english version
2
Daniel Bosshart daniel_bosshart@gmx.net Winterthur (Switzerland), October 2011 english Version
Many thanks to Evelyn Schalgenhauff who helped me out of my lost in translation
Thanks to all the people at the f!bda, Algiers Madame Dalila Nadjem
The algerian minister for culture The swiss embassy in Algiers,
Mr. Christian Scherrer, Mr. Angelo Stucker and Md. Nassima Hammouda Pro Helvetia, Madame Caroline Nicod Cuno Affolter and Cla Werro
And all the people who accompanied me in thoughts
2
3
english version
3
UNTIL THEN, I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW ALGERIA
WHEN I FIRST RECEIVED THE INVITATION
AND WHAT LITTLE I KNEW WAS ALL NEGATIVE…
FOR THE COMIC FESTIVAL IN ALGERIA, I
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME…
4
Algeria ?!
«LEAVING IS ALWAYS A LITTLE LIKE DYING…»
the book to the publisher… prepare everything at
Algeria …
Ah yes?!
GET KILLED, I CERTAINLY WOULD BE KIDNAPPED…
ME, I HALF-JOKINGLY, HALF SERIOUS PREPARED I need to take the originals of
that Ghaddafi maybe fled to
MY FRIENDS AND I TOLD JOKES THAT IF I DIDN'T
BECAUSE I DIN'T KNOW WHAT WAS AWAITING MYSELF FOR THE WORST CASE.
Today it was told in the news
Mr. Merz* will
… pay a visit to my
come to your
parents...
rescue
cancel the newspaper… have my mail held
the office…
back…
You will paint on the walls of your prison cell and when Mr.
Merz comes for your
* Swiss Federal Council in the
…But you will say
Gaddafi-case
you definitely had to finish these
walls first...,
please come again tomorrow…
rescue …
AS THE DEPARTURE DATE CAME CLOSER, THE
MORE CONFIDENT I BECAME ABOUT THE TRIP. It they can organize a
comic festival it couldn't be that bad, could it?
Yes, exactly!
4
Well....
5
the t-shirts, socks and such weigh about two pounds …
the toilet bag
the pants
another two
500 grams
pounds ...
With 23kg maximum weight
the suitcase is more
oops than 3 kg….
I could carry
a circ
maybe even 5kg?
14 books
a book weighs 700g... 23 deducted by 10.3… that's about 12
divided by 700...,
5
equals about 14
6
Yes good morning…
I should have guessed that the changing
I wrote an e-mail last Saturday, I will
the e-mail came back…
haven't received my visa so far…but
have to change my flight because I
my reservation wouldn't work…and now
now I see that you didn't get my mail…
…and the flight
leaves in half an hour ...
myeah…
Holy moley, what a bad connection. I can
hardly understand...
What?! You're charging me more that
the ticket!
Your colleague said it wouldn‘t cost anything..!
well, then he gave you the wrong information…
6
Didn't the visa arrive yet?
Are you still
…sadly no….
here?!?
But maybe I may
7
depart this evening if they manage to
organize the visa in Algiers…
What a way to start your trip...
the funny thing is that if the
…but at least now I have a story to tell…
visa came via mail today… I wouldn't get it, because my
mail is held back as of today…
Hello I have a tiny problem...
...but it the visa
certainly
should it arrive on
on week-
Saturday, why Monday?
7
...they
doesn't arrive on
dont work ends…
.ah...finally an e-mail from
.mhmmm...what is she writ-
the swiss embassy… and
ing: The Problem will be
the festival...
8
solved in one or the other way…well ok….
I think matters there are handled in a different way…
ABOUT 15 HOURS LATER AT AROUND 00:30 A.M., AT THE AEROPORT OF ALGIERS… Look...
you can stay here for the night …
BEFORE THAT I WAS TOLD, THAT
THEY COULD ISSUE A VISA ONLY THE
Yes indeed, here things get handled differently
NEXT MORNING…
8
AT 2:00 A.M. AND LATER AT 04:00 A.M.
IT WAS GETTING COLDER BY THE MINUTE…
A FLIGHT DEPARTED…
9
AFTER THE LAST DEPARTURE THERE WERE ONLY STAFF IN THE HALL AND ONLY SOME CLEANING PERSONNEL WAS TALKING...
AT AROUND 07:00 A.M. THE HALL BECAME SLOWLY MORE LIVELY AGAIN AND A NEW DAY BEGAN...
9
I WAS POSITIVELY SURPRISED THAT
Are you Mr. Daniel Bosshart?
SOMEONE LOOKED INTO MY Case…
for a visa? Yes.
…no I only have
you already had your
With the request
coffee sir?
10
Allright, I
Euros to pay with…
will fetch you one
…A GOOD MOMENT LATER…
This is
...BUT THE NOTHING HAPPENED
very nice!
FOR HOURS...
Are you from
Switzerland?
10
Ah finally... Yes...
WE RETURNED TO THE PASSPORT CONTROL WHERE I GOT Come with me...
STRANDED UPON MY ENTRY ABOUT 12 HOURS BEFORE…
11
Are you Stay here.
Yes…
tired…? …Yes a bit
Hello Mr. Stucker*- Yes finally
Look!
everything is fine, I just ar-
Now we can
rived and now I am accompanied
say: Welcome
to town ...
to Algeria!
11
*from the embassy
12
12
13
Thank Voilà the Hotel you. Safir.
…and what‘s your name?
Hello!
Are you at the festival?
yes
13
Amine
14
AFTER A SHORT BREAK WE WERE TAKEN TO THE VENUE WHERE THE FESTIVAL TOOK PLACE AND WHERE THE OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY
14
HAPPENED.
IT'S NICE TO MEET SO MANY PEOPLE HERE THAT SHARE THE SAME INTERESTS, WE GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER QUICKLY…
15
IT'S NICE THAT PEOPLE WERE DRAWING ALL THE TIME AND THAT WAS JUST NORMAL
have a seat!
THE VISITORS WERE VERY CURIOUS AND LIKED TO HAVE A PEAK OVER OUR SHOULDERS Can I have
AROUND THERE…
a look?
15
Ah yes…
IN THE MORNING AT 09:00AM WE LEFT
…AND ARRIVED BACK AT AROUND 08:30 P.M
THE HOTEL FOR THE FESTIVAL…
16
…BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE MUCH OF THE CITY, I TOOK THE CHANCE…
Who wants to Me!
see the Basilika?
*
*-it‘s a little bit like in Brasil- ah yes…
Look
his! at t
No Litter ing! (Don 't throw garbage in the landsc ape)
16
… I WAS FASCINATED AT HOW ALL THE BUILDINGS WERE WHITE AND THEIR WINDOWS AND SHUTTERS WERE ALL BLUE ...
17
this wouldn't be possible in Switzerland…
MOST PEOPLE WERE SPEAKING ENGLISH AND FRENCH OF COURSE...
WITH EDUARDO PINTO BARBIER I COULD EVEN PRACTICE MY PORTUGUESE...
SOMETIMES I GOT CONFUSED BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES...
…SO I WAS HAPPY, WHEN I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK GERMAN FOR A CHANGE...
Viktoria
17
Lavaso, lavaso...?
A coffee please
sounds oriental…
Lavaso or american?
18
hmm, that's proba-
bly gonna be nice.
But the change I
50 Dinar
wanna see it later
Ok…
…ähm
in my cash register
I'm sorry, but I have only a
Sua gr wi spo th on a
1000 Dinar bill
18
Lavaso… but it‘s a
Lavazzo!!
BEFORE I CAME TO ALGERIA, I ASKED MYSELF IT THE PEOPLE HERE WOULD UNDERSTAND MY STORIES, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T USE WORDS. BUT I THOUGH THE DIFFERENCES IN CULTURE AND
19
SOCIETY WOULD BE SO HUGE, THAT THE PEOPLE WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND MY IMAGES…
… I WAS REALLY SURPRISED BY THE OPPOSITE. IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THE STORIES DID OPEN
THE HEARTS OF THE READERS, REGARDLESS OF WHICH CORNER OF THE WORLD THEY CAME FROM…
19
ON FRIDAY THE STREETS LOOKED A BIT DIFFERENT...
20 This can‘t be!
Friday here is like Sunday in Europe, the weekend is on Friday
now something became
and Saturday…
clear to me….!
… I thought: «Wow, the people
on the embassy worked especially for me on sunday »
20
ON THURSDAY WE WERE NOT TAKEN BACK TO THE HOTEL FOR DINNER…
21
THE DINNER WAS IN A VERY NOBLE HOTEL WITH MADAME MINISTER OF CULTURE OF ALGERIA…
What?
WE DIDN'T REALLY FIT IN AT THAT PLACE…
… IT HAD ALMOST AS MANY WAITERS AS GUESTS...
? What‘s up
21
Delegation!
ON FRIDAY A WEDDING TOOK PLACE IN THE ROOM JUST NEXT TO OURS AT OUR HOTEL…
22 ional! This is tradit
AFTER THE DINNER WE WENT TO THE TERRACE FOR A LITTLE DRINK… Hello!
Bye!
DURING THE NIGHT A THUNDERSTORM CAME UP…
THE RAIN FALLING ON THE WINDOW PANE IN THE BATH-
What
a pity!
Hello!
ROOM SOUNDED LIKE SOMEBODY WAS TAKING A SHOWER…
*
* THUNDER!
22
THE NEXT DAY I SHOWED MRS. HAMMOUDA* THE SWISS EXPOSITION… …and here
some artists…
23
…like Zep, Cosey…
* FROM THE EMBASSY
…right!
…what‘s here? …a lighthouse
…Iii…
…right!
…dont speak french…
She‘s the best in our school
Ah look!
A WOMAN, WHOM I DIDN'T KNOW
HAD MERCY ON ME AND HELPED ME WITH THE TRANSLATION …
Thanks for your help
that‘s
nothing…
23
DURING THE DISCUSSION ABOUT SUPERHEROS THE GROUP RAN INTO SOME TRANSLATING DIFFICULTIES…
24 ow …I Kn w I kno
THE GROUP ALSO SUMMARIZED THE WEEK, WHICH I COULD ONLY AGREE WITH… … well we saw that every student here is equal to every student in the U.S. there is no difference! And so over all the differences, the social, political and religion… the art of comic is equal I guess all over the world…
24
IN THE EVENING OF THE CLOSURE OF THE FESTIVAL, WE WERE TREATED TO A SPECIAL DINNER OF A WHOLE SHEEP ON A SPIT…
25
AND SOON WE HAD TO SAY OUR GOODBYES AND BE ON OUR WAY HOME… Thank you for all!
AND SOON AFTER…
25
AFTER THE ADVENTURE DURING MY ENTRY I HOPED THAT THE DEPARTURE WOULD BE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS…
26
Ok.
STILL A LAST CONTROL OF THE PASSPORT AT THE GATE…
Yes
I REALLY NEVER EXPECTED THAT THEY HAD THAT KIND OF HUMOR… od… That‘s go
26
27
4-ème
Festival Inernational de la Bande dessiné Alger, bulles sans frontières http://www.bdalger.net
27
28
28