Cannes Film Festival 2022 : Jussanam

Cannes Film festival 2022 - Jussanam

Cannes Film Festival 2022 - Jussanam (Photo by Amir Asif)

Josephine Baker at Panthéon

 Josephine Baker entered to the Pantheon in Paris 30/11/2021 and I was there , inside , with the family and a total of 2.000 guests. 

                             Josephine and Jussanam - Pantheon Paris 30/11/2021

Lots of people outside, filled up the street and others sat down in the 2 big bleachers just in front of the Pantheon. 

To be inside, you should have recieved an invitation coming from the Presidency of the French Republic. I got that , thanks to the Josephine Baker sons , specially thanks to Brian Baker and Jeannot Bouillon Baker. 

            https://fb.watch/9IzKdo3umC/ 

I cried when I got the first letter from the President and wife , direct from the Elysee Palace inviting me and asking me to confirm my presence. Oh my God, what a bit emotion, what a sensation !  I said yes and 2 days later I got my final invitation. 

I traveled from Cannes , where I live since 2013 ,  to Paris, accompanied by my daughter that had the privilege to be with me at the Pantheon. Different from Cannes and it's blue skies we could see snow in our way. 

We leaved Cannes with the sunshine and fresh weather and we arrived in Paris with a very cold weather and gray skies. But, Paris is always Paris and we enjoyed the city since we arrived some days before the cerimony. 

The cerimony was really magnificent ! From my point of view , it was Perfect ! No words to describe. 

When we arrived at the Pantheon, we presented ours invitations to the security and so we were received in  the entrance by the Hostess ,offering alchool gel and masks for people that had not one. It was interdited being inside without masks, we had ours. Also it was interdit to film ot photograph the cerimony when it started. I made some films before the cerimony started and you can see that on my social pages. You can also, watch the whole cerimony on youtube by the offcial chanels. 

Inside of the Pantheon, before the cerimony started, we could listen to Josephine Baker singing as an angel and as a Diva she truly was. They have chosen the songs very appropriated for this solene cerimonie and her voice and songs well chosen made us entered in an divine athmosphere and prepared us to the biggest emotions to come. 

We watched the speech of the Presidente of French Republic , Emmanuel Macron and it was a very good one, with a resume of the Josephine Baker parcours and why she was getting this French honneur. His wife, Brigitte Macron was leaving some tears in some moments as many of us in the audience. 

The Prince Albert the Monaco, son of the Princess Grace Kelly that had an important role helping Josephine Baker in her bad financial moment in life, was also very emotional and we could see how it was touching for him, each time the President was telling her mother name. 

In this same roll of chairs, in the first one, we could also see some of the Josephine Baker sons and the image I will keep in my mind it was from Marianne holding and caressing the hand of her brother Brian Baker during the great cerimonie. 

I had the opportunity to give my compliments to the family after the cerimonie and met some of them personally for the first time. Some already had a contact with me for long time since I have started to playing my concert in homage to Josephine, some are closer as Luis Bouillon and family that lives closer by Cannes, near Monaco and Jeannot Bouillon that lives in Monaco and also Brian Baker and his wife that even living in Paris, we are always in contact and we have met personally in Cannes and we keep in contact very often. So, I talked with Marianne , Josephine Baker's daughter for the first time and the Josephine's sons Jean-Claude Baker and Mara, for the first time too. I haven't seen Steline, the other daughter of Josephine Baker, unfortunatelly. Marianne,  touched me when she told me: "I think about my mother every day and I miss her each morning when I awake up." 

                                 Jussanam avec Marianne Bouillon Baker and Luis Bouillon Baker

                                     Mara Bouillon Baker and Jussanam

I would like to destac specially when I met Akio Bouillon Baker on there, because it was a strong moment. Akio received me with a so glad expression, with shining eyes and with his arms totally open to embrace me that I got feel all his love and warmness and I was there with him the same way: with lots of love for him and his brothers/sisters. I will keep that moment for ever in my mind and in my heart. 

                                                Jussanam and Akio Bouilln Baker

As said ; the cerimonie was perfect , touching, magnificent. But there is a moment , that only who was there could feel what means when the big door of the Pantheon is opening slowly in front of our eyes to the entrance of the Josephine Baker's cenotaph and we could see the Eiffel Tour blinking and shining behind . Oh my God! What a beauty of a moment! When the 6 carriers of the Air Force putted arrived in the middle of the Pantheon, at the place where the cenotaph should be reposing, the big door of the Pantheon with the Tower real image was closing very slowly and yes, Josephine had finally entered in the Pantheon and the music went down and a silence filled up the place and the emotion was so strong as we were in the heaven, as Josephine Baker have entered into the heaven and we were witness of this moment.  

As an Icelandic citizen, I brought Iceland with me to the Pantheon and not only Brazil. To have Watched this solene and great cerimonie that touched my heart deeply as I am a Josephine Baker's lover, as I am singing her in France since 2018, because I interpreted her in 2002 in Theatre Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, and because of all that's mean for black people but not only, it has a great meaning for the humanity in general, for the union of the races and nations, because Josephine Baker was an universalist as say very well her son Brian Baker and I agree totally. 

Well, it will be registered into my mind forever ! My heart is happy ! 

I can't express how much I am gratefull to Josephine Baker's family to allow me to be between them at this moment. 

Congratulations Josephine Baker , now you are Eternal ! 

Et vive la Republique et Vive la France , 

Jussanam

Les Soirées Estivales 2021

This year 2021 my show hommage : Jussanam AVEC Josephine Baker have been selected to the Summer Nights in the French Riviera ( Les Soirees Estivales) and we had the pleasure to performer in the Beautiful City Beaulieu-sur-Mer and also in the beautiful towns: Blausasc and Touet-sur-var. 

The concert in Beulieu-sur-Mer was in a so beautiful place : The Oliviers' Garden ( Jardin de L'Olivaie) the garden is so beautiful and the scene they have prepared for us it was a huge one ! Almost 500 people sat down in the chairs to listen to me singing and telling the history of the first International Black Star: Josephine Baker. Beautiful evening and I would say unforgetable. I felt some energy , some magical athmosphere that evening and I did not know why. I thought it was only because the place was so nice and the audience was great, but no , it was not all. In fact, we were celebrating without knowing the news about the entrance of Josephine Baker in the Pantheon. When I got the news next day, so I knew, yes, it was a celebration ! Josephine Baker was happy ! Remember , I am WITH  (AVEC) Josephine Baker and she was really happy that evening !

On this photo : Monsieur Auguste Verola (Conseil Departamental des Alpes Maritimes) et Peter Guildoux

( Representant of the City Mayor) 

Monsieur Verola opened the concert with a speech and he told, he met Josephine Baker in person in her Castle Les Milandes in the Dordogne when he was younger.

In Touet-sur-var our concert was inside , in the Sport Center of the Town because it is in the high mountains and the weather was little cold and little rainy different of the French Riviera Coast.

We had only great moments in all the concerts.

Thanks to the Conseil Departemental the Alpes Maritimes and the gentle staff of all Cities where we performed. We also thanks to the restaurants that have offered us very nice and good food : Chez Eric ( Touet-sur-var ) et   Pourquoi pas (  Port de Beulieu-sur-Mer).

In Blausasc we had diner in the local, prepared with love for the City Staff members and it gave us a very familiar moment. Really nice. The City Mayor is a man full of good humour and his staff and his village looks really very happy and very well integrated as a big family. Congratulations Monsieur Michel Lottier.

The concert in Beaulieu-sur-Mer have been watched by members of the Roquebrune-cap-Martin Tourism Office and they got so excited with the concert that they told me , you must come to perform in Roquebrune Cap-Martin and I will tell you more about that in the next blog.

Stay tunned,

Jussanam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soirées Estivales 2020 - Saint Paul de Vence 

We have been selected to present my spectacle Jussanam AVEC Josephine Baker in the Soirees Estivales 2020 and it was wonderful to have this opportunity in a so strange year. After Valdeblore, we were in Saint Paul de Vence , 15/08/2020.

Saint Paul de Vence is such a beautiful medieval village , not that far from Nice. So , when you come to the French Riviera, take a time to visit that wonderful place.

Also, we have been so well received for the staff of the city that we would like to register our big thanks…

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Les Soirées Estivales 2020 - Valdeblore 

We have been selected to present my spectacle Jussanam AVEC Josephine Baker in the Soirees Estivales 2020 and it was wonderful to have this opportunity in a so strange year. 

We performed in the nice Valdeblore, 14/08/2020. Valdeblore is a small town in the Mountains of the French Riviera. 

When I got the stage and I saw the whole audience with masks it was a strange sensation but it was what everybody should do and I congratulate this 

audience for that and all mesures that the Conseil Departemental took…

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Fête de la Musique 2020 - Saint Paul de Vence 

2020 is not a normal year , it is a year of the Corona Virus Pandemy that changed everything and sadly to know about dear people that passed away and also

to know many families are now missing them. My deep sentiments to all.

Despite of it, I could sing in the Day of Music in France,  Fete de la Musique in the beautiful Saint Paul de Vence. And after the confinement I can sure you,

it was a great sensation. We were free again and bring art and enterteinement for the people and see they were happy with that…

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Singing Josephine Baker at CUM Nice 

It was a big pleasure and a honneur to sing at the beautifull hall in Nice : CUM as part of the Festival organised by Melcha Coder

and with Coreographies by Serge Manguette. So nice and easy to work with a lovely personality as Serge Manguette, not mention the professionalism.

 You can see Serge Mangette with me on this video:

The opening started with the actress and singer Isabelle Servol interpreting Mistingett (Nice person and a good actress and singer as well) accompanied by the pianist Arnaud…

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My Ancestors - Finding the Viking one 

Let me tell you how I got crazy about my ancestors and did a lot of researching about that and what I have found. I will try to resume the best I can.

My daughter Jaqueline did a DNA test and when she got the results she got emotional and happy because , big surprise she got Nordic gens. Then... I was surprised and I  said that it should be from her father family. We knew that her father family origins were Spanish and Portuguese but we never heard about Scandinavian members of the family. 

You know, my…

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Singing in Iceland - august 2019 

Hello Dears , hope you are all doing well,

I am still with a very good sensation deep in my heart, after being in Iceland, visiting and singing in my second Country.

As you know I am an Icelandic citizen since 2011 and I am proud and gratefull to the Icelandic people for that.

After some years in France and without visiting Iceland for so long time, of course I feel me very happy that I've made it ,

last august.

 

Seeing Iceland again, seeing Reykjavik, it was so emotional but also a so happy moment…

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On the Magazine - Sophia Métropole Mag² 

It is a lovely way to ending this year, appearing on the magazine Sophia - Metropole Mag. 

Thanks to the journalist Janny Plessis that came to interview me  with Luis Bouillon Baker, Josephine Baker's son. Thanks also to my Press team : Marie-Caroline Lafay and Didier Finco This project is really a project of my heart, a dream project and I really want follow with it  much long as I can, because it is beautiful and very important message to pass to the world.  Each time we realise a dream , we have a… Read more

Spetacle Hommage a Josephine Baker 

Hello dears,

We just had my conference de Presse 07/09 and the concert date 22/09 is arriving,

Please, see here the video of the Conference, with the special participation of Josephine Baker's son: Luis Bouillon Baker.

I translated it for you, so you have the text on youtube, just acces to it to understand what he is talking about. Lots of emotion for me on his words. Just wonderful.

Text in English and in Portuguese

I also gave the interview telling about my way from Brazil to Iceland before moving to…

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Josephine Baker a la Bresilienne 

A Josephine Baker in Brazilian style !

We will be back with my concert celebrating Josephine Baker in the Theatre de Cannes - Theatre Alexandre III, 22/09/18 21h

and if you will be by the French Riviera, drop by to watch it! You will not regret!

I am so glad with this concert, it's a big pleasure to sing it and to tell Josephine history accompanied by:

Eros Codogli - Piano

Pierre Palvair - Guitar

Cedric Le Donne - Batterie

Nicolas Castagnola - Percussion

An independent production with support of my dear…

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TV - France 3

Fete de la Musique 2020- Saint Paul de Vence - France

Fete de la Musique 2020 - Saint Paul de Vence - France