québécois word <i>Dépanneur</i>, which means <i>corner store</i>, sounds more like a pirate's cove in the Caribbean, than a modern shop!<br />
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Québécois French also incorporated a lot of English expressions, for example the word <i>enfirouâper</i> which means to seduce or trick someone may come from the English 'to wrap in furs' </div>
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Grescoe gives an interesting example to contrast the English-influenced French of Quebec with standard French. When a shop assistant wrote a note on Grescoe's defective CD player, he wrote:</div>
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<i>Quand on presse sur 'open', ça fait un bruit weird</i></div>
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When you press 'open', it makes a weird sound</div>
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In standard French this should be:</div>
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<i>Quand on appuie sur 'ouverture', ça fait un drole du bruit</i></div>
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Other common <i>joual</i> expressions are:</div>
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<i>Astheur</i>: now (a cet heure) </div>
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<i>Tsé?</i>: you know? (tu sais?)</div>
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<i>Coudon</i>: listen here (écoute donc)<br />
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I found this documentary on YouTube (again, only in French) which explains the history of <i>joual</i><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jtlXJdYvh4s" width="420"></iframe>
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<b>La bougeotte</b></div>
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A Québécois tradition that I found it really hard to get my head around is the annual <i>bougeotte</i>, which takes place every year on the 1st of July. As incredible as it sounds, the majority of accommodation rentals in Quebec run on annual leases, which all finish on the last day of June so, unbelievably, on the 1st July, everyone who is moving to a new house or apartment moves on the same day! </div>
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It's believed that the tradition might actually be a Scottish one, called 'Flitting day' and this used to the 1st of May until 1974, when the Québécois government decided change <i>la bougeotte</i> to the 1st of July, so it would coincide with Canada day - a time when everyone has a day off. </div>
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<b>Allophone</b></div>
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In a place obsessed with language, it's not surprising to come across a term like <i>allophone,</i> which is the word that describes anyone in Quebec whose native language isn't French or English. The next biggest language in Quebec is Italian, followed by Arabic, Spanish and Greek.<br />
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As Quebec enters the 21st century with a greater emphasis on diversity, I'd imagine that the number of <i>allophones</i> can only increase as a percentage of the whole population. In 1971, <i>allophones</i> made up 6.6% of Quebec's population, by 2001 this was 10%. </div>
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<b>Pure Laine</b></div>
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In his book on Quebec, Taras Grescoe has a lot to say about the myth-making around <i>pure laine</i> or <i>pure wool</i>, a term which is used to describe French Canadians who are directly descended from French immigrants and don't have mixed blood. Apart from its obviously racist overtones, Grescoe argues that there is no such thing as <i>pure laine</i> and that even the most 'French' of Québécois families will have some Native American blood running through their veins, not to mention Irish, Scottish and any number of other European ancestries. </div>
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In the early days of settlement in New France, opportunistic immigrants came from all over Europe, mostly men in the beginning, many of whom took native wives or mistresses. It surprised me to learn that an estimated 40% of French Canadians have some Irish ancestry, as this is not something I ever heard about growing up in Ireland. I guess it's got lost in the mists of time!<br />
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I found this little video on YouTube which looks at the Irish connection to Quebec and documents a visit made by an Irish group to the Irish memorial in Grosse Ile<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D8Q2WyX7tcs" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>Tabarnac </b></div>
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When I was watching Xavier Dolan's movie <i>Mommy</i>, I couldn't help but notice the swearing of the main male character, played by Antoine Olivier Pilon, particularly his repeated use of the word <i>tabarnac</i> (meaning <i>tabarnacle</i>) and how this swear word would scandalise and occasionally infuriate the adults around him. As swear words go, <i>tabarnac</i> seems very innocent and certainly nowhere near as potent as English equivalents like the 'f' word or the 'c' word. </div>
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Like English, modern French swear words tend to refer to forbidden parts of the (generally female) body. Swearing is all about sex, which has become the most offensive way of speaking in the modern age. Québécois swear words, on the other hand, come straight from the religious fanaticism of the 18th century, so words like <i>tabarnac</i>, <i>calisse, ciboire</i> and <i>sacrament</i> were shocking religious profanities and, bizarrely, their shock value has persisted into the modern age. </div>
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<b>Chasse-galerie</b> </div>
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One of the most magical terms I've learned during my research is <i>chasse-galerie</i>, a Québécois myth about a flying canoe that transports people across the vast distances of Quebec so they can visit loved ones. Taking the flying canoe means making a contract with the devil, however, and inevitably ends up with the souls of those in the canoe being damned because the canoe hits a church steeple on its return journey. What I loved about this myth is that it combines French lore brought over by the first European settlers and Native American legends about flying canoes.<br />
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I'll leave you with this animation of <i>La Legende du canot d'ecorce, </i>aka <i>La Chasse-galerie </i>by <i>L'office national du film du Canada</i><br />
<i><br /></i><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lNl5fuEh23g" width="420"></iframe>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-30344420330183260172015-02-14T10:11:00.001+00:002015-02-15T12:41:58.527+00:00Quebec - Reading List<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I was spoilt for choice when it came to reading materials about Quebec and I still feel as though I only scratched the surface in terms of what I actually managed to read. <br />
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Here is my list:<br />
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<b><i>Lonely Planet Canada</i> (12th edition - 2014)</b></div>
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I try to read different kinds of guide books when I'm researching for this blog but I must admit, when I'm looking for practical information (<i>bus times, how to get from A to B</i>), it's hard to beat the Lonely Planet series. Of course, this time I was buying it for the very practical reason that I was travelling to Quebec, so I got the latest version. </div>
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The Lonely Planet series is quite good at giving you a simple overview of the history and culture of a place and I also like the fact that they very clearly signpost you towards books, movies and music that will bring your journey (whether real or virtual) to life</div>
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<b><i>Canada - Culture Smart!</i> (2008) Diane Lemieux</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Quebecois reading list</td></tr>
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Reading online reviews of the <i>Culture Smart! </i>series, I can see that some people really don't like these books and find them over-simplistic. I really enjoy them however and, as I have limited time for my research, I find these books to be a very easy way of getting an overview of a country. I also find them good to read on the road and I now not only buy this for blog research, but I also use them when I'm actually travelling, for example, on my recent trips to Morocco and Georgia. </div>
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The <i>Culture Smart!</i> guide to Canada really help give me a simple overview of the entire country, before I delved into the more specific culture of Quebec. Canada is a place that really interests me and I was surprised to learn about the extent of regional feeling in Canada and how complicated and unusual it is to move from one Canadian province to another. I'd also never really thought about the fact that Canada is so big and I got a glimpse into the challenges that face a united Canada where Paris is just as accessible to Montreal as Vancouver! </div>
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<b><i>Sacré Blues: An unsentimental Journey through Quebec</i> (2000) Taras Grescoe</b></div>
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This is the book that took up most of my time and although it took me absolutely ages to read this, I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand more about Quebec, as it's so packed full of interesting information. I could have written numerous blog posts based on this book and, indeed, it has informed much of my blogging about Quebec, but particularly the blog post I did on <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/quebec-my-country-is-winter.html">winter</a>. </div>
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Grescoe is originally from Ontario, so looks at Quebec, as I the reader did, with an outsider's point of view. Whilst I found it hard to see any logic behind the flow of themes in his book, it's an incredibly comprehensive text and he covers everything from the Quebecois obsession with ice-hockey to the Pepsi/Cola wars, the Quiet Revolution and a culture reared on téléromans! There isn't much about Quebec culture that Grescoe doesn't cover and I feel that this amazing book must have been a real labour of love. </div>
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<b><i>Barney's Version</i> (1997) Mordechai Richler</b></div>
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I struggled through Richler's seminal novel Barney's Version, which also took me ages to read, but not for the right reasons this time. Don't get me wrong, the book was interesting enough and the themes of <i>loss of love </i>and <i>loss of memory</i> were very engaging, but I just couldn't relate to Barney the principle character and his self-obsessed view of the world. It might sound a bit harsh but, in the end, I was more interested in hearing <i>McIver's version</i> or <i>Boogie's version</i>.</div>
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It took me a long time to read this book because I was practising something I call 'intense reading'. In the interests of reading fluency, we mostly skip over words or expressions that are unfamiliar to us and accept them in the context of whatever it is we're reading, as they don't usually impede our general understanding of the text. </div>
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For example, if I come across the phrase '<i>He put on his trusty Capezio's</i>' - I have no idea what <i>Capezio</i> really means, but I can assume that it's something you might wear. Instead of skimming over this, as I might normally do, <i>intense reading</i> means doing my research, usually on Wikipedia, where I find out that Capezio was a Sicilian cobbler who emigrated to the United States in 1887 and opened a shoe repair shop near the Metropolitan Opera House, which became a meeting place for dancers and ultimately a fashionable place to buy shoes! </div>
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Barney's version was peppered with references and name-dropping - much of it Canadian/North American and therefore unfamiliar to me, so I had a great time doing my research as I was reading this book and really learning about the world! </div>
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<b><i>The Middle of Everywhere</i> (2009) Monique Polak</b></div>
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By contrast, I flew through this book in less than a week - perhaps not surprising as it was written for young adults and was very easy to read. I really enjoyed this book which tells the story of Noah Thorpe, a teenage boy from Montreal who travels to Kangiqsualujjuaq (George River) in Nunavik, the northern-most part of Quebec. </div>
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It's a lovely story, beautifully written and well-paced, which I'm sure will leave a positive impression of Inuktitut culture on any young person reading the book. There is a real shadow hanging over Quebecois history in relation to the Inuit people and Polak bravely confronts this, particularly in her re-telling of the destruction of Inuit sled dogs between 1950 and 1970, by the Canadian Mounted Police. She somehow manages to apologise for non-native actions whilst maintaining a balance in terms of who was really to blame. </div>
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<b><i>L'Avalée des avalés</i> (1966) Réjean Ducharme</b><br />
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This is a fascinating novel, although I didn't have time to read all of it, plus I was reading in French, so it was taking me ages. To be honest, I don't know how the book would read in translation, as the language is so poetic and even the title <i>L'Avalée des avalés</i> is hard to translate into English and becomes something like, <i>The Swallowing of the Swallowed</i>. <br />
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<i>L'Avalée des avalés</i> is a modern Gothic tale, set in an abandoned Abbey, on an island in the middle of the St Laurence River. It tells the story of a young girl, Bérénice Einberg, whose father is Jewish and whose mother is Christian. Enforced religious belief plays a big part in the early chapters of the novel and other themes include sibling love and envy, repression of girls/women and Bérénice's extraordinary 'disconnection' from the world around her. <br />
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<i>La vie ne se passe sur la terre, mais dans ma tête. La vie est dans ma tête et ma tête est dans la vie. Je suis englobante et englobée. Je suis l'avalée de l'avalé. </i><br />
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<i>Life doesn't happen on the earth, but in my head. Life is in my head and my head is in life. I am encompassing and encompassed. I am the swallowing of the swallowed.</i></div>
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<b><i>La grosse Femme d'à côté est enceinte/The fat woman from next door is pregnant </i>(1978) Michel Tremblay</b><br />
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I read even less of Michel Tremblay's famous novel, <i>La grosse Femme d'à côté est enceinte</i>. It's partly written in <i>joual</i>, the dialect of Montreal and I found myself floundering with sentences like this one:<br />
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<i>Mercedes avait sorti son rouge à lèvres de sa sacoche. Un billet de vingt dollars était tombe sur ses genoux. "Y'a ben de l'ouvrage dans c'que je fais, ces temps-citte, t'sais . . ."</i><br />
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<i>Mecedes took her lipstick out of her little bag. A twenty-dollar bill fell on her knees. "It's hard work what I'm doing at the minute you know . . ."</i><br />
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<b>The books I didn't read</b><br />
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As usual, I came across references to lots of books which I didn't have time to read - if I were to continue blogging about Quebec indefinitely, I'd put the following books on my reading list:<br />
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<i>Self</i> (1996) by Yann Martel (the author of <i>Life of Pi</i>)<br />
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<i>Beautiful Losers</i> (1966) by Leonard Cohen<br />
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<i>A Yankee in Canada, with Anti-Slavery and Reform Papers</i> (1866) by Henry David Thoreau<br />
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<i>Je mange donc, je maigris - I eat therefore, I stay slim</i> (1987) by Michel Montignac<br />
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<i>Bonheur d'Occasion/The Tin Flute</i> (1945) by Gabrielle Roy<br />
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<i>L’homme rapaillé/The March to Love</i> (1970) by Gaston Miron<br />
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<i>Two Solitudes</i> (1945) by Hugh McLennan<br />
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<i>Herzog</i> (1964) by Saul Bellow<br />
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<i>L'ingratitude</i> (1992) by Ying Chen<br />
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<i>Le sexe des étoiles/The Sex of the Stars</i> (1987) by Monique Proulx<br />
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<i>Selling Illusions: The Cult of Multiculturalism in Canada </i>(1994) by Neil Bissoondath<br />
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<i>Et Dieu Crea Les Francais </i>(1992) by Louis-Bernard Robitaille<br />
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<i>Les Filles du Caleb/Caleb's daughters</i> (1986) by Arlette Cousture<br />
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<i>Le Cassé/The Broken</i> (1964) by Jacques Renaud<br />
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<i>The Shouting Signpainters </i>(1972) by Malcolm Reid<br />
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<i>Contes du pays incertain/Stories from an uncertain country</i> (1962) by Jacques Ferron<br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-45058455348750100452015-02-08T12:26:00.001+00:002015-02-08T13:03:21.654+00:00Quebec - Playlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've listened to lots of great music during the time I've been researching and blogging about Quebec, so here is my Quebecois playlist. <br />
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<b><i>Reflektor</i> (2013) by Arcade Fire</b></div>
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I've become quite a big fan of Arcade Fire, although I'd never really heard their music before I started researching for this blog. I discovered them just before I went to Canada, in fact, so as I was listening to this song on repeat, as I was whizzing through Montreal, past the factories and over the Jacques Cartier bridge to Longueuil. Arcade Fire are from Montreal and are very much part of Quebec's 'Anglo' culture, although some of the lyrics of <i>Reflektor</i> are also in French. I love songs that work on different levels and, for that reason, <i>Reflektor</i> really does it for me! I hope you like the song and the rather disturbing video!</div>
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<b><i>On ne change pas</i> (1999) by Celine Dion</b></div>
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I've never been a massive fan of Celine Dion. Whilst it's undeniable that she is one of the most popular singers the world has ever known, I've found her music a little cheesy and too 'pop-machine generated'. Having said that, she does have a fantastic voice and I quite like some of her French-language songs. I've come to particularly like this song, ever since I heard it on the soundtrack of <b>Xavier Dolan</b>'s <i>Mommy</i>. The characters in the movie acknowledge that Dion's music is a bit cheesy, but they love her all the same, as she's such a symbol of Quebec. </div>
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The song itself seems to make the assertion that we never change, even if we become more sophisticated and '<i>on met just les costumes d'autres sur soi</i>' (we wear the costumes/habits of others). Dion symbolises modern Quebec in many ways, as she's a Francophone in an English-dominated world. Although many of her biggest hits were in English, two of her albums - <i>D'eux</i> and <i>S'il suffisait d'aimer</i> (where this song comes from) - rank as the best selling French-language albums of all time. Actually the songs on both album were written by the Parisian musician, <b>Jean-Jacques Goldman</b>, an influential song-writer in his own right.<br />
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<b><i>Le But</i> (2012) by Loco Locass</b></div>
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I really love this song by the Quebecois hip-hop group Loco Locass. My research into Quebec has led me to the conclusion that Quebecois people are a little bit of obsessed with ice-hockey (also Canadians, in general, perhaps?) I was surprised to learn that ice-hockey originated in Montreal, as I'd always thought of it more as a Slavic or Scandinavian import, more at home in places like Alberta or Manitoba. The Montreal ice-hockey team, <i>Les Canadiens</i> (aka Les Habs), are one of the biggest teams in the National Hockey league and a source of pride, honour and sometimes frustration for the people of Quebec. </div>
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I've come across references to ice-hockey again and again in the books I've read and movies I've watched relating to Quebec. This song seems to encapsulate French-Canadian pride, their love of ice-hockey and the history of Quebec. Not to mention the fact that it's extremely catchy - I find myself humming <i>'Allez, Allez, Montreal'</i> all day long after listening to this. This video from YouTube illustrates the song really well and has some cool images of Les Habs players and fans down the years. </div>
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<b><i>Au bord de la Fontaine</i> (2003) by Le Vent du Nord</b><br />
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This is the first time I've been able to go and see one of the bands I'm blogging about <i>live in concert</i>, as part of my research. Out of all the Quebecois music I've listened to, Le Vent du Nord is the only band that I'd actually heard of before and I've been a fan of their music since their 2009 album <i>Le Part de Feu</i>. So when I found out they were touring the north of England in January, I couldn't resist and travelled up to Bury, just north of Manchester, to see them play.<br />
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There's nothing like live music to really help you understand the sounds involved and I loved the way Le Vent du Nord uses the hurdy-gurdy, accordions and mouth organs, but I also really love their voices - I'm a big fan of <i>call and response</i> singing and no-one does this better than Le Vent du Nord.<br />
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This song is from their first album, <i>Maudite Moisson!</i><br />
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<b><i>Les étoiles filantes</i> (2004) by Les Cowboys Fringants</b> </div>
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This is a really catchy little tune that I couldn't help bobbing my head along to. The lyrics are in the Montreal dialect <i>joual</i>, so I couldn't quite understand <a href="http://lyrics.wikia.com/Les_Cowboys_Fringants:Les_%C3%89toiles_Filantes/en">the words</a> until I saw them written down and translated into English. </div>
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Les Cowboys Fringants are considered to be 'neo-folk', which is like folk re-interpreted for the modern age. They're fond of accordions and political lyrics, one of my favourite combinations and their music fits well into a long tradition of French <i>chanson</i> or secular, lyric-driven songs. </div>
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I particularly loved this song from their 2004 album, <i>La Grand-Messe</i>. It's about growing old and all the things you lose in adult life, which would be a bit depressing if they didn't balance that with lyrics along the lines of 'just do your best'. <i>Les étoiles filantes</i> means 'Shooting stars' and is a good metaphor for the transitory nature of human existence. </div>
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I've put some of the lyrics below so you can sing along with the YouTube video. </div>
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<i>La trentaine, la bedaine</i></div>
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<i>Les morveux, l'hypothèque</i></div>
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<i>Les bonheurs et les peines </i></div>
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<i>Les bon coups et les échecs</i></div>
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<i>Travailler, faire d'son mieux</i></div>
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<i>En arracher, s'en sortir </i></div>
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<i>Et ésperer être heureux</i></div>
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<i>Un peu avant de mourir</i> </div>
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The thirties, the belly</div>
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The kids, the mortgage</div>
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The pleasures and the sorrows</div>
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The strokes of luck and the failures</div>
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Working, doing your best</div>
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And struggling and getting out</div>
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And hoping to be happy</div>
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A little before dying</div>
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<b><i>Avalanche</i> (1971) by Leonard Cohen</b><br />
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Leonard Cohen is a massive musical force and I know a few people who are a bit obsessed with him. He's a poet, as well as a songwriter and his lyrics are very poetic. I've never been a <i>big</i> fan of his music, although I <i>do</i> appreciate the uniqueness of his voice and lyrics. I've always loved <i>Suzanne </i>from his 1967 album, <i>Songs of Leonard Cohen</i> - there's something incredibly poignant and melancholic about that song but, at the same time, I really can't stand one of his other songs, <i>Hallelujah</i> and the popularity of <i>Hallelujah</i> really baffles me.<br />
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In the interests of learning more about the world, I made an effort to listen to Leonard Cohen songs that I'd never heard before and I particularly liked <i>Avalanche</i> from his third album, <i>Songs of Love and Hate</i> (1971). Like many of his songs, <i>Avalanche </i>started off as a poem and the lyrics are ever-so-slightly disturbing, all hunchbacks and golden mountains, like a fairytale-turned-nightmare. Most of all, I love the music and the way Cohen plays the classical guitar, a feature more prominent in his earlier music. </div>
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<b><i>Dites-lui</i> (2013) by Ale Dee</b><br />
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In many ways, it's just a silly pop song, but I quite liked this track from Ale Dee's 2013 album, <i>2013. A.D.</i> I like the way he throws in a few English phrases in the middle of the French rap and I'm sure this song is really popular with young people in Quebec. It's urban and gritty, another side to Quebecois life and a new generation influenced by musical trends from south of the border.<br />
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<b><i>Navvaatara</i> (2010) by Elisapie Isaac</b><br />
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Like other people, I came across Elisapie Issac's music by watching the movie <i>Cafe de Flore</i>. Elisapie was born in Nunavik, Quebec's far-north region and she sings in French, English and Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people. <i>Navvaatara</i> means 'I've found it' and I love the gentleness of this song. I want to learn more about Elisapie Isaac and Inuit culture - perhaps if I end up blogging about Nunavik or Nunavut? <br />
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Of course, there were many other artists that I listened to as part of my research - <b>Felix LeClerc, Luc Plamondon, Edith Butler, Lhasa de Sela, La Bottine Souriante</b> - to name but a few! I've restricted myself to just eight tracks for this play list, but feel free to continue your own research and discover even more Quebecois artists.<br />
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I'd be interested in hearing your playlist suggestions (with links, if possible) in the comments below this blog post.<br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-37768030832247079322015-01-31T06:18:00.003+00:002015-01-31T06:18:25.553+00:00Quebec - On the Silver Screen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've been really spoilt for choice this time, as some fantastic movies have come out of Quebec in recent years. I've been a big fan of Xavier Dolan since I saw <i>Laurence Anyways</i> and I can't believe he's only 25 years old, yet he's produced such brilliant films! I also really enjoyed discovering some of Quebec's most talented directors, so I've made a list of movies I would recommend. <br />
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<b><i>Incendies </i>(2010) dir. Denis Villeneuve</b><br />
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Watching Denis Villeneuve's <i>Incendies</i> was a good bridge between Quebec and the last place I blogged about, <a href="http://learningabouttheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/palestine-final-word_30.html">Palestine</a>. Although the movie has its anchor in Quebec and centres around the story of Quebecois twins, Jeanne and Simon, the action mostly takes place in the Middle East, in Lebanon, where the twins travel to find out about their mother's past and the mysterious identities of their father and brother.<br />
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It's an incredibly powerful film and was put forward as Canada's entry for Best Foreign Language film during the 83rd Academy Awards. It's not a movie I'll forget in a hurry and I thought it was beautifully made, well structured and thought-provoking.<br />
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<b><i>Monsieur Lazhar</i> (2011) Philippe Falardeau</b><br />
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Like Villeneuve's <i>Incendies</i>, Falardeau's award-winning movie, <b>Monsieur Lazhar</b> was also put forward as the Canadian entry for Best Foreign Language film, this time for the 84th Academy Awards. The film also links to the Arab world, this time Algeria, as we find out that Monsieur Lazhar is a refugee in Canada, escaping death threats made against his wife, a well-known Algerian writer. Monsieur Lazhar takes up a post in a Canadian primary school where the teacher has committed suicide in the classroom, her body having been found by one of the pupils.<br />
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It's a very sad movie and deals with the impact of death and the inability of the adult world to explain death to children without the help of a psychologist. It also deals with the adults' fear of intimacy with the children - the teachers aren't allowed to touch the children or comfort them in any way and there is a definite conflict between the norms of a North American society versus the natural tactile culture of the French-Canadians. I thought this was an incredibly moving film and would highly recommend it.<br />
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<b><i>Mommy</i> (2014) dir. Xavier Dolan</b><br />
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I was lucky enough to see Xavier Dolan's latest movie whilst I was in Montreal, in the really cool <a href="http://www.cinemaduparc.com/english/homeen.php">Cinema du Parc</a>. <i>Mommy</i> completely blew me away and has to be one of the best movies I've seen in recent years. The quality of the direction is superb and I'm absolutely in love with Anne Dorval, who plays the mother of a violent young man whose behaviour is out of control. I also loved the performances of Suzanne Clement and Antoine Olivier Pilon.<br />
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Having spent a few days in Montreal, I could relate to the setting of the movie, as well as the interesting mixture of <i>joual</i> (the French-Canadian dialect of Montreal) and the use of English, which seems to insert itself into every second sentence, often as swearwords! I can't recommend this movie enough. It doesn't seem to be in the cinemas in the UK just yet, so I'm patiently waiting for this movie's release on this side of the Atlantic!<br />
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As well as watching <i>Mommy, </i>I also watched the following movies by Xavier Dolan, all of which I loved:<br />
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<i>I Killed my Mother</i> (2009)<br />
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<i>Heartbeats</i> (2010)<br />
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<i>Laurence Anyways</i> (2012)<br />
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<i>Tom at the Farm </i>(2013)<br />
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<b><i>Café de Flore</i> (2011) dir. Jean-Marc Vallée</b><br />
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Interweaving two apparently different stories, <i>Café de Flore</i> brings together the lives of six main characters across several generations and links Quebec with its spiritual motherland, France. The contrast between modern-day Montreal and post-war Paris highlights the affluence of the modern age and the poverty of earlier generations - also the affluence of a North American society in contrast to the poverty of a European one.<br />
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Vanessa Paradis plays the main role in the French side of the story and the Quebecois actor, Kevin Parent, who is from Gaspé, counter-balances in the modern tale. It's a quirky story, a little bit weird and with a good deal of esotericism. Well worth watching and I loved the soundtrack!<br />
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<b><i>Bon cop, Bad cop</i> (2006) dir Eric Canuel</b><br />
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I don't normally watch 'cop' movies, but I really enjoyed Canuel's 2006 comedy, <i>Bon Cop, Bad Cop</i>. When a dead body is found on the Quebec/Ontario body, two police officers, one from the Sûreté de Quebec and the other from the Ontario police are forced to become partners. At first, they hate it, of course, but by the end of the movie they work as a team and appreciate each other's differences. There's quite a lot of stereotyping, the cautious, staid and 'uncool' officer from Toronto and the erratic, slightly crazy but handsome officer from Montreal.<br />
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It's all delivered in a really humorous way and pokes fun at the stereotypes, rather than taking them seriously. It's also a real joy for anyone who is bilingual in English and French, as the dialogue switches rapidly back and forth between the two languages. There is a lot of play on words and use of <i>joual</i> to add a few in-jokes. What was the plot and which crimes were they trying to solve? I can't remember, but it was a fun couple of hours and I laughed a lot!<br />
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<b><i>Barney's Version</i> (2010) dir. Richard J Lewis</b><br />
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Mordechai Richler passed away in 2001 and, I guess that this film version of his 1997 novel <i>Barney's Version</i> is a fitting tribute to one of Montreal's most famous writers. As I've so recently read the book, it was hard for me to look at the film as a stand-alone creation and I couldn't help comparing the details of the film version with the novel. In many ways, I think the film was better at getting the story across than the novel and, when I did manage to 'switch off' and just enjoy the movie, I could get a sense of how poignant the story is, if you concentrate on the theme of 'lost love' and how sad the ending is, when Barney finally meets his demise.<br />
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I think I was so impatient with Barney's character in the novel that I'd lost all sympathy for him by the end of the book - the movie didn't affect me in the same way. It had a great cast as well, big names like Paul Giametti, Rosamund Pike, Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver. Hoffman's son also starred in the movie and I didn't even know he had a son, or that his son is an actor!<br />
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One thing I didn't understand about the movie was the place changes - they swapped Paris for Rome and Toronto for New York. There's such a strong historical connection between Quebec and France and the fact that part of the novel takes place in Paris is significant, so I couldn't accept the change of location, as I think it interfered with the original plot.<br />
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<b><i>Jesus of Montreal</i> (1989) dir Denys Arcand</b><br />
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This movie took me by surprise and I was also completely blown away by it. I'm not at all religious, but I thought that Arcand portrayed a very sympathetic interpretation of the Passion of the Christ, which got beyond the need to be a Christian but, rather, explored the powerful message of peace, love and tolerance that Christ's life represents. The acting is superb and a fantastic performance by Lothaire Bluteau, the theatre director who also plays Christ in the passion play.<br />
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The movie represents Quebec at the height of it's materialist age in the 1980's. A time when many people no longer believe in God and more material values have taken over. Bluteau plays a theatre director who is asked to stage a performance of the passion of the Christ and does so with such intensity, that the public are genuinely moved and the real power of Christ's message to the world shines through. However, the reinterpretation of Christ's life is deemed blasphemous by the church and they decide to pull the performance. Although the movie is about a play, the movie itself mirrors the passion of the Christ and raises the interesting question of what Christ would think of a modern-day Montreal, obsessed with money, celebrity and exploitation.<br />
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<b><i>C.R.A.Z.Y.</i> (2005) dir. Jean-Marc Vallée</b><br />
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I absolutely loved this movie and can't believe that I hadn't seen it before. It's a great family drama about five brothers (<b>C</b>hristian, <b>R</b>aymond, <b>A</b>ntoine, <b>Z</b>achary and <b>Y</b>van) and their relationship with their Patsy Cline-obsessed father, Gervais Beaulieu. The story centres around the fourth son Zac and the difficulty he has accepting his sexuality and being accepted by his father. Zac is doted on by his mother, who believes he has a special gift, as he should have been her seventh child (due to three miscarriages) and because he was born on Christmas Day and, therefore, shares a birthday with Jesus.<br />
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The soundtrack for the movie is excellent and we follow Zac's story as he grows up in the era of glam rock and then punk. Apparently the music rights for his movie cost CND$600,000, which was a sizeable chunk of the overall budget.<br />
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<b>The movie I didn't see</b><br />
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Unfortunately I didn't manage to get my hands on Arcand's 1986 comedy-drama, <i>The Decline of the American Empire</i>. By all accounts, it's a must-see for anyone who's interested in Quebecois cinema. Ah, well - perhaps I'll come across this movie another time. In the meantime, I'll post a YouTube trailer for this movie, so you can get a sense of what it's about.<br />
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-597827421832737832015-01-25T09:00:00.000+00:002015-01-31T16:21:33.098+00:00Quebec - My Country is Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It's hard to blog about Quebec at this time of the year and not notice how cold the temperature there is right now. I always have quite a few cities around the world displayed on the weather apps on my phone. <i>(What, weather obsessed? No, not me!)</i> With a low today of -19 Celsius (-2.2 Fahrenheit) Montreal is the second-coldest place on my list and only Ulan Bator in Mongolia has a lower temperature (-21 C/-5.8 F)</span></div>
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With an average 141 days of snow per year, Schefferville, on the border with Newfoundland and Labrador, is the <a href="http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Canada/Quebec/snowfall-annual-average.php">snowiest place in Quebec</a> and Quebec itself is one of the snowiest places in the world, its main rivals being Kamchatka and northern Japan. </div>
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Quebec City hosts a <a href="http://carnaval.qc.ca/en/">winter carnival</a> every year, this year's carnival is starting next week, on the 30th of January 2015. As well as events, workshops and bemused tourists, the carnival also has a mascot, <i>Le Bonhomme</i> - a kind of gigantic snowman - and was first held in 1894. It attracts around a million visitors a year and is one of the world's biggest winter festivals. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rue Pontiac in Montreal by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/mrurbain/">Jonathan Malboeuf</a></td></tr>
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Winter plays a very important role in Quebecois culture and, traditionally, it was a time when people would retreat to their log cabins and live off fruits they'd preserved after one of the world's shortest harvests. In a modern age, where year-long productivity is the norm, it's hard to imagine a whole society going into hibernation in this way and, indeed, one of the things that shocked me most about Quebec was the fact that people only get around 10 days paid holiday every year!</div>
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In his book, <i>Sacré Blues: An unsentimental journey through Quebec</i> (2000) <b>Taras Grescoe</b> talks about this period of retreat and how it quite possibly led to the creation of great art - people in Quebec love their actors, poets and musicians. He also claims that people in modern-day Quebec have declared war on winter. Montreal has one of the world's most aggressive snow-removal policies and it costs the city around $54 million dollars a year to keep the streets snow-free. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Un appel etrange by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrurbain/">Jonathan Malboeuf</a></td></tr>
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Grescoe provides even more evidence than Quebec is at war with winter, for example, he highlights the fact that modern movies about Quebec tend to be set in summer and winter is no longer celebrated. Thinking of the movies I've watched as part of my research, this is definitely true and I can think of very few winter scenes and, even when winter scenes are included, they represent a low-point, psychologically, in the narrative. </div>
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Grescoe also points out that around 10% of the Quebec's population heads south during the winter months, mostly to resorts in Florida like Hallandale and Hollywood Beach. Winter costs a lot of money; people have to buy medicine and winter clothes, cars deteriorate quicker in Quebec than in other parts of Canada and roads need constant repair after the winter season. </div>
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But winter encourages a sense of community life over individualism and, surely, this is a very Quebecois characteristic, at odds with other North American cultures, which seem to put the needs of the individual above all else? </div>
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In one of his most famous and popular songs, the singer <b>Gilles Vigneault</b> proclaims:</div>
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<i>Mon pays c'est ne pas un pays, c'est l'hiver</i></div>
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<i>(My country is not a country, it's winter)</i></div>
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And it makes one wonder what ever happened to the love of winter in Quebec? </div>
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Given the evidence of global warming and the fact that we modern generations have been experiencing much milder winters than our predecessors experienced (even in places like Canada!), winter is fast becoming an 'endangered season'. </div>
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I know it's easy to say for me to say this, sitting in the pleasant and relatively balmy winter of southern England, but I kind of wish we could <i>all</i> appreciate winter a bit more. Okay, it causes inconveniences, meetings need to be cancelled, business grinds to a halt, but why not throw another log on the fire, start reading a good book and just enjoy the break from constant activity?<br />
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
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For this blog post, I wanted to highlight the photography of Flickr member. Mr Urbain, aka <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/mrurbain/">Jonathan Malboeuf</a>. You can see more of Jonathan's pictures on his <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrurbain/">photo stream</a>. Thanks Jonathan for sharing these with us, using the Creative Commons license. </div>
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Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8403910778753284413.post-64420091052498825782015-01-18T12:32:00.000+00:002015-01-18T12:46:31.928+00:00Quebec - How I made Poutine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's surprising in many ways that <i>poutine</i> has become the dish that's most associated with Quebec. Indeed, when I was looking at the different options of things I could make to represent Quebec, I kept coming across <i>poutine</i> again and again.<br />
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Despite its historical connections to France, food in Quebec seems to be fairly 'down-to-earth' and, in many ways, <i>poutine</i> encapsulates the different traditions of Quebec. It's also versatile enough to lend itself to other culinary traditions and these days you can get all kinds of <i>poutines</i> with Greek, Italian and TexMex flavours. I actually tried a real <i>poutine</i> when I was in Quebec, at Rimouski bus station - my <i>poutine</i> was Italian-style with a <i>Bolognaise</i> sauce. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first experience of <i>poutine</i> at Rimouski bus station</td></tr>
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With dubious origins as a 1950's late-night snack to accompany beer, <i>poutine</i> is now gaining a reputation as good hangover food and, if this <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2014/sep/07/poutine-the-posh-chips-and-gravy-taking-over-the-world">Guardian article</a> is to believed, Quebecois <i>poutine</i> is poised to take over the world!<br />
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Posh chips and gravy? Perhaps. All I know is that it's one of the least healthiest dishes I've made for this blog and I can only describe it as a real <i>carb attack</i>. Tasty though, in a <i>guilty pleasure</i> kind of way. Not to mention, easy-to-make.<br />
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<b>The ingredients</b><br />
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I looked at lots of different recipes when researching for this blog post, then made up my own recipe based on what I could remember and what I could get my hands on. The hardest ingredient to find was <i>cheese curds</i> and, unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on any, but substituted with <i>paneer</i>, an Indian cheese which has a similar consistancy. Anyway, here are the ingredients I used to make my <i>poutine</i>. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ingredients for Quebecois <i>poutine</i></td></tr>
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5/6 baking potatoes<br />
Unsalted butter<br />
Paneer<br />
1 onion<br />
1 garlic clove<br />
Worcestershire sauce<br />
Cider vinegar<br />
1 cup beef stock<br />
1 cup vegetable stock<br />
1/2 cup flour<br />
Pork lardons<br />
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<b>How I made <i>Poutine</i></b><br />
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Preparation of <i>poutine</i> started with the potatoes, which I peeled, then sliced into chips and immersed in a bowl full of water. I then put these in the fridge for a couple of hours before coming back to finish the preparations for this dish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I usually prepare all of the ingredients before starting to cook</td></tr>
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The next step I took was to fry the pork <i>lardons</i>. To be honest, I could have done this at the end, but I thought I would be too busy with the chips and gravy, so it would be good to have one less thing to worry about.<br />
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The main challenge with <i>poutine</i> is timing it, so the all of the ingredients, except the cheese, are hot when they arrive on the plate.<br />
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Most traditional <i>poutine</i> recipes are vegetarian, but I decided to add some meat, as I wanted to have something in there that wasn't purely carbs! In a way, <i>lardons</i> are quite French, so I guess I was <i>gallicising</i> this otherwise very North American dish. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fry the pork <i>lardons</i></td></tr>
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My next step was to prepare the gravy, which I did by first frying the onion and garlic, then adding Worcestershire sauce and Cider vinegar. I went a bit mad on the old vinegar which I wouldn't recommend as it influences the taste of the gravy. Once the onions had softened a bit, I added the beef and vegetable stock and let whole thing come to the boil.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fry the onion and garlic in Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar</td></tr>
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Once the mixture had cooked for a bit (about fifteen minutes), I took them off the heat and strained the liquid into a bowl, discarding the onions. I'm not a great believer in discarding food, but I wanted to stick to the original idea of <i>poutine</i>. If I were making it again, however, I'd probably keep the onions and garlic in the gravy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strain the mixture, discarding the onions and garlic</td></tr>
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Using the same pot, I added the butter, letting it melt before stirring in the flour. This made a kind of batter, known as a <i>roux</i>. Before the <i>roux</i> fried too much, I started stirring in the rest of the gravy mixture and whisk it, until the <i>roux</i> dissolved completely, thickening the gravy/sauce.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melt the butter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add flour to the melted butter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mix the flour and butter to make a <i>roux</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nS5SpmfFTLe97IclGiYW8t5o9uNeRDsT_WBjZyxsGfU4csQl0c2duEKbO1XIyLkjNiuDYz1K3Gwdk4oD2zQM6s_sIeXtvM6_OA_FTLYTHhDd7BA0WP-_xu6Bsk7TSwV6v_eeO7mIUjQ/s1600/IMG_2097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nS5SpmfFTLe97IclGiYW8t5o9uNeRDsT_WBjZyxsGfU4csQl0c2duEKbO1XIyLkjNiuDYz1K3Gwdk4oD2zQM6s_sIeXtvM6_OA_FTLYTHhDd7BA0WP-_xu6Bsk7TSwV6v_eeO7mIUjQ/s1600/IMG_2097.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stir in the onion/stock mixture and whisk to make a yummy grave which looks like <i>butterscotch</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next I deep-fat fried the potato chips, by heating half a pot of vegetable oil and putting the chips into the oil in batches. I've always wondered how to get crispy chips and now I know - you need to deep-fat fry them, drain the oil off on paper, let them cool and then fry them a second time. It's the first time I've done this and the second frying made my chips really crispy!<br />
<br />
I was a bit disorganised in general and had no kitchen paper to drain the chips, so I resorted to good old newspaper, which is actually great at soaking up the oil - I'd recommend it, better than paper towels!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnVr19ozALgtlj2EBKX7x6IETGaTwflCF-rAfkfepJD8ZtlhLFdmFoaie255Su67fImrDpDYa4IFAu8EmthAC3fm4LhfdCXHaNPEC6rJA2Wi9VGeKE2V9zwmFJbOzuNhCprFhNsDis3E/s1600/IMG_2099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnVr19ozALgtlj2EBKX7x6IETGaTwflCF-rAfkfepJD8ZtlhLFdmFoaie255Su67fImrDpDYa4IFAu8EmthAC3fm4LhfdCXHaNPEC6rJA2Wi9VGeKE2V9zwmFJbOzuNhCprFhNsDis3E/s1600/IMG_2099.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'White' chips after first deep-fat fry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfW6bGsty7y0hJyDkkKb8r-6hd_wA1sJej_oF-D-prfqNqkkQTTn4BPJQ095UXF_-xjudvMVOIPqKZFgvE5HxQXWGVVuN5pPljel_6r2KpELgYZ55rnXZJN540HT8GeQfdNcKoAyZreHY/s1600/IMG_2100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfW6bGsty7y0hJyDkkKb8r-6hd_wA1sJej_oF-D-prfqNqkkQTTn4BPJQ095UXF_-xjudvMVOIPqKZFgvE5HxQXWGVVuN5pPljel_6r2KpELgYZ55rnXZJN540HT8GeQfdNcKoAyZreHY/s1600/IMG_2100.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greasy spoon on newspaper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpa4vpY4WuJjY5-AreCI9qfb2hPNpq8mxSJQO2Lj3gFiRTV6eQEI9N84brlCEwF7TJMguUrPa0BriWbp-cuxPX2_vLL2rfTJerJMqtg5pCheLOALmtzJb6kdSk0mUJa7Qp5FW01Bh7HqU/s1600/IMG_2106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpa4vpY4WuJjY5-AreCI9qfb2hPNpq8mxSJQO2Lj3gFiRTV6eQEI9N84brlCEwF7TJMguUrPa0BriWbp-cuxPX2_vLL2rfTJerJMqtg5pCheLOALmtzJb6kdSk0mUJa7Qp5FW01Bh7HqU/s1600/IMG_2106.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown chips after second deep-fat fry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Once the chips had browned, I transferred them to a plate, adding the pork lardons (cold by now, but that didn't really matter). I then took the squares of <i>paneer</i> out of the fridge and sprinkled these on top, before pouring over the gravy. The key to a good <i>poutine</i>, I guess is thin gravy, so it seeps down through the cheese and chips and also chilled cheese, so it doesn't melt immediately, but retains a rubbery consistency when the gravy is poured over the top.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsrFnPJPImYEGrq44RYHGdP3UWByhR_ifpWIE0rWLpuXdYFEK8Xt1x_ruK8vwapw6TIPXPzdEpDgO4o_7g4UaAMFpmbioMDnNqC1Z_Jnl6P6yZlxKXhqa-VurLEHPNArtPZWIv6Gq4s4/s1600/IMG_2107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsrFnPJPImYEGrq44RYHGdP3UWByhR_ifpWIE0rWLpuXdYFEK8Xt1x_ruK8vwapw6TIPXPzdEpDgO4o_7g4UaAMFpmbioMDnNqC1Z_Jnl6P6yZlxKXhqa-VurLEHPNArtPZWIv6Gq4s4/s1600/IMG_2107.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chips</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfzI2glmKidcOk4E71bBiq0ch-sifJnunJR58QqXOhNzLawu0f4QXd0KHbPHQr34yaU9q5Ps77m8WgULIWZ03q_haxLkLs0hFsbowlJGOTgI-OFan-Ek15lgTah4OOTsrBfMKXanILoA/s1600/IMG_2108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfzI2glmKidcOk4E71bBiq0ch-sifJnunJR58QqXOhNzLawu0f4QXd0KHbPHQr34yaU9q5Ps77m8WgULIWZ03q_haxLkLs0hFsbowlJGOTgI-OFan-Ek15lgTah4OOTsrBfMKXanILoA/s1600/IMG_2108.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chips + lardons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA1_28oXRlAe7MkIDQcbyeNWLX_J1b9o3IDUCfTG_vxGcj3LZZ-petVDnszz25pE7l5pO87IlSyN_jHtRsUqYM23OqUe13kNn6nT9gRUKfVhQbYOlO4pMdza_ymQs7K0Boo1DFK85vjA/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA1_28oXRlAe7MkIDQcbyeNWLX_J1b9o3IDUCfTG_vxGcj3LZZ-petVDnszz25pE7l5pO87IlSyN_jHtRsUqYM23OqUe13kNn6nT9gRUKfVhQbYOlO4pMdza_ymQs7K0Boo1DFK85vjA/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chips + lardons + cheese</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIE8V14INpVGT5fG6MvDW_O3nu0H1vfC_k6UJFqPIdIbXR5mmNpjLnX3Ra7a5dPS4J50ykpeOe9vF5B0hlmQQspzaQtxTgJS5XeXCybpYPBmGRT3dozmfPLllUubfCNzrkzw1ZFbGXOY/s1600/IMG_2113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIE8V14INpVGT5fG6MvDW_O3nu0H1vfC_k6UJFqPIdIbXR5mmNpjLnX3Ra7a5dPS4J50ykpeOe9vF5B0hlmQQspzaQtxTgJS5XeXCybpYPBmGRT3dozmfPLllUubfCNzrkzw1ZFbGXOY/s1600/IMG_2113.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chips + lardons + cheese + gravy = <i>poutine</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The gravy was yummy - I was a bit worried about the colour, but more than one recipe stated that it should look like <i>butterscotch, </i>so I guess my gravy was fine. It certainly tasted good - a warm and filling dish on a cold winter's day!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHtJEJZrOgbFKB4N24pJrMvEpIAOksyzRvNE5T1ew2TdqSs4XBXbARN-KRP8hoHHPYjkPoXh0AHo1-JQWprDEn7SbmGybApeuUQL7oldz0ari_KYLE7_U81SqWNOUL9ZZMuZmSqBNv7Q/s1600/IMG_2114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHtJEJZrOgbFKB4N24pJrMvEpIAOksyzRvNE5T1ew2TdqSs4XBXbARN-KRP8hoHHPYjkPoXh0AHo1-JQWprDEn7SbmGybApeuUQL7oldz0ari_KYLE7_U81SqWNOUL9ZZMuZmSqBNv7Q/s1600/IMG_2114.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quebecois <i>poutine</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Image credits:</b><br />
<br />
All images were taken by me on my trusty Canon EOS 1100D. Feel free to re-use these images with the Creative commons license:<br />
<br />
<i>- Attribution (especially to this blog post)</i><br />
<i>- Non-commercial</i><br />
<i>- Share alike</i><br />
<br /></div>
Mauk Donnabhainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16838569443637130748noreply@blogger.com0