#3 CONVERSATION
ABOUT RACE AND GENDER
Episode #3
#3 CONVERSATION
ABOUT RACE AND GENDER
Funmilola Fagbamila
Funmilola Fagbamila is the guest of this third episode of the Gang Of Witches podcast.
American of nigerian origin, Funmilola Fagbamila is an author, performer, teacher, and one of the figures of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. After participating in launching the movement in Los Angeles, this Afro-feminist activist wrote and performed a play, The Intersection: Woke Black Folk. With this work, Fagbamila addresses the black population in the United States through four black characters, all of whom she portrays as having radically different points of view regarding the continuing struggle against political and institutional racism in the United States.
As a black woman, a professor of Pan-African studies and an artist, Funmilola Fagbamila questions the notion of intersectionality, in a Western world still struggling with its recent colonialist past.
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Episode #3
Summary
(00.01.14) Funmilola Fagbamila tells us about how she met Gang Of Witches and about her participation in the Netflix documentary, Feminist: what were they thinking?
(00.02.42) How did activism come into her life? Funmilola Fagbamila looks back on her journey.
(00.06.00) The sociologist tells us about the moment when she became aware that she was treated differently because of the color of her skin.
(00.09.33) Funmilola Fagbamila’s family arrived in the United States in the 80s. How did her nigerian culture influence her life?
(00.13.40) Ad Vitam Æternam, the serialized novel of Sophie Rokh.
(00.16.53) Why despite the hostility of some Americans towards black people, Funmilola Fagbamila’s parents still pursued their dream of living in the United States.
(00.19.21) Funmilola Fagbamila gives us her point of view on what it is like to be a black person in the United States today after Barack Obama‘s two terms in office.
(00.24.20) Funmilola Fagbamila and Valérie Mitteaux discuss a passage from the book Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and come back to the election of Barack Obama in 2008.
(00.28.20) The Lunar Alphabet Book of Wendy Delorme.
(00.34.20) In 2016, Funmilola Fagbamila writes The Intersection: Woke Black Folk, a play about racism. She tells us how she came up with the idea.
(00.37.57) Funmilola Fagbamila is a teacher of Pan-African studies and together with her students she discusses topics such as the importance of knowledge and logic.
(00.39.21) The Toolbox: critical thinking and emotional intelligence.
(00.43.06) Funmilola Fagbamila tells us about her inner witch.
(00.45.37) Making the difference between the notions of race and racism, being aware of one’s privileges when one is white.
(00.55.10) Mitteaux’s Rant.
(01.03.45) The link between racism and sexism. Often, feminism is seen as a “white women’s problem”, whereas it concerns all women.
(01.12.10) The Intersection: Woke Black Folk provoked many reactions. Funmilola Fagbamila explains the difficulty to talk about black identities within the community.
(01.18.16) Learning, educating yourself, being curious.
(01.21.44) Funmilola Fagbamila improvises a rap.
(01.22.56) Funmilola Fagbamila explains how she addresses themes such as feminism, the place of patriarchy in our society or racism to her students.
References cited
in the episode #3
The Intersection: Woke Black Folk: Funmilola Fagbamila, excerpt, 2016.
Feminist: what were they thinking?: Netflix Original, documentary, 2018.
Black Lives Matter: Organisation, 2013.
L’affaire Trayvon Martin: Press release, 2012.
Americanah: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Gallimard, 2015.
(00.05.47) Citation Angela Davis: Interview, 1972.
“L’aspect le plus important de la lutte contre le capitalisme, c’est la lutte contre le racisme”.
(00.10.52) Citation Audre Lorde: Interview, 1982.
“I think that silence is of course one of the way that we are controlled and of the very effective implants by which we control ourselves. And it’s something that each one of us, individually and collectively will die of if we don’t find a way to break it. And I have seen this come up over and over again in the women movements, in the black movement, in the lesbian movement, over and over again, these questions that are acceptable can be asked and always there’s the tendency not to ask those that do not fit into a pattern.”
(00.24.03) Citation Barack Obama: U.S. Presidential Elections, Speech by Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, 2008.
“There will be set-backs and false starts, there are many who won’t agree with every decision I’ll make as president and we know that the government can’t solve every problem, but I will always be honest with you about the challenges that we face”.
(00.49.30) Citation Toni Morrison: Interview, 1998.
“Of course I can write about white people, white people can write about black people, anything can happen in art, having to do it, having to prove that I can do it, there you have to understand, that’s this is what is embarrassing, insulting”.
Opinion d’une femme sur les femmes: Fanny Raoul, 1801, republished by Le Passager Clandestin, introduction by Geneviève Fraysse, 2011.
Vaca profana: Caetano Veloso, album Transa, 1971.
Erykah Badu: American singer.
Alok Vaid-Menon: Indian queer activist.
Credits
Guest: Funmilola Fagbamila
French voice dubbing: Rébecca Chaillon
Animation: Valérie Mitteaux and Wendy Delorme
Production: Gang Of Witches
Conception: Wendy Delorme, Valérie Mitteaux, Paola Hivelin, Sophie Rokh
Editing: Valérie Mitteaux
Sound illustration: Gang Of Witches
Musics: Shool Ken – Downstairs – Gang Of Witches
Mix: Thibault Delage, Adrien Becarria, L’Arrière Boutique
Branding & photography: Vivien Bertin
Retranscription
from episode #3
#3 CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE AND GENDER
Funmilola Fagbamila
Download the transcript – FR [pdf – 1Mo]
Press review
What
they say
“The artistic collective Gang Of Witches launches on January 10th a podcast that resembles it. Understand: eco-feminist, intensely sororalistic and revolutionary. One of its presenters tells us a few words about it. To your helmets.”
Extract from the article from Clément Arbrun for TERRAFEMINA
8th of january 2020
Download the press review – FR [pdf – 3Mo]
