WELCOME TO THE 2024/25 EDITION OF THE SAINT OLAVE’S LANGUAGES JOURNAL.
THIS YEAR’S ISSUE OFFERS A WIDE SELECTION OF ARTICLES, SHOWCASING THE CULTURAL AND INTELLECTUAL WEALTH OF COMMUNITIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE WORLD OF CINEMA AS WE EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF FRENCH DIRECTOR, JACQUES DEMY; DISCOVER DEEPROOTED CULTURAL TRADITIONS (AND HOW THEY HAVE CHANGED) WITH ARTICLES ON “THE GREEK EASTER” AND “THE SPANISH SIESTA”.
FOR CULINARY ENTHUSIASTS, WE HAVE ARTICLES ON GASTRONOMY, INVITING YOU TO SAVOUR BOTH TRADITION AND NEW TRENDS IN WORLD CUISINE. LINGUISTICS LOVERS WILL FIND THOUGHT-PROVOKING ANALYSES ON WORLD LANGUAGES, INCLUDING INSIGHTS ON LINGUISTIC TIES AND MULTILINGUALISM.
ALSO, WE DELVE INTO THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF OUR STUDENTS, WHETHER IN LANGUAGE LEARNING OR IN TRAVELLING.
SO WHETHER YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LANGUAGES IN AN ACADEMIC CAPACITY OR SIMPLY FOR PLEASURE, A GOOD PLACE TO CULTIVATE YOUR CURIOSITY IS IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS SECTION AT THE END OF THIS JOURNAL: A COLLATION OF STUDENT SUGGESTIONS RANGING FROM 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE TO RECENT FILM RELEASES.
I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE 2024/25 LANGUAGES JOURNAL, AND THAT YOU ARE INSPIRED TO TAKE INTEREST IN SOMETHING NEW.
04 - LA NOUVELLE VAGUE AND THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964), MICHELLE SUI 06 - FRANCOPHONE PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER AND FEMINISM, FREYA KEABLE 09 - MULTILINGUALISM IN MOROCCO, VAIDEHI VARMA
12 - LINGUISTIC SIMILARITIES BETWEEN GERMAN AND SWEDISH (AND ENGLISH), REMY TANNA 13 - VEGANISM IN GERMANY, ADI DHINAKARAN 14 - A TRIP TO GERMANY, TIYA PATEL
15 - THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING GERMAN, ELIZABETH FITCH & EYTHAN SOYSA
16 - THE SPANISH SIESTA, FREYA KEABLE 18 - THE IMPACT OF FOOTBALL ON ARGENTINA AND FRANCE, AILEEN ULENS & NAVIN MATHEW
23 - THE GREEK EASTER, ORESTIS TSIRKAS
LA NOUVELLE VAGUE
AND THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964)
MICHELLE SUI
LA NOUVELLE VAGUE EST UNE PÉRIODE RÉVOLUTIONNAIRE DES ANNÉES 1950 ET 1960 POUR LE CINÉMA FRANÇAIS, AU COURS DE LAQUELLE LA PLUPART DES RÈGLES, SINON TOUTES, ONT ÉTÉ TRANSGRESSÉES. ELLE SE CARACTÉRISE PAR DES STYLES DE RÉALISATION NOUVEAUX ET INNOVANTS. ELLE A ROMPU AVEC LA TRADITION DU TOURNAGE EN STUDIO ET A CHOISI DE FILMER EN PLEIN AIR. CETTE PÉRIODE A ÉGALEMENT INTRODUIT DE NOUVELLES TECHNIQUES EXPÉRIMENTALES, DES ÉLÉMENTS ET DES THÈMES QUI N’AVAIENT JAMAIS ÉTÉ ABORDÉS AUPARAVANT. AVEC LA PREMIÈRE PROJECTION CINÉMATOGRAPHIQUE RÉALISÉE PAR DES FRANÇAIS - LES FRÈRES LUMIÈRE EN 1895CETTE ÉPOQUE A MARQUÉ UN AUTRE CHANGEMENT POUR LE CINÉMA QUI L’A RÉVOLUTIONNÉ À JAMAIS.
AUJOURD’HUI, DE NOMBREUX REALISATEURS S’INSPIRENT DE LA NOUVELLE VAGUE ET SON INFLUENCE SUR LES FUTURS CINEASTES EST CONSIDERABLE. EN TEMOIGNE LA MANIERE DONT LE REALISATEUR DAMIEN CHAZELLE A CITE LA CINEMATOGRAPHIE DE JACQUES DEMY, A SES DEUX FILMS MUSICAUX, LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (1964) ET LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (1967), COMME PRINCIPALE SOURCE D’INSPIRATION POUR SON FILM LA LA LAND, RECOMPENSE AUX OSCARS EN 2016. AYANT RECEMMENT REGARDE LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG, J’AI DECIDE D’ECRIRE UN ARTICLE SUR CE QUI, A MON AVIS, EN A FAIT UN FILM SI SPECIAL ET SUR LES RAISONS POUR LESQUELLES LES CINEPHILES LE CONSIDERENT TOUJOURS COMME UN FILM INTEMPOREL.
CELEBRANT SON 60E ANNIVERSAIRE CETTE ANNEE, LE FILM GAGNANT DE LA PALME D’OR EN 1964 EST UN DRAME ROMANTIQUE ET MUSICAL. L’INTRIGUE EST REMARQUABLEMENT SIMPLE, RACONTANT L’HISTOIRE DE DEUX JEUNES AMOUREUX SEPARES PAR LES CIRCONSTANCES ET QUI POURSUIVENT LEUR CHEMIN ET LEURS AMBITIONS (VOYEZ-VOUS LE PARALLELE AVEC LA LA LAND ?). L’UTILISATION CARACTERISTIQUE DE LA COULEUR PAR DEMY DANS CE FILM EN FAIT UN FILM ESTHETIQUEMENT MAGNIFIQUE. CHAQUE SCENE EST ILLUMINEE PAR DES COULEURS VIVES ET LUMINEUSES, ET LES COSTUMES TOUT AUSSI MULTICOLORES
LA NOUVELLE VAGUE (THE FRENCH NEW WAVE) WAS A REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD DURING THE 1950S AND 1960S FOR FRENCH FILM-MAKING IN WHICH MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF THE RULES WERE BROKEN. IT WAS CHARACTERISED BY ITS NEW AND INNOVATIVE DIRECTING STYLES. IT BROKE AWAY FROM TRADITIONALLY FILMING IN PRODUCTION STUDIOS AND INSTEAD CHOSE TO FILM IN PLEIN-AIR. THE PERIOD ALSO INTRODUCED NEW EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES, ELEMENTS AND THEMES THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY NOT BEEN COVERED. WITH THE FIRST EVER CINEMA SHOWING ACHIEVED BY FRENCHMEN - THE LUMIERE BROTHERS IN 1895 - THIS ERA MARKED ANOTHER CHANGE FOR CINEMA THAT WOULD REVOLUTIONISE IT FOREVER.
TODAY, MANY FILM DIRECTORS SEEK THEIR OWN INSPIRATION FROM THE NEW WAVE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON FUTURE FILMMAKERS IS VAST RANGING. THIS CAN BE EVIDENT IN HOW THE DIRECTOR DAMIEN CHAZELLE CREDITED THE CINEMATOGRAPHY OF NEW WAVE DIRECTOR JACQUES DEMY, NAMELY HIS TWO MUSICAL FILMS THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964) AND THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (1967), AS THE MAIN SOURCES OF INSPIRATION FOR HIS OSCAR AWARDWINNING 2016 FILM, LA LA LAND. HAVING RECENTLY WATCHED THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, I DECIDED TO WRITE AN ARTICLE ON WHAT I THINK MADE IT SUCH A SPECIAL WATCH AND WHY CINEPHILES STILL HAIL IT AS A TIMELESS FILM.
CELEBRATING ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR, THE 1964 PALME D’OR WINNER IS A MUSICAL ROMANTIC DRAMA FILM. THE PLOT IS REMARKABLY SIMPLE, TELLING THE STORY OF TWO YOUNG LOVERS WHO ARE SEPARATED BY CIRCUMSTANCE AND CONTINUE WITH THEIR INDIVIDUAL PATHWAYS AND AMBITIONS (SEE THE PARALLELS TO LA LA LAND?). DEMY’S CHARACTERISTIC USE OF COLOUR IN THIS FILM MAKES IT AN AESTHETICALLY BEAUTIFUL FILM TO WATCH. EACH SCENE IS ILLUMINATED USING BRIGHT, VIVID COLOURS, WITH THE EQUALLY COLOURFUL COSTUME DESIGN
CONTRIBUENT A INDIQUER LE PASSAGE DU TEMPS. NON SEULEMENT LE FILM EST VISUELLEMENT MAGNIFIQUE
A REGARDER, MAIS LA BRILLANTE COMPOSITION DE MICHEL LEGRAND SUR LA MUSIQUE ORIGINALE CREE DES MOMENTS INCROYABLEMENT POIGNANTS LORSQUE LA MUSIQUE MONTE EN FLECHE PENDANT LE THEME RECURRENT DE « JE NE POURRAI JAMAIS VIVRE SANS TOI ». C’EST AUSSI LE PREMIER FILM FRANÇAIS DONT TOUS LES DIALOGUES SONT ENTIEREMENT CHANTES.
PAR AILLEURS, C’EST LE ROLE DE CETTE PROTAGONISTE QUI A LANCE LA CARRIERE DE CATHERINE DENEUVE, PRATIQUEMENT INCONNUE A CETTE EPOQUE, QUI RESTERA LA MUSE DU CINEASTE ET TOURNERA AVEC
LUI DANS DES FILMS INOUBLIABLES TELS QUE LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT ET PEAU D’ÂNE.
LA GRANDE FORCE DE CET OPÉRA EN TROIS ACTES, OUTRE SA VISION NOUVELLE ET EXCITANTE DU GRAND SPECTACLE HOLLYWOODIEN, RÉSIDE DANS LE FAIT QU’IL EST ANCRÉ DANS LES RÉALITÉS DE L’ÉPOQUE, QU’IL S’AGISSE DE LA GUERRE D’ALGÉRIE OU DE L’EXPÉRIENCE DE LA FÉMINITÉ DE LA PROTAGONISTE. TOUTEFOIS, C’EST PEUT-ÊTRE LA RÉALITÉ DE L’HISTOIRE DES DEUX PROTAGONISTES QUI EN FAIT UN CLASSIQUE, CAR ELLE TROUVE UN ÉCHO AUPRÈS DU PUBLIC ET NOUS RAPPELLE QUE LA VIE EST INÉVITABLEMENT CHANGEANTE.
HELPING TO DENOTE THE PASSING OF TIME. NOT ONLY IS IT VISUALLY PLEASING TO WATCH, BUT MICHEL LEGRAND’S BRILLIANT COMPOSITION OF THE ORIGINAL SCORE CREATES SOME INCREDIBLY POIGNANT MOMENTS WHEN THE MUSIC SWELLS DRAMATICALLY DURING ITS REOCCURRING THEME OF ‘I WILL WAIT FOR YOU’. IT WAS ALSO THE FIRST FRENCH FILM TO HAVE ALL ITS DIALOGUE ENTIRELY SUNG. FURTHERMORE, IT WAS THE ROLE OF THIS PROTAGONIST THAT LAUNCHED THE CAREER OF CATHERINE DENEUVE, WHO WAS VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN AT THE TIME AND WHO WOULD REMAIN THE FILMMAKER’S MUSE, GOING ON TO STAR IN UNFORGETTABLE FILMS SUCH AS THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT AND PEAU D’ÂNE (DONKEY SKIN).
THE GREAT STRENGTH OF THIS THREE-ACT OPERA, ASIDE FROM ITS NEW AND EXCITING TAKE ON THE GRAND HOLLYWOOD SPECTACLE, LIES IN THE FACT THAT IT IS ROOTED IN THE REALITIES OF THE TIME, WHETHER IT BE THE ALGERIAN WAR, OR THE PROTAGONIST’S EXPERIENCE OF WOMANHOOD. HOWEVER, THE REALITY OF THE TWO PROTAGONISTS’ STORY ITSELF MIGHT BE WHAT MAKES IT SUCH A CLASSIC, AS IT IS ONE THAT RESONATES WITH THE AUDIENCE AND REMINDS US OF THE INEVITABLE CHANGING NATURE OF LIFE.
FEMINISM ACROSS THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD
FREYA KEABLE
LE FÉMINISME DANS LE MONDE FRANCOPHONE EST RICHE ET DIVERSE, REFLÉTANT UNE MOSAÏQUE D’EXPÉRIENCES, DE CONTEXTES ET DE LUTTES QUI DIFFÈRENT SELON LES RÉALITÉS CULTURELLES ET HISTORIQUES. EN FRANCE, AINSI QU’AILLEURS DANS LE MONDE FRANCOPHONE, DES FIGURES COMME SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR, FATOU DIOME ET CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE ONT CONTRIBUÉ À ENRICHIR ET COMPLEXIFIER LE DISCOURS FÉMINISTE EN ABORDANT LES DYNAMIQUES DE GENRE À TRAVERS DES PRISMES VARIÉS ET SOUVENT CONTRADICTOIRES.
SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR
FEMINISM IN THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD IS RICH AND DIVERSE, REFLECTING A MOSAIC OF EXPERIENCES, CONTEXTS AND STRUGGLES THAT DIFFER ACCORDING TO CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL REALITIES. IN FRANCE AND ELSEWHERE IN THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD, FIGURES LIKE SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR, FATOU DIOME AND CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE ENRICHED AND COMPLICATED FEMINIST DISCUSSION BY TACKLING GENDER DYNAMICS FROM VARIOUS OFTEN CONTRADICTORY ANGLES.
SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR EST UNE FIGURE EMBLÉMATIQUE DU FÉMINISME EN FRANCE. SON LIVRE « LE DEUXIÈME SEXE », PUBLIÉ EN 1949, EST UNE ANALYSE FONDATRICE DE LA CONDITION FÉMININE ET DES NORMES DE GENRE, OÙ ELLE CÉLÈBRE LA LIBERTÉ ET L’ÉMANCIPATION DES FEMMES FACE AUX RESTRICTIONS PATRIARCALES. SA CÉLÈBRE PHRASE, « ON NE NAÎT PAS FEMME, ON LE DEVIENT », SOULIGNE L’ASPECT CONSTRUIT DES RÔLES DE GENRE. ELLE DÉFEND L’IDÉE QUE LES FEMMES SONT CONDITIONNÉES PAR LA SOCIÉTÉ À ADOPTER DES RÔLES SUBORDONNÉS ET QUE LEUR LIBÉRATION PASSE PAR L’INDÉPENDANCE ÉCONOMIQUE, L’ÉDUCATION ET LE DROIT DE DISPOSER DE LEUR PROPRE CORPS.
CE FÉMINISME PHILOSOPHIQUE A PROFONDÉMENT INFLUENCÉ LES LUTTES POUR L’ÉGALITÉ EN FRANCE ET CONTINUE D’INSPIRER LES MILITANTES POUR DES RÉFORMES CONCERNANT LES DROITS REPRODUCTIFS, L’ÉGALITÉ SALARIALE ET LA REPRÉSENTATION FÉMININE DANS LES SPHÈRES POLITIQUES ET PROFESSIONNELLES.
SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR IS AN EMBLEMATIC FIGURE OF FEMINISM IN FRANCE. HER BOOK, “THE SECOND SEX”, PUBLISHED IN 1949, IS A FOUNDING ANALYSIS OF THE FEMALE CONDITION AND GENDER NORMS, IN WHICH SHE CELEBRATES THE FREEDOM AND EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN IN THE FACE OF PATRIARCHAL RESTRICTIONS. HER FAMOUS PHRASE, “YOU ARE NOT BORN A WOMAN, YOU BECOME ONE”, HIGHLIGHTS THE CONSTRUCTED ASPECT OF GENDER ROLES. SHE DEFENDS THE IDEA THAT WOMEN ARE CONDITIONED BY SOCIETY TO ADOPT SUBORDINATE ROLES AND THAT THEIR LIBERATION DEPENDS ON ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE, EDUCATION AND THE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR OWN BODIES.
THIS FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY PROFOUNDLY INFLUENCED THE STRUGGLES FOR EQUALITY IN FRANCE AND CONTINUES TO INSPIRE FIGHTERS FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS REFORM, EQUAL PAY AND FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN POLITICAL AND PROFESSIONAL SPHERES.
DANS LE CONTEXTE POST-COLONIAL, DES VOIX COMME CELLE DE FATOU DIOME, ÉCRIVAINE SÉNÉGALAISE, OFFRENT UNE PERSPECTIVE ESSENTIELLE SUR LES QUESTIONS DE GENRE DANS LES SOCIÉTÉS AFRICAINES ET DIASPORIQUES. SON ŒUVRE, NOTAMMENT « LE VENTRE DE L’ATLANTIQUE », MET EN LUMIÈRE LES DIFFICULTÉS ET DISCRIMINATIONS VÉCUES PAR LES FEMMES AFRICAINES, NOTAMMENT CELLES ISSUES DE L’IMMIGRATION, ET SOULIGNE LES TENSIONS ENTRE LES TRADITIONS PATRIARCALES ET LES ASPIRATIONS MODERNES DES FEMMES.
DIOME ABORDE LES PRESSIONS SOCIALES ET CULTURELLES SUBIES PAR LES FEMMES AFRICAINES DANS LA DIASPORA, OÙ LES ATTENTES TRADITIONNELLES SE HEURTENT AUX RÉALITÉS OCCIDENTALES. ELLE PRÔNE UN FÉMINISME INTERSECTIONNEL, QUI RECONNAÎT LA COMPLEXITÉ DES IDENTITÉS DE GENRE INFLUENCÉES PAR L’ETHNICITÉ, LA CULTURE, ET L’HISTOIRE COLONIALE. CE FÉMINISME INTÈGRE DES LUTTES CONTRE LA DISCRIMINATION RACIALE ET SOCIALE, SOUVENT ABSENTES DU DISCOURS FÉMINISTE OCCIDENTAL.
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
BIEN QUE NIGÉRIANE ET ANGLOPHONE, CHIMAMANDA
NGOZI ADICHIE EST LARGEMENT LUE DANS LE MONDE FRANCOPHONE, LE PLUS À TRAVERS « NOUS SOMMES TOUS DES FÉMINISTES ». ADICHIE PROMEUT UN FÉMINISME ACCESSIBLE, APPELANT LES FEMMES À QUESTIONNER LES RÔLES DE GENRE IMPOSÉS ET PRÔNANT L’ÉGALITÉ DANS LA VIE QUOTIDIENNE. ELLE INSISTE ÉGALEMENT SUR LA NÉCESSITÉ DE DÉCOLONISER LE FÉMINISME EN PRENANT EN COMPTE LES VOIX AFRICAINES ET EN RECONNAISSANT LA DIVERSITÉ DES RÉALITÉS FÉMININES.
FATOU DIOME
IN THE POST-COLONIAL CONTEXT, VOICES LIKE THAT OF FATOU DIOME, SENEGALESE WRITER, OFFER AN ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVE ON QUESTIONS OF GENDER IN AFRICAN AND OTHER DIASPORIC SOCIETIES. HER WORK, NOTABLY “THE BELLY OF THE ATLANTIC”, HIGHLIGHTS THE DIFFICULTIES AND DISCRIMINATIONS EXPERIENCED BY AFRICAN WOMEN, PARTICULARLY THOSE WITH AN IMMIGRANT BACKGROUND, AND UNDERLINES TENSIONS BETWEEN PATRIARCHAL TRADITIONS AND MODERN ASPIRATIONS OF WOMEN.
DIOME TACKLES THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PRESSURES SUFFERED BY AFRICAN WOMEN IN THE DIASPORA, WHERE TRADITIONAL EXPECTATIONS COLLIDE WITH WESTERN REALITIES. SHE ADVOCATES FOR INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM, WHICH RECOGNISES THE COMPLEXITY OF OF GENDER IDENTITIES, INFLUENCED BY ETHNICITY, CULTURE, AND COLONIAL HISTORY. THIS TYPE OF FEMINISM INCORPORATES STRUGGLES AGAINST RACIAL AND SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION, WHICH ARE OFTEN ABSENT FROM WESTERN FEMINIST DISCOURSE.
ALTHOUGH NIGERIAN AND ENGLISH SPEAKING, CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE IS LARGELY READ IN THE FRENCH SPEAKING WORLD, MOSTLY THROUGH “WE ARE ALL FEMINISTS”. ADICHIE PROMOTES, ACCESSIBLE FEMINISM, CALLING WOMEN TO QUESTION IMPOSED GENDER ROLES AND PROMOTING EQUALITY IN DAILY LIFE. SHE EQUALLY INSISTS THE NEED TO DECOLONISE FEMINISM, BY TAKING ACCOUNT OF AFRICAN VOICES AND RECOGNISING THE DIVERSITY OF FEMALE REALITIES.
LA LITTÉRATURE ET LES MÉDIAS FRANCOPHONES
LA LITTÉRATURE ET LES MÉDIAS FRANCOPHONES JOUENT UN RÔLE CLÉ DANS LA DIFFUSION DES IDÉES FÉMINISTES. DES AUTRICES COMME MARYSE CONDÉ EXPLORENT LES THÈMES DU GENRE DANS DES CONTEXTES OÙ SE MÊLENT LES HÉRITAGES DE L’ESCLAVAGE ET DE LA COLONISATION, TANDIS QUE DES PLATEFORMES MÉDIATIQUES EN AFRIQUE, COMME RFI, ABORDENT LES ENJEUX DES DROITS DES FEMMES ET DES VIOLENCES DE GENRE.
POUR CONCLURE, LE FÉMINISME FRANCOPHONE EST UN MOUVEMENT DYNAMIQUE ET MULTIPLE, ENRACINÉ DANS DES TRADITIONS LOCALES TOUT EN CHERCHANT UNE SOLIDARITÉ GLOBALE. LES DYNAMIQUES DE GENRE DANS LES SOCIÉTÉS AFRICAINES, LES LUTTES DES FEMMES DIASPORIQUES ET LES VOIX LITTÉRAIRES FRANCOPHONES METTENT EN LUMIÈRE DES PARCOURS ET DES DÉFIS UNIQUES, FAÇONNANT UN FÉMINISME QUI REFLÈTE LA RICHESSE ET LA COMPLEXITÉ DU MONDE FRANCOPHONE.
FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE AND MEDIA
FRENCH LITERATURE AND MEDIA PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE BROADCASTING OF FEMINIST IDEAS. AUTHORS LIKE MARYSE CONDÉ EXPLORE THEMES OF GENDER IN CONTEXTS WHERE THE LEGACIES OF SLAVERY AND COLONISATION ARE INTERTWINED, WHILE MEDIA PLATFORMS IN AFRICA, SUCH AS RFI, ARE TACKLING THE ISSUES OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND GENDER VIOLENCE.
TO CONCLUDE, FEMINISM IN THE FRENCH SPEAKING WORLD IS A DYNAMIC AND MULTIFACETED MOVEMENT, ROOTED IN LOCAL TRADITIONS WHILE SEEKING GLOBAL SOLIDARITY. GENDER DYNAMICS IN AFRICAN SOCIETIES, THE STRUGGLES OF DIASPORIC WOMEN AND FRANCOPHONE LITERARY VOICES HIGHLIGHT UNIQUE PATHS AND CHALLENGES, SHAPING A FEMINISM THAT REFLECTS THE RICHNESS AND COMPLEXITY OF THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD.
MULTILINGUALISM IN MOROCCO
VAIDEHI VARMA
LE MAROC A UNE CULTURE PLEINE DE DIVERSITÉ ET DE DIFFÉRENCES. UN EXEMPLE DE CES DIFFÉRENCES
EST LA LANGUE. BIEN QU’IL N’Y AIT QUE DEUX LANGUES OFFICIELLES (L’ARABE MAROCAIN STANDARD (ASM) ET LE BERBÈRE), ENVIRON 40 % DES MAROCAINS PARLENT LE FRANÇAIS, ET 21 % L’ESPAGNOL. SEULEMENT 15 % PARLENT L’ANGLAIS. IL Y A AUSSI L’ARABE MAROCAIN (AUSSI CONNU SOUS LE NOM DE DARIJA), QUI EST GÉNÉRALEMENT PARLÉ À LA MAISON.
MOROCCO HAS A CULTURE FULL OF DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCES. ONE EXAMPLE OF THESE DIFFERENCES IS LANGUAGE. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE ONLY TWO OFFICIAL LANGUAGES (STANDARD MOROCCAN ARABIC (ASM) AND BERBER), AROUND 40% OF MOROCCANS SPEAK FRENCH AND 21% SPANISH. ONLY 15% SPEAK ENGLISH. THERE IS ALSO MOROCCAN ARABIC (ALSO KNOWN AS DARIJA), WHICH IS GENERALLY SPOKEN AT HOME.
LES DIFFÉRENTES LANGUES DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
L’ALTERNANCE CODIQUE, « CODE-SWITCHING » EN ANGLAIS, C’EST QUAND ON UTILISE DEUX LANGUES (OU PLUS) DANS LES CONVERSATIONS. IL Y A DES TERMES POUR LES LANGUES UTILISEES AU MAROC : LA DARIJA EST UN EXEMPLE D’UNE LANGUE VERNACULAIRE. BIEN SUR, L’ASM EST UNE LANGUE OFFICIELLE. IL Y AUSSI DES LANGUES DE PRESTIGE, COMME LE FRANÇAIS.
LE CONTEXTE HISTORIQUE DU MULTILINGUISME
LE MAROC A UNE HISTOIRE VRAIMENT COMPLIQUÉE. LE COLONIALISME A JOUÉ UN RÔLE TRÈS IMPORTANT DANS L’HISTOIRE DES LANGUES. IL Y A DES CENTAINES D’ANNÉES, LES ROMAINS ONT ENVAHI LE MAROC (AINSI QU’UNE GRANDE PARTIE DE L’AFRIQUE). EN FAIT, L’ORIGINE DU MOT « BERBER » EST LE MOT LATIN « BARBARIAN ». LES MAROCAINS PRÉFÈRENT DONC SE DÉCRIRE COMME DES AMAZIGHS. JE PENSE QUE LES LANGUES AMAZIGHES (TAMAZIGHT, TACHELHIT ET TARIFIT PAR EXEMPLE) SONT INCROYABLES. ELLES ONT SURVÉCU DEPUIS 2000 AV J-C, À CÔTÉ DE L’ARABE ET D’AUTRES LANGUES. CELA MONTRE LA PERSISTANCE ET LA TÉNACITÉ DE CES LANGUES. CELA AIDE TELLEMENT À LA DIVERSITÉ LINGUISTIQUE.
CODE-SWITCHING IS WHEN TWO OR MORE LANGUAGES ARE USED IN CONVERSATION. THERE ARE TERMS FOR THE LANGUAGES USED IN MOROCCO: DARIJA IS AN EXAMPLE OF A VERNACULAR LANGUAGE. OF COURSE, ASM IS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. THERE ARE ALSO PRESTIGE LANGUAGES, SUCH AS FRENCH.
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF MULTILINGUALISM
MOROCCO HAS A VERY COMPLICATED HISTORY. COLONIALISM HAS PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE HISTORY OF LANGUAGES. HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO, THE ROMANS INVADED MOROCCO (AND MUCH OF AFRICA). IN FACT, THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD ‘BERBER’ IS THE LATIN WORD ‘BARBARIAN’. MOROCCANS THEREFORE PREFER TO DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS AMAZIGHS.
I THINK THE AMAZIGH LANGUAGES (TAMAZIGHT, TACHELHIT AND TARIFIT FOR EXAMPLE) ARE INCREDIBLE. THEY HAVE SURVIVED SINCE 2000 BC, ALONGSIDE ARABIC AND OTHER LANGUAGES. THIS SHOWS THE PERSISTENCE AND TENACITY OF THESE LANGUAGES. IT HELPS SO MUCH WITH LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY.
LES CONTEXTES SOCIAUX
VOICI UNE CARTE DU MAROC. AVANT LE 20E SIÈCLE, LE MAROC ÉTAIT UN ROYAUME INDÉPENDANT. MAIS PENDANT LES GUERRES MONDIALES, LA PLUPART DU MAROC ÉTAIT GOUVERNÉ PAR LA FRANCE, MAIS DANS LE NORD, IL Y AVAIT DES PARTIES GOUVERNÉES PAR L’ESPAGNE. CETTE COMPLEXITÉ A CONTRIBUÉ À LA SCÈNE LINGUISTIQUE ACTUELLE. IL Y A DONC MAINTENANT UNE GRANDE DIVERSITÉ LINGUISTIQUE. FINALEMENT, EN 1956, LE MAROC A OBTENU SON INDÉPENDANCE. MAIS LES EFFETS DE CETTE COLONISATION SONT TOUJOURS PRÉSENTS ET VISIBLES AUJOURD’HUI.
SOCIAL CONTEXTS
HERE IS A MAP OF MOROCCO. BEFORE THE 20TH CENTURY, MOROCCO WAS AN INDEPENDENT KINGDOM. BUT DURING THE WORLD WARS, MOST OF MOROCCO WAS GOVERNED BY FRANCE, BUT IN THE NORTH THERE WERE PARTS GOVERNED BY SPAIN. THIS COMPLEXITY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE CURRENT LINGUISTIC SCENE. SO THERE IS NOW GREAT LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY. FINALLY, IN 1956, MOROCCO GAINED ITS INDEPENDENCE. BUT THE EFFECTS OF THIS COLONISATION ARE STILL PRESENT AND VISIBLE TODAY.
LA FORMALITÉ DU CONTEXTE AFFECTE ÉNORMÉMENT LA LANGUE PARLÉE. PAR EXEMPLE, ON PARLE DARIJA DANS DES SITUATIONS PLUS INFORMELLES. CEPENDANT, SI NOUS ÉTIONS DANS UN BUREAU OU SI NOUS PARLIONS À NOS SUPÉRIEURS, NOUS PARLERIONS LE FRANÇAIS OU L’ARABE. (COMME JE L’AI DÉJÀ DIT, BIEN QUE LE FRANÇAIS NE SOIT PAS UNE LANGUE OFFICIELLE, IL EST COURAMMENT PARLÉ).
COMME DANS PRESQUE TOUS LES PAYS, IL EXISTE BIEN SÛR DES DIALECTES ET DES VARIANTES POUR CHAQUE RÉGION. EN GÉNÉRAL, CES VARIATIONS AFFECTENT SURTOUT LES LANGUES VERNACULAIRES, EN PARTICULIER DANS LES ZONES RURALES. DANS LE NORD (COMME À TANGER), IL EST PLUS PROBABLE QUE L’ON ENTENDE DES MÉLANGES D’ESPAGNOL ET DE FRANÇAIS DANS LES GRANDES VILLES (COMME À RABAT).
DE NOMBREUSES UNIVERSITÉS UTILISENT LE FRANÇAIS COMME PREMIÈRE LANGUE. CELA PEUT CAUSER DES PROBLÈMES AUX ÉTUDIANTS QUI UTILISENT L’ASM OU LA DARIJA DANS LEUR VIE QUOTIDIENNE, CAR ILS DOIVENT ÉTUDIER EN MÊME TEMPS QUE LE FRANÇAIS. CEPENDANT, DANS LES ÉCOLES PRIMAIRES ET LES COLLÈGES, L’ARABE EST ENSEIGNÉ. MAIS L’ARABE N’EST PAS BEAUCOUP PARLÉ DANS LES CONVERSATIONS. A CAUSE DE CELA, L’ALTERNANCE CODIQUE EST UNE COMPÉTENCE ESSENTIELLE.
THE FORMALITY OF THE CONTEXT GREATLY AFFECTS THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN. FOR EXAMPLE, WE SPEAK DARIJA IN MORE INFORMAL SITUATIONS. HOWEVER, IF WE WERE IN AN OFFICE OR TALKING TO OUR SUPERIORS, WE WOULD SPEAK FRENCH OR ARABIC. (AS I SAID EARLIER, ALTHOUGH FRENCH IS NOT AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE, IT IS COMMONLY SPOKEN).
AS IN ALMOST ALL COUNTRIES, THERE ARE OF COURSE DIALECTS AND VARIATIONS FOR EACH REGION. IN GENERAL, THESE VARIATIONS MAINLY AFFECT VERNACULAR LANGUAGES, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS. IN THE NORTH (AS IN TANGER), MIXTURES OF SPANISH AND FRENCH ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE HEARD IN THE LARGER TOWNS (AS IN RABAT).
MANY UNIVERSITIES USE FRENCH AS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE. THIS CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR STUDENTS WHO USE ASM OR DARIJA IN THEIR DAILY LIVES, AS THEY HAVE TO STUDY AT THE SAME TIME AS FRENCH. HOWEVER, ARABIC IS TAUGHT IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. BUT ARABIC IS NOT SPOKEN MUCH IN CONVERSATION. BECAUSE OF THIS, CODE-SWITCHING IS AN ESSENTIAL SKILL.
DANS LES MÉDIAS
MAINTENANT, LA TÉLÉVISION UTILISE DARIJA DE PLUS EN PLUS. JE CROIS QU’ILS ESSAIENT DE RENDRE LA TELEVISION PLUS ACCESSIBLE AUX MAROCAINS. MALGRÉ L’AUGMENTATION DE DARIJA DANS LE DIVERTISSEMENT, FRANÇAIS RESTENT LA LANGUE LA PLUS DOMINANT DANS LES MÉDIAS ET LES JOURNAUX TÉLÉVISÉS.
CEPENDANT, MEME DANS CES CONTEXTES, LE FRANÇAIS EST SOUVENT MÉLANGÉ AVEC L’ARABE AFIN D’AVOIR UN TON COURANT.
L’ALTERNANCE CODIQUE EST REPANDUE PARTOUT LA MUSIQUE MAROCAINE, PARTICULIEREMENT, DANS LA MUSIQUE POPULAIRE AUPRES DES JEUNES. CES CHANSONS INCLUENT DES MÉLANGES DE FRANÇAIS ET D’ARABE ET MEME ANGLAIS QUELQUEFOIS. JE PENSE QUE ÇA REFLECHIT L’IDENTITÉ CULTURELLE HYBRIDE DES JEUNES MAROCAINS.
LE FOSSE GENERATIONNEL, EN TERMES DE LANGUE, EST ACCENTUE PAR L’INFLUENCE DES MÉDIAS MONDIAUX SUR LES JEUNES. SOUVENT, LES GENERATIONS AGÉES VOIENT DARIJA COMME PIRE QUE FRANÇAIS POUR LES SITUATIONS FORMELLES.
EN CONCLUSION, JE PENSE QUE LE MÉLANGE DES LANGUES PARLÉES AU MAROC REPRÉSENTE L’IDENTITÉ CULTURELLE POUR LES JEUNES. JE PENSE QU’IL EST ESSENTIEL QU’ON AIT UN MULTILINGUISME POUR GARDER L’HISTOIRE DU MAROC ET POUR PROTÉGER LEUR CULTURE - PARTICULIÈREMENT DANS LES ZONES URBAINES (OÙ LA GLOBALISATION PEUT CAUSER DES JEUNES À ARRÊTER DE PARLER LES LANGUES VERNACULAIRES, LES PERDANT AINSI). CEPENDANT, L’INCLUSION DES LANGUES EUROPÉENNES (LE FRANÇAIS ET L’ESPAGNOL) AIDERA À MODERNISER ET À CRÉER DES RELATIONS INTERNATIONALES POUR LE MAROC.
IN THE MEDIA
TELEVISION IS NOW USING DARIJA MORE AND MORE. I THINK THEY’RE TRYING TO MAKE TELEVISION MORE ACCESSIBLE TO MOROCCANS. DESPITE THE INCREASE IN DARIJA IN ENTERTAINMENT, FRENCH IS STILL THE MOST DOMINANT LANGUAGE IN THE MEDIA AND NEWS. HOWEVER, EVEN IN THESE CONTEXTS, FRENCH IS OFTEN MIXED WITH ARABIC IN ORDER TO HAVE A COMMON TONE.
CODE SWITCHING IS WIDESPREAD THROUGHOUT MOROCCAN MUSIC, PARTICULARLY IN POPULAR MUSIC AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE. THESE SONGS INCLUDE MIXTURES OF FRENCH AND ARABIC AND EVEN ENGLISH SOMETIMES. I THINK IT REFLECTS THE HYBRID CULTURAL IDENTITY OF YOUNG MOROCCANS.
THE GENERATION GAP, IN TERMS OF LANGUAGE, IS ACCENTUATED BY THE INFLUENCE OF THE GLOBAL MEDIA ON YOUNG PEOPLE. OLDER GENERATIONS OFTEN SEE DARIJA AS WORSE THAN FRENCH FOR FORMAL SITUATIONS.
IN CONCLUSION, I THINK THAT THE MIX OF LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN MOROCCO REPRESENTS YOUNG PEOPLE’S CULTURAL IDENTITY. I THINK THAT IT’S ESSENTIAL THAT WE HAVE MULTILINGUALISM TO KEEP MOROCCO’S HISTORY AND TO PROTECT THEIR CULTURE – IN PARTICULAR IN MORE URBAN AREAS (WHERE GLOBALISATION CAN CAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE TO STOP SPEAKING VERNACULAR LANGUAGES, SO WE LOSE THEM). HOWEVER, THE INCLUSION OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGES (FRENCH AND SPANISH) HELPS TO MODERNISE AND CREATE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FOR MOROCCO.
LINGUISTIC SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN GERMAN AND SWEDISH (AND ENGLISH)
REMY TANNA
SINCE YEAR 7 I HAVE STUDIED GERMAN, AND I HAVE BEEN ENJOYING IT SO MUCH THAT I AM CONTINUING IT INTO YEAR 12 AS MY AS LEVEL SUBJECT. IN ADDITION, ALONGSIDE ONE LANGUAGE I HAVE ALSO RECENTLY STARTED LEARNING SWEDISH USING A COMBINATION OF DUOLINGO, ANKI FLASHCARDS AND YOUTUBE VIDEOS, WHICH HAS SO FAR BEEN QUITE AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE.
HOWEVER, THE BIGGEST THING THAT HAS STRUCK ME HAS BEEN HOW CLOSELY RELATED TO GERMAN IT IS. WITH BOTH BEING GERMANIC LANGUAGES, YOU MIGHT EXPECT SOME SIMILARITIES, IN PERHAPS THE SAME WAY AS ENGLISH IS TO GERMAN – YOU WILL NATURALLY FIND SOME COGNATES (SUCH AS SCHULE/SCHOOL) OR LOAN WORDS (SOME COMMON ONES ARE DOPPELGÄNGER OR KINDERGARTEN IN ENGLISH), BUT NOT A LOT. ON THE OTHER HAND, SWEDISH AND GERMAN ARE BOTH GERMANIC LANGUAGES, BUT NOT AS CLOSELY RELATED AS ENGLISH AND GERMAN – WHILE ENGLISH AND GERMAN ARE BOTH WEST GERMANIC, SWEDISH IS NORTH GERMANIC, AND SO YOU MIGHT THINK SWEDISH WILL BE MORE DIFFERENT.
INDEED, IT DOES LACK THE GERMAN Ü AND ADDS A NEW LETTER – Å (PRONOUNCED SIMILAR TO “O”) – AND THE GRAMMAR HAS SOME CRUCIAL DIFFERENCES, MOST NOTABLY THE DEFINITE ARTICLES IN SWEDISH BEING SUFFIXES (EN FISK – A FISH, FISKEN – THE FISH), BUT THE VOCABULARY IS OFTEN VERY SIMILAR. FOR EXAMPLE, AN EDUCATION IS EINE AUSBILDUNG IN GERMAN, AND EN UTBILDNING IN SWEDISH. IF WE BREAK UP THE WORD, WE CAN SEE THE SIMILARITIES EVEN MORE CLEARLY:
AUS- / UT-
BILD / BILD
-UNG / -NING
BOTH MEAN “OUT” OR “FROM”
BOTH MEAN “PICTURE”
BOTH ARE SUFFIXES THAT FORM NOUNS FROM THE MAIN WORD STEM
NOT ONLY ARE THE WORDS THEMSELVES SIMILAR, BUT THEIR COMPOSITION IS ALSO VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL. THIS EXTENDS TO A LARGE LIST OF MORE COGNATES BETWEEN THE LANGUAGES – (IN ORDER ENGLISH/GERMAN/ SWEDISH) TO PLAY/SPIELEN/SPELA, ART/KUNST/KONST, EYE/AUGE/ÖGA, APPLE/APFEL/ÄPPLE – THE LIST GOES ON.
THE REASON GERMAN AND SWEDISH HAVE SUCH A SURPRISING LEVEL OF SIMILARITY IS SIMPLY DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF A WEST GERMANIC LANGUAGE, MIDDLE LOW GERMAN (IN CONTRAST TO HIGH GERMAN, THE VARIETY THAT INFLUENCED MODERN GERMAN) SINCE THE MIDDLE AGES. HOWEVER, THIS ONLY EXTENDS TO THE VOCABULARY, WHICH IS WHY SWEDISH HAS RETAINED ITS SIMPLER GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES COMPARED TO GERMAN’S CHAOTIC WORD ORDER MESS, WHICH YOU CAN SEE FROM MY LITERAL TRANSLATIONS BELOW.
JAG ÅKTE TILL LONDON, EFTERSOM DET VAR VACKERT. I WENT TO LONDON BECAUSE IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. ICH BIN NACH LONDON GEFAHREN, WEIL ES SCHÖN WAR.
I HAVE TO LONDON GONE, BECAUSE IT BEAUTIFUL WAS.
THE UPSHOT OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT IT MAKES SWEDISH EASIER TO LEARN FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME WITH SOME PROFICIENCY IN GERMAN, OR FOR OTHERS ANY OTHER GERMANIC LANGUAGE AS WELL. SO FAR IT HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE LEARNING SWEDISH, AND PERHAPS ONE DAY IN THE FUTURE I WILL BE ABLE TO USE IT!
VEGANISM IN GERMANY
ADI DHINAKARAN
HABEN SIE SCHON EINMAL VON VEGANISMUS GEHÖRT? DAS
IST EINE LEBENSWEISE, BEI DER MAN KEINE TIERISCHEN PRODUKTE WIE FLEISCH, MILCHPRODUKTE ODER EIER ISST. ICH WEISS, WAS DU JETZT VIELLEICHT DENKST: „DEUTSCHLAND? IST DAS NICHT DAS LAND DER WURST UND SCHNITZEL?“ NUN, JA, DAS IST ES, ABER WISSEN SIE WAS? DEUTSCHLAND ENTWICKELT SICH AUCH ZU EINEM DER VEGANFREUNDLICHSTEN LÄNDER DER WELT. ES MAG SIE ÜBERRASCHEN, DASS SICH IMMER MEHR MENSCHEN IN DEUTSCHLAND PFLANZLICH ERNÄHREN. SIE TUN ES, WEIL SIE SICH UM DIE UMWELT UND DIE TIERE SORGEN. SIE HABEN ERKANNT, DASS DER VERZICHT AUF FLEISCH UND MILCHPRODUKTE DEN KLIMAWANDEL BEKÄMPFEN KANN.
UND RATEN SIE MAL, WAS NOCH? DEUTSCHE SUPERMÄRKTE UND RESTAURANTS WERDEN AUFMERKSAM. SIE BIETEN JETZT EINE GROSSE AUSWAHL AN PFLANZLICHEN PRODUKTEN AN, WIE VEGANE WURST, VEGANEN KÄSE UND SOGAR MILCHFREIE SCHOKOLADE. INSBESONDERE BERLIN IST EIN PARADIES FÜR VEGANER MIT ÜBER 100 VEGANEN RESTAURANTS, DIE ALLES VON VEGANER CURRYWURST BIS ZU PFLANZLICHEN DÖNERSPIESSEN ANBIETEN.
ABER ES GEHT NICHT NUR UM TRENDIGES CITY FOOD. DER VEGANISMUS VERÄNDERT SOGAR DEUTSCHE TRADITIONEN. BÄCKEREIEN STELLEN JETZT VEGANE VERSIONEN VON KLASSISCHEM DEUTSCHEM BROT UND BREZELN HER, SO DASS MAN DIESE LECKEREIEN OHNE TIERISCHE PRODUKTE GENIESSEN KANN. UND FESTIVALS WIE DAS OKTOBERFEST BIETEN INZWISCHEN AUCH VEGANE OPTIONEN AN, WAS ZEIGT, DASS MAN NICHT AUF KULTUR VERZICHTEN MUSS, UM EINEN GRAUSAMKEITSFREIEN LEBENSSTIL ZU PFLEGEN. MANCHE LEUTE DENKEN VIELLEICHT, VEGANES ESSEN SEI LANGWEILIG ODER ZU TEUER, ABER DEUTSCHLAND
BEWEIST IHNEN DAS GEGENTEIL. DAS LAND IST VOLL VON KREATIVEN UND ERSCHWINGLICHEN OPTIONEN, DIE ES EINFACH MACHEN, EINE PFLANZLICHE ERNÄHRUNG AUSZUPROBIEREN. UND DA IMMER MEHR JUNGE MENSCHEN DIE INITIATIVE ERGREIFEN, SIEHT DIE ZUKUNFT DER VEGANEN ERNÄHRUNG IN DEUTSCHLAND SEHR SPANNEND AUS.
EGAL, OB SIE BEREITS VEGAN LEBEN ODER EINFACH NUR NEUGIERIG SIND, ES GAB NIE EINEN BESSEREN ZEITPUNKT, DIE PFLANZLICHE ERNÄHRUNG IN DEUTSCHLAND ZU ENTDECKEN. ES GEHT UM MEHR ALS NUR UM ESSEN - ES IST EINE BEWEGUNG FÜR EINE BESSERE WELT.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF VEGANISM? IT’S A LIFESTYLE WHERE YOU DON’T EAT ANY ANIMAL PRODUCTS, LIKE MEAT, DAIRY, OR EGGS. NOW, I KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT BE THINKING: “GERMANY? ISN’T THAT THE LAND OF SAUSAGES AND SCHNITZEL?” WELL, YES, IT IS, BUT GUESS WHAT? GERMANY IS ALSO BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST VEGAN-FRIENDLY COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.
YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE IN GERMANY ARE CHOOSING TO EAT PLANT-BASED FOOD. THEY’RE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ANIMALS. THEY’VE REALIZED THAT CUTTING BACK ON MEAT AND DAIRY CAN HELP FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE. AND GUESS WHAT ELSE? GERMAN SUPERMARKETS AND RESTAURANTS ARE TAKING NOTICE. THEY’RE NOW OFFERING A WIDE VARIETY OF PLANT-BASED OPTIONS, LIKE VEGAN SAUSAGES, VEGAN CHEESES, AND EVEN DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE. BERLIN, IN PARTICULAR, IS A VEGAN PARADISE WITH OVER 100 VEGAN RESTAURANTS SERVING EVERYTHING FROM VEGAN CURRYWURST TO PLANT-BASED DÖNER KEBABS.
BUT IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TRENDY CITY FOOD. VEGANISM IS EVEN CHANGING GERMAN TRADITIONS. BAKERIES ARE NOW MAKING VEGAN VERSIONS OF CLASSIC GERMAN BREAD AND PRETZELS, SO YOU CAN ENJOY THESE TREATS WITHOUT ANY ANIMAL PRODUCTS. AND FESTIVALS LIKE OKTOBERFEST HAVE STARTED INCLUDING VEGAN OPTIONS TOO, SHOWING THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE UP CULTURE TO EMBRACE A CRUELTY-FREE LIFESTYLE.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK VEGAN FOOD IS BORING OR TOO EXPENSIVE, BUT GERMANY IS PROVING THEM WRONG. THE COUNTRY IS FULL OF CREATIVE AND AFFORDABLE OPTIONS THAT MAKE IT EASY TO TRY OUT A PLANT-BASED DIET. AND WITH MORE YOUNG PEOPLE LEADING THE CHARGE, THE FUTURE OF VEGAN FOOD IN GERMANY LOOKS VERY EXCITING.
SO, WHETHER YOU’RE ALREADY VEGAN OR JUST CURIOUS, THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO EXPLORE PLANT-BASED EATING IN GERMANY. IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST FOOD—IT’S A MOVEMENT FOR A BETTER WORLD.
A TRIP TO GERMANY
TIYA PATEL
ICH BIN MIT MEINER SCHULE FÜR ZWEI TAGE NACH DEUTSCHLAND GEFAHREN. WIR SIND MIT DEM BUS UND DER FÄHRE UND ICH MUSS ZU SAGEN, DASS ES SO LANGE WAR. ABER MEIN FREUND UND ICH HABEN SPIELE AUF DER FÄHRE GESPIELT. WIR HATTEN VIEL SPAß GEMACHT. ALS WIR NACH DEUTSCHLAND ANGEKOMMEN SIND, FÜHRTEN WIR MIT EINEM ANDEREN BUS NACH AACHEN UM WEIHNACHTENMARKT ZU BESUCHEN. ES WAR NACHT, ALS WIR ANGEKOMMEN SIND ABER ES GAB VIELE SCHÖNEN BELEUCHTUNGEN. ICH KAUFTE EIN SCHOKOLADEN-CRÊPE UND ES WAR TOTAL LECKER. WIR BLIEBTEN IN EINER JUGENDHERBERGE ABER ES WAR SEHR KLEIN UND DIE ESSEN WAR NICHT SO GUT. MEINE FREUNDE UND ICH BLIEBTEN BIS 1 UHR NACHTS WACH. AM NÄCHSTEN TAG WAR ES ZU KALT ALSO WIR MACHTEN NICHT DIE TOUR. ANSTATT SIND WIR WIEDER AUF DEN MARKT GEGANGEN. ICH KAUFTE VIELE SOUVENIRS FÜR MICH UND MEINE FAMILIE. NACHDEM GINGEN WIR IN LINDT STECKDOSE. DIE SCHOKOLADE WAR BILLIGER ALS IN DEN GESCHÄFTEN. DANN LEIDER SIND WIR ZURÜCK NACH HAUS GEGANGEN. ICH DENKE, DASS DIE DEUTSCHE LEUTE SEHR NETT WAR UND ES WAR INTERESSANT, AACHEN ZU SEHEN.
I TRAVELLED TO GERMANY WITH MY SCHOOL FOR TWO DAYS. WE TRAVELLED BY BUS AND FERRY AND I HAVE TO SAY IT WAS SO LONG. BUT MY FRIEND AND I PLAYED GAMES ON THE FERRY. WE HAD A LOT OF FUN. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN GERMANY, WE TOOK ANOTHER BUS TO AACHEN TO VISIT THE CHRISTMAS MARKET. IT WAS NIGHT WHEN WE ARRIVED BUT THERE WERE LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL LIGHTS. I BOUGHT A CHOCOLATE CRÊPE AND IT WAS TOTALLY DELICIOUS. WE STAYED IN A YOUTH HOSTEL BUT IT WAS VERY SMALL AND THE FOOD WASN’T THAT GOOD. MY FRIENDS AND I STAYED UP UNTIL 1AM. THE NEXT DAY IT WAS TOO COLD SO WE DIDN’T DO THE TOUR. INSTEAD WE WENT TO THE MARKET AGAIN. I BOUGHT A LOT OF SOUVENIRS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. AFTER THAT WE WENT TO LINDT SHOP. THE CHOCOLATE WAS CHEAPER THAN IN THE SHOPS. THEN UNFORTUNATELY WE WENT BACK HOME. I THINK THAT THE GERMAN PEOPLE WERE VERY NICE AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE AACHEN.
THE BENEFITS OF LEARNING GERMAN
ELIZABETH FITCH
I HAD NEVER IMAGINED THAT LEARNING GERMAN COULD GIVE ME SO MANY VALUABLE EXPERIENCES. DURING MY GCSE COURSE, I WAS A BIT UNCERTAIN AT FIRST, BUT WHEN I PROGRESSED AND NOTICED HOW MUCH I WAS ENJOYING LESSONS AND THE CONTENT, MY LOVE FOR LANGUAGES GREW ENORMOUSLY. NOW, AT A-LEVEL, I ESPECIALLY LOVE DISCUSSING MORE COMPLEX TOPICS LIKE SOCIAL ISSUES AND DIGITALISATION IN GERMAN. LEARNING A LANGUAGE IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER SUBJECT THAT I TAKE; IT PUTS A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD AND OPENS DOORS I DIDNT EVEN REALISE WERE CLOSED BEFORE.
EYTHAN SOYSA
MY LOVE FOR LANGUAGES BEGAN IN YEAR 9 WHEN I STARTED MY GERMAN GCSE COURSE. IT WAS SO REWARDING TO UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS AS BASIC AS THE POWER OF COMPOUND WORDS, AND TO FIGURE OUT THE LOGICAL SENSE OF THE LANGUAGE. AS PIECES OF GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY AND SNIPPETS OF GERMAN CUSTOMS CAME TOGETHER, I REALISED HOW WONDERFUL IT WAS PURSUE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING. I BEGAN READING BEYOND THE GCSE COURSE, PICKING UP NEW WORDS AND PHRASES, AND CREATING AN EVER-EXPANDING ROSTER OF VOCABULARY FLASHCARDS IN ANKI.
SINCE THE COURSE STARTED IN SEPTEMBER, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE HOW STUDYING GERMAN AT A LEVEL IS SO MUCH BROADER THAN JUST IMPROVING ONE’S GRASP OF THE LANGUAGE. THE A-LEVEL COURSE TEACHES THE FULL SCOPE OF CULTURE AND POLITICS. BY LEARNING ABOUT THE ARRANGEMENTS OF A GERMAN “WOHNHEITSGEMEINSCHAFT” AND THE MYRIAD FESTIVALS AND SAINT DAYS SUCH AS “SANKT MARTINS TAG”, THE COURSE ENRICHES MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE IN GERMANY LIVE. IT HELPS ME STAY IN TOUCH WITH HUMANITIES AND POLITICS DESPITE MY OTHERWISE STEM-CENTRIC SUBJECT SELECTION. WITHOUT A REASON TO LISTEN TO THE 100 SECOND NEWS, I WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RECENT COALITION GOVERNMENT’S COLLAPSE.
THE GERMAN A-LEVEL COURSE IS ALSO A CHANCE TO PREPARE MYSELF FOR FUTURE LEARNING. ALTHOUGH AN A-LEVEL WON’T GET ME TO NATIVE LEVEL FLUENCY, IT WILL DEFINITELY IMPROVE MY CONFIDENCE TO SPEAK IN GERMAN AND INCREASE THE BREADTH OF TOPICS THAT I AM ABLE TO EXPRESS MYSELF ABOUT.
IN CONCLUSION, THE REASON WHY I CHOSE GERMAN WAS ENJOYMENT AND THE CREATION OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIFELONG LEARNING- AND IT IS A CHOICE I DO NOT REGRET.
THE SPANISH SIESTA
FREYA KEABLE
CUANDO PENSAMOS EN LA CULTURA ESPAÑOLA, A MENUDO NOS VIENE A LA MENTE LAS SIESTAS. ESTA PAUSA A MEDIA TARDE, ARRAIGADA EN SIGLOS DE TRADICIÓN, REPRESENTA NO SÓLO UNA PAUSA EN EL DÍA, SINO UN REFLEJO MÁS AMPLIO DE LOS VALORES ESPAÑOLES EN TORNO AL DESCANSO, LA COMUNIDAD Y EL EQUILIBRIO. ESTOY SEGURO DE QUE A TODOS NOS GUSTARÍA PARTICIPAR DE ESTE ASPECTO DE LA CULTURA ESPAÑOLA, PERO ¿CÓMO SURGIÓ ESTA PRÁCTICA? LA PALABRA «SIESTA» PROCEDE DE LA EXPRESIÓN LATINA «HORA SEXTA», QUE SE REFIERE A LA SEXTA HORA DE LUZ DEL DÍA, ALREDEDOR DEL MEDIODÍA. ANTIGUAMENTE, LOS TRABAJADORES DE LAS ZONAS RURALES DESCANSABAN A MEDIODÍA PARA ESCAPAR DEL AGOBIANTE CALOR DEL SOL IBÉRICO. ESTE HÁBITO PRÁCTICO PRONTO SE CONVIRTIÓ EN UNA NORMA CULTURAL, PROFUNDAMENTE ARRAIGADA EN LA SOCIEDAD ESPAÑOLA.
EN LA ERA PREINDUSTRIAL, LA SIESTA SERVÍA PARA DESCANSAR DEL TRABAJO Y PARA QUE LAS FAMILIAS SE REENCONTRARAN Y COMPARTIERAN LAS COMIDAS. INCLUSO EN LA TRANSICIÓN DE ESPAÑA A UNA SOCIEDAD URBANIZADA, LA TRADICIÓN PERDURÓ, ADAPTÁNDOSE A LOS ESTILOS DE VIDA MODERNOS DE DIVERSAS MANERAS.
ACTUALMENTE, LA SIESTA SE PRACTICA MENOS, PERO SIGUE SIENDO UN CONCEPTO APRECIADO, SOBRE TODO EN LAS CIUDADES PEQUEÑAS Y LAS ZONAS RURALES. EN LOS CENTROS URBANOS, LAS PRESIONES DE LOS HORARIOS DE TRABAJO MODERNOS HAN REDUCIDO LA PREVALENCIA DE LAS PAUSAS PROLONGADAS A MEDIODÍA. SIN EMBARGO, MUCHAS EMPRESAS SIGUEN
MANTENIENDO UN LARGO PERIODO PARA COMER, Y ALGUNOS COMERCIOS CIERRAN POR LA TARDE ANTES DE VOLVER A ABRIR POR LA NOCHE. LOS ESTUDIOS CIENTÍFICOS TAMBIÉN HAN DADO
CREDIBILIDAD A LOS BENEFICIOS DE LA SIESTA. SE HA DEMOSTRADO QUE UNA SIESTA CORTA DE 20 A 30 MINUTOS MEJORA LA FUNCIÓN COGNITIVA, REDUCE EL ESTRÉS Y AUMENTA LA PRODUCTIVIDAD. ESTOS HALLAZGOS HAN DESPERTADO UN RENOVADO INTERÉS POR LA SIESTA, Y ALGUNAS EMPRESAS INCLUSO HAN INTRODUCIDO ESPACIOS DE SIESTA DESIGNADOS PARA LOS EMPLEADOS.
WHEN WE THINK OF SPANISH CULTURE, SIESTAS OFTEN COME TO MIND. THIS MID-AFTERNOON BREAK, ROOTED IN CENTURIES OF TRADITION, REPRESENTS NOT JUST A PAUSE IN THE DAY BUT A BROADER REFLECTION OF SPAIN’S VALUES AROUND REST, COMMUNITY, AND BALANCE. I’M SURE THAT WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO PARTAKE IN THIS ASPECT OF SPANISH CULTURE, BUT HOW DID THIS PRACTISE COME TO BE?
THE WORD “SIESTA” COMES FROM THE LATIN PHRASE “HORA SEXTA,” WHICH REFERS TO THE SIXTH HOUR OF DAYLIGHT - AROUND NOON. IN THE PAST, WORKERS IN RURAL AREAS WOULD TAKE A MIDDAY REST TO ESCAPE THE OPPRESSIVE HEAT OF THE IBERIAN SUN. THIS PRACTICAL HABIT SOON EVOLVED INTO A CULTURAL NORM, DEEPLY INGRAINED IN SPANISH SOCIETY.
IN THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL ERA, THE SIESTA SERVED AS A RESPITE FROM LABOUR AND A TIME FOR FAMILIES TO RECONNECT AND SHARE MEALS. EVEN AS SPAIN TRANSITIONED TO AN URBANISED SOCIETY, THE TRADITION ENDURED, ADAPTING TO MODERN LIFESTYLES IN VARIOUS WAYS.
TODAY, THE SIESTA IS LESS PRACTISED BUT REMAINS A CHERISHED CONCEPT, ESPECIALLY IN SMALLER TOWNS AND RURAL AREAS. IN URBAN CENTRES, THE PRESSURES OF MODERN WORK SCHEDULES HAVE LESSENED THE PREVALENCE OF EXTENDED MIDDAY BREAKS. HOWEVER, MANY BUSINESSES STILL OBSERVE A LONG LUNCH PERIOD, AND SOME SHOPS CLOSE IN THE AFTERNOON BEFORE REOPENING IN THE EVENING.
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE ALSO GIVEN CREDIBILITY TO THE SIESTA’S BENEFITS. A SHORT NAP OF 20 TO 30 MINUTES HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION, REDUCE STRESS, AND ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY. THESE FINDINGS HAVE SPARKED RENEWED INTEREST IN THE SIESTA, WITH SOME COMPANIES EVEN INTRODUCING DESIGNATED NAP SPACES FOR EMPLOYEES.
LA SIESTA REPRESENTA ALGO MÁS QUE DORMIR; ES UN REFLEJO DEL ÉNFASIS QUE PONE ESPAÑA EN VIVIR BIEN Y DAR PRIORIDAD A LA CALIDAD DE VIDA. A DIFERENCIA DE MUCHAS CULTURAS QUE VALORAN LA PRODUCTIVIDAD CONSTANTE, EN ESPAÑA SE CELEBRA LA IDEA DE
BAJAR EL RITMO PARA DISFRUTAR DEL MOMENTO. ESTA FILOSOFÍA SE EXTIENDE A OTROS ASPECTOS DE LA VIDA ESPAÑOLA, COMO EL RITMO PAUSADO DE LAS COMIDAS Y LA IMPORTANCIA DE LAS REUNIONES SOCIALES.
ADEMÁS, LA SIESTA ENCARNA UN SENTIDO DE ADAPTABILIDAD. LAS FAMOSAS CENAS TARDÍAS Y LA VIBRANTE VIDA NOCTURNA DE ESPAÑA SON POSIBLES EN PARTE GRACIAS A ESTE DESCANSO DEL MEDIODÍA. LA FLEXIBILIDAD PARA CONCILIAR TRABAJO, FAMILIA Y OCIO ES UN RASGO DISTINTIVO DE LA CULTURA ESPAÑOLA. LA SIESTA HA SIDO A MENUDO MALINTERPRETADA POR LOS FORASTEROS COMO SÍMBOLO DE PEREZA. SIN EMBARGO, LOS ESPAÑOLES LA CONSIDERAN UNA PRÁCTICA E INCLUSO PRODUCTIVA. LEJOS DE SER OCIOSA, LA SIESTA RESPONDE A LA NECESIDAD HISTÓRICA DE ESPAÑA DE ARMONIZAR EL TRABAJO CON LAS EXIGENCIAS DE UN CLIMA CALUROSO Y LARGAS JORNADAS AGRÍCOLAS.
CURIOSAMENTE, OTROS PAÍSES HAN ADOPTADO PRÁCTICAS SIMILARES, DESDE EL «RIPOSO» ITALIANO HASTA LA CULTURA CHINA DE LA SIESTA DESPUÉS DE COMER. ESTA PERSPECTIVA GLOBAL SUBRAYA LA NECESIDAD HUMANA UNIVERSAL DE DESCANSO Y EL VALOR DE RESPETAR LOS RITMOS NATURALES.
AUNQUE LA SIESTA YA NO SEA UNA RUTINA DIARIA PARA TODOS LOS ESPAÑOLES, SIGUE SIENDO UN PODEROSO SÍMBOLO DE SU IDENTIDAD CULTURAL. EN UN MUNDO ACELERADO, LA SIESTA NOS RECUERDA LA IMPORTANCIA DEL EQUILIBRIO Y EL BIENESTAR. TANTO SI SE PRACTICA TRADICIONALMENTE COMO SI SE REINVENTA PARA LA ERA MODERNA, LA SIESTA SIGUE INSPIRANDO A QUIENES BUSCAN UN MODO DE VIDA MÁS ARMONIOSO.
LA SIESTA, COMO LA PROPIA ESPAÑA, ES UNA MEZCLA DE TRADICIÓN E INNOVACIÓN. ES UN TESTIMONIO DE LOS VALORES PERDURABLES DEL DESCANSO Y EL REJUVENECIMIENTO, Y OFRECE LECCIONES QUE RESUENAN MUCHO MÁS ALLÁ DE LAS FRONTERAS DE ESPAÑA.
THE SIESTA REPRESENTS MORE THAN JUST SLEEP; IT IS A REFLECTION OF SPAIN’S EMPHASIS ON LIVING WELL AND PRIORITIZING QUALITY OF LIFE. UNLIKE MANY CULTURES THAT PRIZE CONSTANT PRODUCTIVITY, SPAIN CELEBRATES THE IDEA OF SLOWING DOWN TO ENJOY THE MOMENT. THIS PHILOSOPHY EXTENDS TO OTHER ASPECTS OF SPANISH LIFE, SUCH AS THE LEISURELY PACE OF MEALS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL GATHERINGS.
IN ADDITION, THE SIESTA EMBODIES A SENSE OF ADAPTABILITY. SPAIN’S FAMOUSLY LATE DINNERS AND VIBRANT NIGHTLIFE ARE MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY THIS MIDDAY REST. THE FLEXIBILITY TO BALANCE WORK, FAMILY, AND LEISURE IS A HALLMARK OF SPANISH CULTURE.
THE SIESTA HAS OFTEN BEEN MISUNDERSTOOD BY OUTSIDERS AS A SYMBOL OF LAZINESS. HOWEVER, SPANIARDS VIEW IT AS A PRACTICAL AND EVEN PRODUCTIVE PRACTICE. FAR FROM BEING IDLE, THE SIESTA ALIGNS WITH SPAIN’S HISTORICAL NEED TO HARMONIZE WORK WITH THE DEMANDS OF A HOT CLIMATE AND LONG AGRICULTURAL HOURS.
INTERESTINGLY, OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE ADOPTED SIMILAR PRACTICES, FROM ITALY’S “RIPOSO” TO CHINA’S POST-LUNCH NAPPING CULTURE. THIS GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE UNDERSCORES THE UNIVERSAL HUMAN NEED FOR REST AND THE VALUE OF HONOURING NATURAL RHYTHMS.
WHILE THE SIESTA MAY NO LONGER BE A DAILY ROUTINE FOR ALL SPANIARDS, IT REMAINS A POWERFUL SYMBOL OF THEIR CULTURAL IDENTITY. IN A FAST-PACED WORLD, THE SIESTA OFFERS A REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCE AND WELL-BEING. WHETHER PRACTISED TRADITIONALLY OR REIMAGINED FOR THE MODERN AGE, THE SIESTA CONTINUES TO INSPIRE THOSE SEEKING A MORE HARMONIOUS WAY OF LIFE.
THE SIESTA, MUCH LIKE SPAIN ITSELF, IS A BLEND OF TRADITION AND INNOVATION. IT STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO THE ENDURING VALUES OF REST AND REJUVENATION, OFFERING LESSONS THAT RESONATE FAR BEYOND THE BORDERS OF SPAIN.
THE IMPACT OF FOOTBALL ON ARGENTINA AND FRANCE
AILEEN ULENS & NAVIN MATHEW
EL IMPACTO DEL FÚTBOL EN ARGENTINA
HISTORIA
EL FÚTBOL FUE INTRODUCIDO A ARGENTINA AL FIN DEL SIGLO 19 POR LOS INMIGRANTES BRITÁNICOS EN BUENOS AIRES. EL 9 DE MAYO 1867, DOS INMIGRANTES INGLESES THOMAS Y JAMES HOGG, FUNDARON EL ‘BUENOS AIRES FOOTBALL CLUB’, DONDE EL PRIMER PARTIDO DE FÚTBOL EN LA HISTORIA DE ARGENTINA SE JUGÓ EL 20 DE JUNIO 1867. EN EL PRIMER PARTIDO, HABÍA 8 JUGADORES EN CADA EQUIPO, Y SU PODÍA USAR LAS MANOS.
UNOS AÑOS DESPUÉS, EL PRIMER LIGA DE FÚTBOL SE FUNDÓ POR OTRO INMIGRANTE INGLES F.L WOOLEY EN 1891; SE LLAMABA ‘ASSOCIATION ARGENTINE FOOTBALL LEAGUE’. EN LOS AÑOS QUE SIGUIERON, VARIOS CLUBS DE FÚTBOL FUERON FORMADOS POR COMPAÑÍAS BRITÁNICAS DE FERROCARRIL EN ARGENTINA, VARIOS DE ESTOS CLUBS TODAVÍA EXISTEN HOY. POR CONSECUENCIA, EL FÚTBOL SE FUE POPULARIZANDO EN BUENOS AIRES ENTRE LOS INMIGRANTES EUROPEOS, EN PARTICULAR LOS ITALIANOS.
LO QUE ES IMPORTANTE TENER EN CUENTA ES QUE LA MAYORÍA DE ESTOS CLUBS EXCLUYERON A LA GENTE CRIOLLO LOCAL. HABÍA TANTA PROTESTA CONTRA ESTA POLICÍA ESPECIALMENTE EN EL ‘QUILMES ATHLETIC CLUB’, QUE EL PRIMER CLUB ARGENTINO FUE FORMADO: ‘ARGENTINO DE QUILMES’, PARA JUGADORES ARGENTINOS. DURANTE EL SIGLO 20, VARIOS NUEVOS LIGAS DE FÚTBOL SE FORMARON EN TODA ARGENTINA A MEDIDA QUE AUMENTABA SU POPULARIDAD.
HISTORY
FOOTBALL WAS INTRODUCED IN ARGENTINA AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY BY BRITISH IMMIGRANTS IN BUENOS AIRES. ON 9 MAY 1867, TWO BRITISH IMMIGRANTS, THOMAS AND JAMES HOGG, FOUNDED THE ‘BUENOS AIRES FOOTBALL CLUB’, WHERE THE FIRST FOOTBALL MATCH IN THE HISTORY OF ARGENTINA WAS PLAYED ON 20 JUNE 1867. IN THE FIRST MATCH, THERE WERE 8 PLAYERS ON EACH TEAM, AND THEIR HANDS COULD BE USED.
A FEW YEARS LATER, THE FIRST FOOTBALL LEAGUE WAS FOUNDED BY ANOTHER ENGLISH IMMIGRANT F.L WOOLEY IN 1891; IT WAS CALLED THE ‘ASSOCIATION ARGENTINE FOOTBALL LEAGUE’. IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED, SEVERAL FOOTBALL CLUBS WERE FORMED BY BRITISH RAILWAY COMPANIES IN ARGENTINA, SEVERAL OF THESE CLUBS STILL EXIST TODAY. AS A RESULT, FOOTBALL BECAME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN BUENOS AIRES AMONG EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS, PARTICULARLY ITALIANS.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT MOST OF THESE CLUBS EXCLUDED LOCAL CRIOLLO PEOPLE. THERE WAS SO MUCH PROTEST AGAINST THIS POLICE ESPECIALLY AT THE ‘QUILMES ATHLETIC CLUB’, THAT THE FIRST ARGENTINE CLUB WAS FORMED: ‘ARGENTINO DE QUILMES’, FOR ARGENTINE PLAYERS. DURING THE 20TH CENTURY, SEVERAL NEW FOOTBALL LEAGUES WERE FORMED ALL OVER ARGENTINA AS THEIR POPULARITY INCREASED.
EL IMPACTO ECONÓMICO:
EL FÚTBOL HE CONTRIBUIDO EN GRAN MEDIDA A LA ECONOMÍA DE ARGENTINA, ESPECIALMENTE CUANDO LA ECONOMÍA DE ARGENTINA NO HA ESTADO EN BUEN ESTADO PARA MUCHOS AÑOS. BILLONES DE PESOS EN INGRESOS HAN SIDO GENERADO POR EL FÚTBOL A TRAVÉS DEL HECHO QUE LA VISIBILIDAD DE ARGENTINA AUMENTA DESPUÉS DE TORNAMENTAS. ESTO
SIGNIFICA QUE LAS EXPORTACIONES DE ARGENTINA AUMENTAN, Y ENTONCES EL PRODUCTO INTERNO BRUTO (PIB) AUMENTA. SEGÚN EL ‘PES MAASTRICHT’ LOS CAMPEONES DE FÚTBOL MUNDIALES TIENDEN A TENER UN AUMENTO DE 0.25% DE CRECIMIENTO ECONÓMICO EN LOS DOS CUARTELES QUE SIGUEN LA COPA MUNDIAL. INGRESOS SE GENERAN PRINCIPALMENTE POR: LOS DERECHOS DE TELEVISIÓN, MERCANCÍAS, LOS INGRESOS DE CLUBS, EL TURISMO, LA CREACIÓN DE TRABAJOS, MEDIOS Y PUBLICIDAD, LOS ESTADIOS Y LA INFRAESTRUCTURA, Y LA INVERSIÓN PÚBLICA EN EL DEPORTE POR EL GOBIERNO. EN UN MOMENTO, EL GOBIERNO CONSIDERO PONER A EL JUGADOR MESSI EN UN BILLETE DE BANCO DE 10,000 PESOS. ESPERABAN QUE ESTO ALENTARA OTROS PAÍSES A QUERER A TENER EL BILLETE, Y ASÍ AUMENTAR EL VALOR DEL PESO.
HAY QUE TENER EN CUENTA TAMBIÉN QUE, AL GANAR PARTIDOS DE FÚTBOL, LAS EXPECTATIVAS ECONÓMICAS MEJORAN, Y ESTO A VECES PUEDE CAUSAR MÁS INVERSIONES Y ESTIMULAR DEMANDA AGREGADA. PERO A MENUDO, ESTO SOLO TIENE UN IMPACTO A CORTO PLAZO; PORQUE EL ESTADO ECONÓMICO DE ARGENTINA ES TAN FATAL, ES DIFÍCIL QUE EL FÚTBOL TENGA UN GRAN IMPACTO.
EL IMPACTO CULTURAL
AUNQUE EL FÚTBOL NO HA TENIDO TANTO IMPACTO EN LA ECONOMÍA, ES CIERTO QUE HA TENIDO UN IMPACTO PROFUNDO EN LA CULTURA ARGENTINA. NO HACE FALTA DECIR QUE ARGENTINA ES MUY CONOCIDO POR EL FÚTBOL, Y ES UNA GRAN PARTE DE LA IMAGEN DE ARGENTINA, Y COMO SE PERCIBE. LA MAYORÍA DE LOS NIÑOS EN ARGENTINA CRECEN JUGANDO EL FÚTBOL, VARIOS ASPIRANDO SER COMO SUS ÍDOLOS: MARADONA, MESSI, EMILIANO MARTÍNEZ, DI MARÍA Y MUCHOS MÁS. ES NORMAL VER A NIÑOS JUGANDO EL FÚTBOL EN LAS CALLES, PARQUES, Y COLEGIOS POR TODO ARGENTINA. EL FÚTBOL ES ALGO QUE UNE AL PAÍS Y A LA GENTE EN TIEMPOS DIFÍCILES ECONÓMICAS Y POLÍTICAS, TRAE ESPERANZA Y UN SENTIMIENTO DE ORGULLO. POR EJEMPLO, LA VICTORIA EN LA COPA MUNDIAL DE 1978 AYUDÓ A UNIR A LA NACIÓN QUE ENFRENTABA AGITACIÓN POLÍTICA
ECONOMIC IMPACT
FOOTBALL HAS CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO ARGENTINA’S ECONOMY, ESPECIALLY WHEN ARGENTINA’S ECONOMY HAS NOT BEEN IN GOOD SHAPE FOR MANY YEARS. BILLIONS OF PESOS IN REVENUE HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY FOOTBALL THROUGH THE FACT THAT ARGENTINA’S VISIBILITY INCREASES AFTER TOURNAMENTS. THIS MEANS THAT ARGENTINA’S EXPORTS INCREASE, AND SO THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) INCREASES. ACCORDING TO THE ‘PES MAASTRICHT’ THE WORLD FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS TEND TO HAVE A 0.25% INCREASE IN ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE TWO QUARTERS FOLLOWING THE WORLD CUP.
REVENUES ARE MAINLY GENERATED BY: TELEVISION RIGHTS, MERCHANDISE, CLUB REVENUES, TOURISM, JOB CREATION, MEDIA AND ADVERTISING, STADIUMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN SPORT BY THE GOVERNMENT.
AT ONE POINT, THE GOVERNMENT CONSIDERED PUTTING THE PLAYER MESSI ON A 10,000 PESO BANK NOTE. THEY HOPED THAT THIS WOULD ENCOURAGE OTHER COUNTRIES TO WANT TO HAVE THE BANKNOTE, AND THUS INCREASE THE VALUE OF THE PESO.
IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT BY WINNING FOOTBALL MATCHES, ECONOMIC EXPECTATIONS IMPROVE, AND THIS CAN SOMETIMES LEAD TO MORE INVESTMENT AND STIMULATE AGGREGATE DEMAND. BUT THIS OFTEN ONLY HAS A SHORT-TERM IMPACT; BECAUSE THE ECONOMIC STATE OF ARGENTINA IS SO DIRE, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR FOOTBALL TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT.
CULTURAL IMPACT
ALTHOUGH FOOTBALL HAS NOT HAD THAT MUCH IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY, IT IS TRUE THAT IT HAS HAD A PROFOUND IMPACT ON ARGENTINE CULTURE. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT ARGENTINA IS VERY WELL KNOWN FOR FOOTBALL, AND IT IS A BIG PART OF ARGENTINA’S IMAGE, AND HOW IT IS PERCEIVED. MOST CHILDREN IN ARGENTINA GROW UP PLAYING FOOTBALL, MANY ASPIRING TO BE LIKE THEIR IDOLS: MARADONA, MESSI, EMILIANO MARTINEZ, DI MARIA AND MANY MORE. IT IS NORMAL TO SEE CHILDREN PLAYING FOOTBALL IN THE STREETS, PARKS, AND SCHOOLS ALL OVER ARGENTINA. FOOTBALL IS SOMETHING THAT UNITES THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE IN DIFFICULT ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL TIMES, BRINGS HOPE AND A SENSE OF PRIDE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE 1978 WORLD CUP VICTORY HELPED UNITE THE NATION THAT WAS FACING POLITICAL TURMOIL DURING THE MILITARY DICTATORSHIP, CREATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.
LAS RIVALIDADES, EN PARTICULAR LA FEROZ COMPETENCIA ENTRE CLUBES COMO BOCA JUNIORS Y RIVER PLATE, REFLEJAN DIVISIONES SOCIALES Y CULTURALES MÁS AMPLIAS, PERO TAMBIÉN UNEN AL PAÍS EN LA PASIÓN POR EL JUEGO.
EL FÚTBOL HA CREADO LA MAYORÍA DE LOS MODELOS A SEGUIR PARA LOS ARGENTINOS, LOS MÁS NOTABLES SIENDO LIONEL MESSI Y DIEGO MARADONA; DOS JUGADORES DE FÚTBOL QUE SERÁN RECORDADOS IN LA HISTORIA ARGENTINA PARA SIEMPRE. SON PERSONAS MUY QUERIDAS POR TODO EL PAÍS, CON MILLONES DE FANÁTICOS. LAS SEIS CAMISETAS DE MESSI DE LA COPA MUNDIAL DE 2022 SE VENDIERON POR £6.1 MILLÓN EN UNA SUBASTA.
CONCLUSIÓN
PARA CONCLUIR, ES EVIDENTE QUE EL FÚTBOL HA TENIDO UN IMPACTO INMENSO EN LA ECONOMÍA Y LA CULTURA DE ARGENTINA, Y ES UNA PARTE CLAVE DE LA HISTORIA DEL PAÍS. NO CREO QUE LA IMPORTANCIA DEL FÚTBOL EN ARGENTINA DISMINUIRÁ EN CUALQUIER MOMENTO PRONTO PORQUE PODEMOS VER QUE ACTUALMENTE, TODAVÍA ES UN PARTE SIGNIFICATIVO DE LAS VIDAS DE LA GENTE ARGENTINA, Y DE LA CULTURA ARGENTINA FUNDAMENTAL.
L’HISTOIRE
RIVALRIES, PARTICULARLY THE FIERCE COMPETITION BETWEEN CLUBS SUCH AS BOCA JUNIORS AND RIVER PLATE, REFLECT WIDER SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVISIONS, BUT ALSO UNITE THE COUNTRY IN A PASSION FOR THE GAME.
FOOTBALL HAS CREATED MOST OF THE ROLE MODELS FOR ARGENTINES, THE MOST NOTABLE BEING LIONEL MESSI AND DIEGO MARADONA; TWO FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO WILL BE REMEMBERED IN ARGENTINE HISTORY FOREVER. THEY ARE LOVED BY THE WHOLE COUNTRY, WITH MILLIONS OF FANS. MESSI’S SIX 2022 WORLD CUP JERSEYS SOLD FOR £6.1 MILLION AT AUCTION.
CONCLUSION
TO CONCLUDE, IT IS CLEAR THAT FOOTBALL HAS HAD AN IMMENSE IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY AND CULTURE OF ARGENTINA, AND IS A KEY PART OF THE COUNTRY’S HISTORY. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOTBALL IN ARGENTINA WILL DIMINISH ANY TIME SOON BECAUSE WE CAN SEE THAT CURRENTLY, IT IS STILL A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE LIVES OF THE ARGENTINE PEOPLE, AND OF THE FUNDAMENTAL ARGENTINE CULTURE.
L’INTRODUCTION DE FOOTBALL EN FRANCE SE PASSE À LA FIN DU 19E SIECLE, PRIMAIREMENT À TRAVERS L’INFLUENCE BRITANNIQUE. LES MARCHANDS BRITANNIQUES, IMMIGRÉS, ET LES ETUDIANTS ONT JOUÉ UN ROLE CRUCIAL DANS LA DIFFUSION DU SPORT, SURTOUT DANS LES VILLES QUI ETAIENT SITUÉE AU BORD DE LA MER, GRACE À LA PRÉSENCE DES MARINS ET COMMERÇANTS. UN DES PREMIERS ÉQUIPES DE FOOT, QUI S’APPELLE <<LE HAVRE ATHLETIC CLUB>>, A ÉTÉ CRÉÉ EN 1872 PAR LES RESIDENTS BRITANNIQUES, ET D’AUTRES CLUBS ONT ÉTÉ FONDÉS PEU DE TEMPS APRÈS, DONT <<STANDARD ATHLETIC CLUB>> ET <<WHITE ROVERS>>. CES PREMIERS CLUBS ÉTAIENT DOMINÉS PAR LES JOUEURS BRITANNIQUES, MAIS GRADUELLEMENT, LES ATHLÈTES FRANÇAIS ONT COMMENCÉ À EMBRASSER LE SPORT.
L’IMPACT DU FOOTBALL SUR LA FRANCE
HISTORY
FOOTBALL WAS INTRODUCED IN FRANCE AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY, PRIMARILY THROUGH BRITISH INFLUENCE. BRITISH MERCHANTS, IMMIGRANTS AND STUDENTS PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE SPREAD OF THE SPORT, ESPECIALLY IN TOWNS BY THE SEA, THANKS TO THE PRESENCE OF SAILORS AND MERCHANTS. ONE OF THE FIRST FOOTBALL TEAMS, CALLED “LE HAVRE ATHLETIC CLUB”, WAS CREATED IN 1872 BY BRITISH RESIDENTS, AND OTHER CLUBS WERE FOUNDED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, INCLUDING “STANDARD ATHLETIC CLUB” AND “WHITE ROVERS”. THESE EARLY CLUBS WERE DOMINATED BY BRITISH PLAYERS, BUT GRADUALLY FRENCH ATHLETES BEGAN TO EMBRACE THE SPORT.
LA FORMATION D’UNION DES SOCIÉTÉS FRANÇAISES DE SPORTS ATHLETIQUES (USFSA) EN 1887 A AIDÉ L’ORGANISATION ET LA REGULATION DU FOOTBALL EN FRANCE. AU DÉBUT DES ANNÉES 1900, LE FOOTBALL AVAIT GAGNÉ EN POPULARITÉ, CONDUISANT À LA CRÉATION DE LA FÉDÉRATION FRANÇAISE DE FOOTBALL (FFF) EN 1919. CETTE ORGANISATION ÉTAIT LA PLUS GRANDE RAISON POUR LA CREATION DES RÈGLES FORMELS, LA STANDARDISATION DES COMPÉTITIONS, ET ORGANISANT LE PREMIER TOURNEMENT DE FOOT NATIONALE EN 1894. DANS CE TOURNEMENT, IL Y AVAIT 6 ÉQUIPES, DONT 4 DE PARIS, CE QUI EN FAIT PLUS UN CHAMPIONNAT PARISIEN QU’UN CHAMPIONNAT FRANÇAIS. EVENTUELLEMENT, LE <<NATIONAL>> ÉTAIT FONDÉ EN 1932, LA MEILLEURE DIVISION DE FOOT EN FRANCE, ET UN AN PLUS TARD, IL A ÉTÉ RENOMMÉ <<LIGUE 1>>.
L’IMPACT ÉCONOMIQUE:
LE FOOT CONTRIBUE DES MILLIARDS DES EUROS À L’ÉCONOMIE FRANÇAISE CHAQUE ANNÉE. SELON DES ÉTUDES MENÉES PAR LA FÉDÉRATION FRANÇAISE DE FOOTBALL (FFF) ET D’AUTRES ORGANISMES ÉCONOMIQUES DU SPORT, LE FOOTBALL GENÈRE ENVIRON 7 A 10 MILLIARDS D’EUROS D’ACTIVITÉ ÉCONOMIQUE CHAQUE ANNÉE. NATURELLEMENT, IL ÉXISTE DE NOMBREUX EMPLOIS DANS LE FOOT, 30000 POUR ÊTRE PRÉCIS. CES ROLES COMPRENNENT LE PERSONNEL DU CLUB, LES ENTRAINEURS, LES PROFESSIONNELS DE LA SANTÉ ET LE PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATIF.
AUSSI, LES CLUBS DE LIGUE 1 PRODUISENT UNE REVENUE IMPORTANTE GRÂCE AUX ÉMISSIONS DES MATCHS. PAR EXEMPLE, LES DROITS DE DIFFUSION NATIONAUX ET INTERNATIONAUX POUR LA LIGUE 1 ONT GENÉRÉ €625 MILLIONS PAR ANNÉE DE 2019-2024. LE PLUS GRAND EXEMPLE DE FOOT STIMULANT LA CROISSANCE ÉCONOMIQUE EN FRANCE EST APRÈS UN GRAND TOURNEMENT INTERNATIONAL. EXAMINONS DE PLUS PRÈS LE <<UEFA EURO 2016>>, UN ÉVÈNEMENT QUI ONT ORGANISÉ DANS PLUSIEURS VILLES FRANÇAISES. IL N’A DURÉ QU’UN MOIS, MAIS DANS CE MOIS, IL A GENÉRÉ €1.2 MILLIARDS POUR L’ÉCONOMIE FRANÇAISE.
BIEN QUE LE FOOT SEMBLE JUSQU’À PRÉSENT INCROYABLEMENT BÉNÉFIQUE POUR L’ÉCONOMIE FRANÇAISE, IL A AUSSI SES INCONVÉNIENTS. L’IMPACT DE COVID-19 SUR LE FOOT FRANÇAIS ÉTAIT IMMENSE. LA PANDEMIQUE A ENTRAÎNÉ UNE BAISSE DES VENTES DE BILLETS, LA PERTE D’ENTENTES DE COMMANDITE ET DES PRESSIONS FINANCIÈRES SUR LES CLUBS, EN PARTICULIER LES PETITES ÉQUIPES. AUSSI, LE PSG DOMINE FINANCIÈREMENT LE FOOTBALL FRANÇAIS, SUSCITANT DES INQUIÉTUDES QUANT A LA
LA FORMATION D’UNION DES SOCIÉTÉS FRANÇAISES DE SPORTS ATHLETIQUES (USFSA) EN 1887 A AIDÉ L’ORGANISATION ET LA REGULATION DU FOOTBALL EN FRANCE. AU DÉBUT DES ANNÉES 1900, LE FOOTBALL AVAIT GAGNÉ EN POPULARITÉ, CONDUISANT À LA CRÉATION DE LA FÉDÉRATION FRANÇAISE DE FOOTBALL (FFF) EN 1919. CETTE ORGANISATION ÉTAIT LA PLUS GRANDE RAISON POUR LA CREATION DES RÈGLES FORMELS, LA STANDARDISATION DES COMPÉTITIONS, ET ORGANISANT LE PREMIER TOURNEMENT DE FOOT NATIONALE EN 1894. DANS CE TOURNEMENT, IL Y AVAIT 6 ÉQUIPES, DONT 4 DE PARIS, CE QUI EN FAIT PLUS UN CHAMPIONNAT PARISIEN QU’UN CHAMPIONNAT FRANÇAIS. EVENTUELLEMENT, LE <<NATIONAL>> ÉTAIT FONDÉ EN 1932, LA MEILLEURE DIVISION DE FOOT EN FRANCE, ET UN AN PLUS TARD, IL A ÉTÉ RENOMMÉ “LIGUE 1”.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
FOOTBALL CONTRIBUTES BILLIONS OF EUROS TO THE FRENCH ECONOMY EVERY YEAR. ACCORDING TO STUDIES CARRIED OUT BY THE FRENCH FOOTBALL FEDERATION (FFF) AND OTHER SPORTS ECONOMIC BODIES, FOOTBALL GENERATES AROUND 7 TO 10 BILLION EUROS IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY EVERY YEAR. NATURALLY, THERE ARE MANY JOBS IN FOOTBALL, 30,000 TO BE PRECISE. THESE ROLES INCLUDE CLUB STAFF, COACHES, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF.
LEAGUE 1 CLUBS ALSO GENERATE SIGNIFICANT REVENUE FROM MATCH BROADCASTS. FOR EXAMPLE, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING RIGHTS FOR LIGUE 1 GENERATED €625 MILLION PER YEAR FROM 2019-2024. THE BIGGEST EXAMPLE OF FOOTBALL STIMULATING ECONOMIC GROWTH IN FRANCE IS AFTER A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL TOUR. LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE <<UEFA EURO 2016>>, AN EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN SEVERAL FRENCH CITIES. IT ONLY LASTED A MONTH, BUT IN THAT MONTH IT GENERATED €1.2 BILLION FOR THE FRENCH ECONOMY.
ALTHOUGH FOOTBALL SEEMS SO FAR TO BE INCREDIBLY BENEFICIAL FOR THE FRENCH ECONOMY, IT ALSO HAS ITS DRAWBACKS. THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON FRENCH FOOTBALL WAS IMMENSE. THE PANDEMIC HAS LED TO A DROP IN TICKET SALES, THE LOSS OF SPONSORSHIP DEALS AND FINANCIAL PRESSURES ON CLUBS, PARTICULARLY SMALLER TEAMS. ALSO, PSG DOMINATES FRENCH FOOTBALL FINANCIALLY, RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE GAME.
COMPETITIVITÉ ET À LA VIABILITÉ FINANCIÈRE DE LA LIGUE 1. ET FINALEMENT, ALORS QUE LES INVESTISSEMENTS ÉTRANGERS (COMME LA PROPRIÉTÉ DU PSG PAR LE QATAR) ONT STIMULÉ L’ÉCONOMIE, IL Y A DES PRÉOCCUPATIONS SUR LE MAINTIEN DE L’IDENTITÉ DU FOOTBALL FRANÇAIS ET LA DURABILITÉ DU CLUB LOCAL.
L’IMPACT CULTUREL:
LE FOOT EN FRANCE A ÉTÉ UN PUISSANT UNIFICATEUR, RÉUNISSANT DES PERSONNES DE DIFFÉRENTS HORIZONS. LE SPORT EST PRATIQUÉ ET SUIVI DANS TOUTES LES RÉGIONS ET DANS TOUTES LES CLASSES SOCIALES, CE QUI EN FAIT UN ÉLÉMENT ESSENTIEL DE LA CULTURE FRANÇAISE. UN DES MOMENTS CULTURELS LES PLUS MARQUANTS DE L’HISTOIRE DU FOOTBALL FRANÇAIS, LA VICTOIRE EN COUPE DU MONDE 1998 A SYMBOLISÉ LA DIVERSITÉ DU PAYS. L’ÉQUIPE, DIRIGÉE PAR ZINEDINE ZIDANE, COMPRENAIT DES JOUEURS D’ORIGINE AFRICAINE, CARIBÉENNE ET EUROPÉENNE, RENFORÇANT AINSI L’IDÉE D’UNE FRANCE MULTICULTURELLE. L’EXPRESSION “NOIRBLANC-BEUR” (NOIR-BLANC-ARABE) EST DEVENUE UN SLOGAN D’UNITÉ NATIONALE. LE FOOTBALL EST AUSSI PROFONDEMENT LIÉ À LA FIERTÉ NATIONALE DE LA FRANCE. L’ÉQUIPE NATIONALE FRANÇAISE, AUSSI CONNUE SOUS LE NOM <<LES BLEUS>>, REPRÉSENTE LE PAYS SUR LA SCÈNE MONDIALE ET SES SUCCÈS SONT ENSUITE CÉLÉBRÉS COMME DES RÉALISATIONS NATIONALES. DES JOUEURS COMME MICHEL PLATINI, ZINEDINE ZIDANE ET KYLIAN MBAPPÉ SONT DEVENUS DES ICONES DE LA CULTURE FRANÇAISE, INCARNANT LE TALENT, LA DÉTERMINATION ET LE SUCCÈS, ET ILS ONT TOUS DES HISTOIRES DIFFÉRENTES QUI MONTRENT VRAIMENT LA DIVERSITÉ DU FOOTBALL FRANÇAIS. ENFIN, LE STADE DE FRANCE, CONSTRUIT POUR LA COUPE DU MONDE 1998, N’EST PAS SEULEMENT UN TERRAIN DE FOOTBALL. C’EST UN SYMBOLE NATIONAL QUI ACCUEILLE DES CONCERTS, DES ÉVÈNEMENTS POLITIQUES ET D’AUTRES GRANDES OCCASIONS.
CONCLUSION:
COMME NOUS AVONS MONTRÉ, LE FOOTBALL EST UNE PARTIE INTRINSÈQUE DE LA FRANCE, PROFONDEMENT ENRACINÉE DANS SON HISTOIRE ET UNE FACETTE DE LA CULTURE FRANÇAISE QUI NE FERA QUE CROÎTRE AU COURS DES GÉNÉRATIONS À VENIR.
COMPETITIVENESS AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY OF LEAGUE 1. AND FINALLY, WHILE FOREIGN INVESTMENT (SUCH AS QATAR’S OWNERSHIP OF PSG) HAS BOOSTED THE ECONOMY, THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT MAINTAINING THE IDENTITY OF FRENCH FOOTBALL AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE LOCAL CLUB.
CULTURAL IMPACT
FOOTBALL IN FRANCE HAS BEEN A POWERFUL UNIFYING FORCE, BRINGING TOGETHER PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS. SPORT IS PLAYED AND FOLLOWED IN ALL REGIONS AND BY ALL SOCIAL CLASSES, MAKING IT AN ESSENTIAL PART OF FRENCH CULTURE. ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FOOTBALL, THE 1998 WORLD CUP VICTORY SYMBOLISED THE COUNTRY’S DIVERSITY. THE TEAM, LED BY ZINEDINE ZIDANE, INCLUDED PLAYERS OF AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND EUROPEAN ORIGIN, REINFORCING THE IDEA OF A MULTICULTURAL FRANCE. THE EXPRESSION ‘NOIRBLANC-BEUR’ (BLACK-WHITE-ARAB) HAS BECOME A SLOGAN OF NATIONAL UNITY. FOOTBALL IS ALSO DEEPLY LINKED TO FRANCE’S NATIONAL PRIDE. THE FRENCH NATIONAL TEAM, ALSO KNOWN AS <<LES BLEUS>>, REPRESENTS THE COUNTRY ON THE WORLD STAGE AND ITS SUCCESSES ARE SUBSEQUENTLY CELEBRATED AS NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS. PLAYERS LIKE MICHEL PLATINI, ZINEDINE ZIDANE AND KYLIAN MBAPPÉ HAVE BECOME ICONS OF FRENCH CULTURE, EMBODYING TALENT, DETERMINATION AND SUCCESS, AND THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT STORIES THAT REALLY SHOW THE DIVERSITY OF FRENCH FOOTBALL. FINALLY, THE STADE DE FRANCE, BUILT FOR THE 1998 WORLD CUP, IS NOT JUST A FOOTBALL GROUND. IT IS A NATIONAL SYMBOL THAT HOSTS CONCERTS, POLITICAL EVENTS AND OTHER SPECIAL OCCASIONS.
CONCLUSION:
AS WE HAVE SHOWN, FOOTBALL IS AN INTRINSIC PART OF FRANCE, DEEPLY ROOTED IN ITS HISTORY AND A FACET OF FRENCH CULTURE THAT WILL ONLY GROW OVER THE COMING GENERATIONS.
THE GREEK EASTER
ORESTIS TSIRKAS
FELLOW STUDENTS, NOW THAT EASTER OF 2025 IS APPROACHING, I WANT TO TELL YOU WHAT EASTER IS LIKE IN GREECE. I THINK IT WILL BE INTERESTING FOR YOU TO GET TO KNOW SUCH A UNIQUE PERIOD FILLED WITH RELIGIOUS DEVOTION, TRADITION AND FUN WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
EASTER IN GREECE IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY- MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHRISTMAS- AND IS CELEBRATED IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AS IT COINCIDES WITH THE REBIRTH OF NATURE DURING SPRING. MOST YEARS, THE GREEK (ORTHODOX) EASTER FALLS A FEW DAYS AFTER THE CATHOLIC CELEBRATION. THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, THEY WILL BOTH BE ON THE 20TH OF APRILTIME FOR A SUPER CELEBRATION!
THE EASTER ACTIVITIES AND PREPARATIONS BEGIN ONE WEEK BEFORE EASTER SUNDAY. THIS WEEK IS CALLED THE HOLY WEEK AS IS EACH DAY, SUCH AS HOLY MONDAY, HOLY TUESDAY AND SO ON. IT IS NAMED SO BECAUSE IT IS THE WEEK OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST. WHAT CHARACTERISES IT IS THE DAILY EVENING LITURGIES WHERE BELIEVERS COME TO THE CHURCH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUFFERING OF JESUS. ALSO, THE 3 FIRST DAYS ARE DEDICATED TO GENERAL CLEANLINESS. EVERYTHING IS WASHED, PAINTED AND REPAIRED SO THAT THE HOUSE IS READY TO ACCEPT THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD.
ONCE THE SPACE IS PREPARED, HOLY THURSDAY IS THE DAY FOR THE EGGS, TSOUREKI (TSOO-RE-KI) AND KOULOURAKIA (KOO-LOO-RA-KI-AH):
THE EGGS ARE TRADITIONALLY DYED RED BECAUSE IT SYMBOLISES THE BLOOD OF CHRIST WHO WAS SACRIFICED. HOWEVER, NOWADAYS, WHERE THE RELIGIOUS NATURE OF THE CELEBRATION HAS ABATED AGAINST THE SECULAR, OTHER COLOURS AND DESIGNS HAVE APPEARED. MANY EGGS ARE PREPARED USING DRAWINGS, SOME WITH STICKERS, AND SOME EVEN WITH PLANT DYES FROM ONIONS AND BEETROOTS. THE STICKERS AND DRAWINGS ARE ESPECIALLY POPULAR WITH SMALL CHILDREN!
TSOUREKI AND KOULOURAKIA ARE THE FLAGSHIP SWEETS OF GREEK EASTER. TSOUREKI IS A TYPE OF BRIOCHE WITH EASTERN SPICES LIKE MAHLEPI AND MASTIC- VERY TASTY! KOULOURAKIA ARE BISCUITS
MADE WITH MILK, EGGS, BUTTER, SUGAR AND FLOUR; INGREDIENTS WHICH WERE ABUNDANT DURING SPRING IN TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES.
HOLY FRIDAY IS A DAY OF MOURNING SINCE IT IS THE DAY OF DEATH AND BURIAL OF JESUS. HIS TOMB IS SYMBOLISED BY THE EPITAPH, A MOBILE WOODEN STRUCTURE WHICH IS DECORATED WITH FLOWERS AND INCLUDES THE IMAGE OF THE DEAD JESUS. ON THIS DAY IN THE CHURCH, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BYZANTINE HYMNS ARE SUNG SUCH AS “LIFE IN THE TOMB”. FOLLOWING THIS, THE EPITAPH IS BROUGHT OUT OF THE CHURCH AND BEGINS ITS PROCESSION THROUGH NEARBY ROADS, WHILE THE CROWD OF BELIEVERS FOLLOWS, SINGING. IN MANY VILLAGES, THE EPITAPH’S PROCESSION REACHES THE CEMETERY, WHERE A TRISAGIO (TRI-SA-GI-OH) IS SUNG IN MEMORY OF THE DEAD, WHEREAS IN CITIES, THE EPITAPH IS ACCOMPANIED BY PHILHARMONICS.
HOLY SATURDAY IS THE DAY OF PREPARATION OF DISHES FOR SUNDAY’S CELEBRATION. EVERY FAMILY DOES ITS SHOPPING AND MAKES ITS MAGEIRITSA (MA-GI-RI-TSAH)A SOUP OF LAMB OR LAMB OFFAL WHICH IS EATEN IN THE EVENING AFTER THE RESURRECTION, PREPARING THE STOMACH TO ACCEPT MEAT AGAIN AFTER THE 40 DAY FAST. ON THE EVENING OF HOLY SATURDAY, PEOPLE GATHER IN CHURCH FOR THE SERVICE, HOLDING LARGE, DECORATED CANDLES CALLED LAMBADES (LA-BADES). THE CUSTOM DEMANDS FOR SMALL CHILDREN TO BE OFFERED THE LAMBADES BY THE GODFATHER OR GODMOTHER AS WELL AS OTHER GIFTS. WHEN MIDNIGHT ARRIVES, THE PRIEST ANNOUNCES THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD, THE CHURCH BELLS RING JOYOUSLY AND THE BELIEVERS LIGHT THEIR LAMPADES USING THE HOLY LIGHT. AT THE END OF THE CEREMONY MANY RETURN HOME WITH LIT LAMPADES, BRINGING HOME THE HOLY LIGHT.
THE NEXT DAY, SUNDAY, IS THE BIG CELEBRATION! FAMILY, FRIENDS AND ENTIRE NEIGHBOURHOODS GATHER FOR THE PARTY! THEY DANCE UNDER THE SUN IN TOWN SQUARES AND COURTYARDS, PLAY MUSIC, DRINK WINE AND EAT AMAZING EASTER FOODS AND SWEETS. SIMILAR TO HERE, THE MAIN FOOD IS ROASTED LAMB, BE IT WHOLE ON THE SPIT OR IN PIECES IN THE OVEN. AS A STARTER DISH, KOKORETSI (KO-KO-REH-TSI) IS SERVED, WHICH IS MADE OF THE INTESTINES OF THE ANIMAL (TO BE HONEST, I’M NOT TOO FOND OF IT, LIKEWISE WITH MAGEIRITSA). MUST-HAVE ADDITIONS TO THE TABLE INCLUDE PIES (SPANAKOPITA (SPAH-NA-KO-PI-TA) AND TYROPITA (TI-RO-PI-TA), YOGHURT, TZATZIKI (TZA-TZIKI) AND FRESH SALADS WITH SPRING VEGETABLES AND HERBS.
FOR ME, HOWEVER, THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY IS THE EGG CRACKING; A GAME THAT USES THE RED EGGS. EVERYONE CHOOSES AN EGG AND TRIES TO BREAK THE EGGS OF THE OTHERS USING IT. THE WINNER IS WHOEVER’S EGG REMAINS INTACT WHEN THE REST HAVE BROKEN. THE CRACKING OF THE EGGS SYMBOLISES THE VICTORY OF LIFE AGAINST DEATH; THE EGG IS AN ELEMENT OF FERTILITY. ENCLOSED IS LIFE AND, JUST AS A LITTLE BIRD BREAKS THE SHELL AND IS BORN, SO IS CHRIST WHEN, WITH HIS REBIRTH, HE BREAKS THE TIES OF DEATH AND IS GRANTED ETERNAL LIFE.
THESE ARE GENERALLY THE CUSTOMS WHICH ARE COMMON IN ALL OF GREECE. HOWEVER, MANY REGIONS HAVE PARTICULAR CUSTOMS WHICH ARE FOUND EXCLUSIVELY THERE. FOR EXAMPLE, KERKYRA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS BREAKING OF JUGS AND LEONIDIO FOR ITS BEAUTIFUL BALLOON LANTERNS. WHEREAS IN HYDRA THERE EXISTS THE CUSTOM OF THE FLOATING EPITAPH. I VERY MUCH RECOMMEND YOU VISIT AND DISCOVER THEM!
FRANÇAIS
LITERATURE - “LA COMÉDIE HUMAINE”, HONORÉ DE BALZAC
MUSIQUE - “LA SYMPHONIE DES ÉCLAIRS”, ZAHO DE SAGAZAN
FILM - “LES QUATRE-CENTS COUPS”, FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT
DEUTSCH
LITERATUR - “DIE VERWANDLUNG”, FRANZ KAFKA
MUSIK - “LIEBLINGSMENSCH”, NAMIKA
FILM - “DIE FETTEN JAHRE SIND VORBEI”, HANS WEINGARTNER
ESPAÑOL
LITERATURA - “LA CASA DE BERNADA ALBA” - FEDERICO GARCÍA LORCA
MUSICA - “A LA MITAD”, MAURA NAVA
PELÍCULA - “EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO”, GUILLERMO DEL TORO
