Monique has lived in Paris with her husband, Tom Reeves since 1992. She writes the Entree to Black Paris Blog and was recently named Black Culture and Heritage VIP in Paris. She has authored several wonderful books and itineraries, including Paris Reflections: Walks Through African American Paris and the Black Pearl Walk. Tom is the author of Paris Insights-An Anthology and the Paris Insights blog. He is co-owner of Discover Paris! 

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY, JOSEPHINE

    Though I have lived in Paris for 14 years and have read and written much about Josephine Baker, it was the centennial of her birth that finally prompted me to visit her former home in southwest France – Les Milandes. Nestled among the hills of the Dordogne-Périgord region, this little village is part of the commune of Castelnaud La Chapelle. And Josephine’s former residence – Château des Milandes – is still one of the major attractions there.

    Baker’s centenary provided the perfect excuse for the de Labarre family, which owns the 15th century château, to open the grounds and the Josephine Baker museum in support of two inspired projects. One, entitled “Opération Joséphine”, was conceived to erect a statue as a permanent tribute to Baker’s devotion to motherhood. The other, entitled “Maïsha Africa”, involves plans to create a village for the orphans and widowed mothers of Rwanda.

    The festivities began with a gala celebration on the evening of June 2nd. The château and grounds were open for participants to explore and admire. Music from the Jo Gantner jazz band floated on the breeze, along with the occasional cry from the raptors that are kept on the premises for falconry displays. The champagne, created especially for the event by champagne house Pascal Ponson, flowed freely.

    The private visit to the museum inside the château was especially rewarding. Without the hoards of tourists who normally file through, each room could be appreciated for its architecture and decorative features as well as its contents. Highlights include several recently rediscovered nude photos of Josephine taken at the beginning of her rise to superstardom, several of the costumes that she wore in various shows, and a room devoted to her military life, including the medals that she received for her service to France during World War II. Josephine’s original banana skirt is on display in the music hall room.

    The celebration continued in the wine house, whose vats were constructed to hold 150 hectoliters of wine (Périgord is a wine-producing region). A sumptuous five-course meal featured regional foie gras and local cheeses as courses that complemented the succulent main dish of lamb and provençale vegetables. Angélique de Saint-Exupéry, a member of the de Labarre family, movingly presented a slide show of the history of the château as well as Josephine’s life as a citizen and patron of Les Milandes. She also presented the persons behind “Opération Joséphine” and “Maïsha Africa” – Alain Bogaert and Sonia Rolland, respectively. Rolland, a native Rwandan who was selected as Miss France 2000, will star in a film on Josephine to be aired on French television in late 2006.

    Next on the program was Akio Bouillon, eldest member of Josephine and Jo Bouillon’s adopted family, the Rainbow Tribe. Bouillon spoke briefly, but poignantly, about what the events of the weekend meant to him. Alain Bogaert and Sonia Rolland also took the stage to elaborate on their projects and to express their gratitude for the support that the audience showed by its presence that evening. This was followed by a wine auction that raised over 3,000 euros for the coffers of “Opération Joséphine” and “Maïsha Africa”.

    The culmination of the evening was musical. The Gantner jazz quartet accompanied two performers who sang renditions of Josephine’s most popular songs. Bajan jazz artist Rosemary Phillips flew to Dordogne from her native island especially for the performance. Charleyne Perry, Paris cabaret singer, regaled the audience with songs from her CD Charleyne Sings Josephine.

    Among the audience were several African Americans who came from the U.S. to pay homage to Josephine on this special occasion. They attended both the gala celebration and the statue ceremony the following day.

    On Saturday, June 3rd, local residents and dignitaries assembled at the site chosen for the commemorative statue – a clearing across the street from Parc Joséphine Baker, at the foot of the hill on which Château des Milandes is perched. Alain Bogaert presided over the unveiling.

    More formal than the gala, this ceremony was also more moving – at least for the African Americans present. Why? Because even though the people of the Périgord region adopted Josephine as their own, they never forgot and never ceased to respect her American origin. Thus, her statue was draped in the American and French flags prior to the unveiling, and the Star Spangled Banner was played (twice) before the French national anthem after the statue was revealed. In addition, World War II veterans performed an impressive flag bearing ceremony in honor of Baker’s military service to France. It was clear from the conception and enactment of the ceremony that in Dordogne, Josephine is remembered for much more than her life as a performer.

    Robin Bates, proprietor of the web site Café de la Soul, read a letter from NAACP President Bruce S. Gordon to the crowd. It was translated into French by Natalie Rivaud, a journalist for the French radio station, France Bleu Périgord. Gordon thanked the people of France, the owners of Château des Milandes and “Opération Joséphine” for keeping Baker’s legacy alive. Bogaert then announced that the NAACP is considering placing a commemorative plaque at the site.

    And what of the statue? Cast in bronze, it portrays Josephine as the Périgordins choose to remember her first and foremost, a devoted mother. Plainly dressed, she stands before a child whose face is hidden (so that he represents all the children of the Rainbow Tribe and of the world) and who stands tiptoe on a bench to receive her embrace. The sculptor, Anne Dominique (Chousky) Marichal, is herself the mother of five children. She found inspiration for this depiction of Josephine in an old photo on display in the museum. The statue stands on a stone pedestal marked with the footprints of twelve children, again representative of the children of the Rainbow Tribe.

    Chousky named the statue Galaxie – La Voix Lactée. It is both beautiful in its craftsmanship and powerful in its simplicity.

    Alain Bogaert, who adopted the Dordogne region as his home as did Josephine, never had the opportunity to meet her. He was inspired to commemorate her legacy as a humanitarian and a mother about two years ago, when “an old woman told me a family story with an adopted child.” He and the citizens of Périgord wanted to honor Baker’s memory because of their “admiration for her courageous life and her ideals.”

    In a statement presented on behalf of “Opération Joséphine”, Bogaert mentioned that Baker “made” Périgord as a tourist attraction. The region has always been known for its gastronomic delights: foie gras, confit de canard, walnuts, and truffles, to name a few. The Dordogne River and surrounding hills and valleys provide wonderful opportunities for hiking, canoeing and camping. And the region is dotted with châteaux; Château des Milandes is only one of the famed 1001 castles of Périgord.

    But Josephine’s château is special because it was the center of her “Village of the World” – which featured a luxury hotel, restaurants, winter and summer theaters, playgrounds, tennis, and miniature golf, among other attractions. She launched it on her 43rd birthday, two years to the day after she married Jo Bouillon in the village chapel. Jo, who was the adoptive father of the Rainbow Tribe, managed the village. But despite his best efforts, Josephine’s fiscal naïveté and excessive generosity combined with her unwillingness to heed Bouillon’s repeated warnings of impending financial disaster led to the loss of the property in 1968.

    The de Labarre family purchased the property in 2001, and daughter Angélique has patiently and passionately undertaken the revitalization of the château in the spirit of preserving and transmitting “the fundamental values of Josephine Baker: respect for others, tolerance, a passion for living and a fierce will to show the entire world that there exists but one race, the human race.”

Where to Stay

Domaine du Château de Monrecour
24220 Saint-Vincent de Cosse
E-mail: contact@monrecour.com

Where to Eat

Relais des Cinq Chateaux
24220 Vézac en Périgord
E-mail: 5chateaux@perigord.com

Josephine Baker Centennial Celebration Resources

Discover Paris! Black Pearl Walk

Chateau des Milandes

Operation Josephine

Maïsha Africa