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4/17/2006 - The Good Immigrant by Kay Dilday

KAD INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS KAD FRANCE ICWA Kay Dilday Institute Fellow studying relationships French North African immigrants France North Africa letters The Good Immigrant By K A Dilday April Since Institute Current World Affairs Crane Rogers Foundation provided fellowships enable outstanding young professionals outside United States write about international areas issues An operating foundation endowed Charles R Crane Institute supported contri butions minded individuals foundations PARIS France Belleville small neighborhood right Paris arrondissement southern border A little earthy affordable Belleville traditionally neighbor popular immigrants France It predominantly north Af rican population sometime called A taste Tunis Now large Chinese population outpost Chinatown across Seine rondissement Belleville doesn Paris least Paris legend postcards The architecture which mostly large modern build Parisians disdain arrondissement borders several poorer banlieue whose modern housing projects largely regarded virtual prisons failure urban planning I Belleville month I walking around neighborhood resident Abdellah Taia lives border Our walks during height protests CPE Bel leville world itself students their concerns Life usual people bustled around selling Chinese vegetables painted porcelain dishes North African drinking thick Arabic under cloud smoke My companion these walks Abdellah writer I festi Maghrebian authors panel discussing modes expression Moroc literature today Like panels I attended Maghreb topics participants On particular panel Abdellah youngest person about years Slight delicately handsome looked would bullied And manner speaking Abdellah points caused other disagree aggressively He refused condemnation racism France because while agreed there indeed racism France intense classicism Morocco Abdellah insisted equally pressive In Morocco Abdellah would never publish I right family I connections Other vehemently disagreed Abdellah press point obvious swayed The other moment arrived writers mented freedom press under Morocco since Mohamed VI panel since father Hassan II ruled before years Abdellah still found situation Morocco restrictive speech freer still The others clear memory previous repressive regime disagreed again It better their answer Since spoken piece Abdellah again pregnant silence Not enough It impressive individualism particularly panel Abdellatif Laabi grand gentlemen Moroccan letters France dissident spent nearly years prison Morocco political activity Abdellah differed distinctly others I phone number after panel since become friends His recent L Arm Salut released It published Seuil prestigious publisher Abdellah hopes placement American English publisher translated He invited reading I impressed quality stage presence writers perhaps lover The reading bookstore Marais quarter Paris Jewish quarter trendy It Salon livres Paris France annual literature attended Instead reading Abdellah handwritten condensed versions stories When questions afterwards first Why write French When I I cinema French language I wanted French During subsequent months winter turned spring cloud colors Paris relents little spent afternoons walking around neighbor I learned Abdellah story I least other reason Abdellah perfect French It language educated class Morocco When Abdellah first tried school Paris French acceptable level He Paris anyway resolved speaking using Arabic until spoke French perfectly To Moroccan French intelli gentsia command French considered provincial Without perfect French would always considered poorly educated Moroccan obvious immigrant As Arabic language writer would disadvantage although there Arabic speakers French speakers world there fewer Arabic readers anything written French reach wider audience Arabic Abdellah I spent hours flaneurs traditional occupation curious We climbed highest point Buttes Chaumont which tells We walked caves We wandered Bel leville stopping little Arab shops As discusses political situation Morocco Abdellah describes middle class larger tocratic class extremely Are middle class I No Ab dellah emphatically stopping dering I strange impression I lower class I lived family Abdellah school Uni versity Mohamed V Rabat where first class entire years As there drawing university administrators offered fellowship study Geneva I would never applied I never heard G eneva little quiet harbors affec because flight Geneva complished dream every young person social class Morocco leaving For where I It changes When I younger France Spain Now because lottery green cards United States though chances winning million After Geneva Abdellah Paris about Moroccans arrived accord France National Institute Statistics Eco nomics He become filmmaker began doctoral program Sorbonne In process became writer writing novel memoir Sale small hometown outside Rabat Morocco capital For first years Abdellah lived Paris return Morocco He whether achieved success Moroccans return Europe aring gifts symbol their prosperity disillusion others hoping leave Finally request mother taking Europe across Morocco carefully tending gifts Abdellah fascinating because cross current North African living France Fair young years passed through youth culture plagues French employment tistics angry inability share fully fruits French republic But first genera immigrant thankful France offer In France learned express become individual argue stand opinion He immigrant appreciation social mobility One argue about racism deniably person follows prescribed grand ecoles produce people France Abdellah enough remember diffi climb Morocco under regime young enough believe Morocco change become something liberal Western democracy He young enough wired generation class Moroccans failure colonial mentality hierarchy color veneration western occupier failure oppressive leveling forced communist equality He disdainful right because Abdellah doesn devolve toxicity filled healthy skepticism What I about Abdellah think outside himself something I common among Parisians least As walking around Belleville talking about immigrant Abdellah swept great circle Look around There thousands Chi immigrants Paris media exist And Just Euro Union always comes Polish plumber immigration France always heart about Africans A famous nightly television Paris The Pup satirizes figures Inte Minister presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy introduced immigration February early April I watched featured called New Immigrant Clay figures President Jacques Chirac Prime Min ister Dominique Villepin Sarkozy table interviewing prospective immigrants voting whether admit The regardless their answers questions anyone rejected while family Swedes immediately presented French ports I remember specifically candidate asked Abdullah Immediately Sarkozy Pour It satire amusing bittersweet Yet Mr Sar talks selective immigration Abdellah exactly wants He enjoys appreciates freedoms liberal democracy questions tions intellectual tones traditional French debate burning songs people associate young beurs He continue thrive I wondered because homosexuality thrived France That another North African friend I comment Adbellah success appreciation freedoms French culture And common theme discussions absorption Muslim communities Western Europe elements Islamic culture egregious West those oppress women And I myself sometimes wonder I comfortable Abdellah drawn because smart clever I worry interpret behavior wrong I people people think woman traveling dining alone Morocco prostitute I these questions comfortable knowledge because sense propriety cannot traditional Moroccan culture aware possible Abdellah France eight years enough become citizen I Will Like other immigrants I wants clear clamoring French citizenship I probably It easier prefecture I doubt easily approved Abdellah Morocco before I began writing newsletter He bearing gifts though still wealthy But expected disappoint After people neighborhood intelligence illusion TRUSTEES Bryn Barnard Joseph Battat Mary Lynne Bird Steven Butler Sharon F Doorasamy Peter Geithner Gary Hartshorn Katherine Roth Kono Cheng Li Peter Bird Martin Dasa Obereigner Richard Z Robinson Carol Rose John Spencer Edmund Sutton HONORARY TRUSTEES David Elliot David Hapgood Pat M Holt Edwin S Munger Richard H Nolte Albert Ravenholt Phillips Talbot Institute Current World Affairs The Crane Rogers Foundation Four West Wheelock Street Hanover New Hampshire 03755 U S A Belleville Abdellah Taia Buttes Chaumont Park Kids Buttes Chaumont Park Institute Fellows chosen basis character previous experience promise They young professionals funded spend minimum years carrying designed programs study writing outside United States The Fellows required report their findings experiences field month They write subject formally informally Th result unique reporting analysis periodic assessment interna tional events issues Author Dilday Kay Title ICWA Letters Europe Russia ISSN Imprint Institute Current World Affairs Hanover NH Material Type Serial Language English Frequency Monthly Other Regions South Asia East Asia The Americas Mideast North Africa Sub Saharan Africa Rally against Sarkozy immigration Square Rights Man Paris ICWA Letters ISSN published Institute Current World Affairs Inc exempt operating foundation incorporated New York State offices located West Wheelock Street Hanover NH 03755 The letters provided charge members ICWA available libraries professional researchers subscription Phone Fax E Mail valley Web address Executive Director Peter Bird Martin Program Assistant Brent Jacobson Admi nistrative Publications Manager Ellen Kozak Institute Current World Affairs The Crane Rogers Foundation The Information contained publication reprinted republished without express consent Institute Current World Affairs