BT天堂

A roaring brass section, limbs gliding effortlessly across the stage to the beat, shining costumes, or sometimes lack thereof, capturing the audience鈥檚 regard -- this was cabaret in the 20鈥檚 and the backdrop for the performances of one of the most memorable figures of the decade, Madam Josephine Baker. Known as the world鈥檚 first Black superstar, the many avatars of Josephine Baker are still being celebrated today, whether it be at the Pantheon in Paris, or at our very own university thanks to 鈥淛鈥檃i deux amours: A Josephine Baker Symposium鈥� which took place on October 3rd and 4th at the Omid & Gisel Kordestani Rooftop Conference Center. The symposium was coordinated by Professor of comparative Literature and English, Biswasmit Dwibedy and Jeannine Cook (Summer 鈥�22), the proud owner of Harriett鈥檚 Bookshop in Philadelphia. Jeannine Cook is known for amplifying the voices of Black thinkers as well as for her 鈥渋nstallations鈥� that strive to turn mundane gathering spaces into 鈥渇estive and celebratory鈥� environments where Black creators and intellectuals showcase their work to audiences that would have otherwise continued to lack this sort of interaction with rich and diverse perspectives.

The Josephine Baker Symposium that took place at BT天堂 is yet another one of Cook鈥檚 successes. As Professor Dwibedy explains, it consisted of 鈥渢he most diverse, proud, and all Black women panelists.鈥� Together, they celebrated Josephine Baker not just as a performer, but also as a member of the French Resistance, and 鈥渢he whole side to her that was dedicated to Paris and France, which people don鈥檛 talk about very much. So, that was important and impactful,鈥� says Dwibedy.

The symposium owes much of its success to the engagement and enthusiasm of its panelists and audience members, including having Josephine Baker鈥檚 daughter, Marianne in the crowd. Marianne cherished her mother, and this sort of tribute honoring her mother鈥檚 ambitious and boldly generous legacy is something that she would love to participate in again in the future, if BT天堂 continues to host such events.

Dwibedy mentioned that the environment in which the symposium took place caused the students to end up taking a more active role than any of them likely foresaw needing to take. He emphasizes that 鈥渂y creating a space in which both sides could be heard meant it could result in a fruitful creative discussion. It also made students realize how much work still needs to be done [鈥�], and what a younger generation of writers needs to do. We need to raise the presence, and we need to have people realize that times are changing, and some things aren鈥檛 acceptable.鈥�

The students in attendance impressed in more ways than one. Cook loved having young folk like Nia James presenting on how they had AI create a conversation between Josephine Baker and James Baldwin. Cook says that it was brilliant to have听folks听question and congratulate this use of technology. It is also not often students have the chance to interact with dancers and a live band who are, 鈥淏akering all over people鈥� in the middle of a symposium. Lifestyle fashionista, as Cook referred to them in an interview, Ajiri Aki, said that that this type of environment perfectly encapsulated 鈥淏aker as a Lifestyle鈥�. Aki and other participants learned that it鈥檚 ok to be Baker-esque by using the good plates, being your full self, and enjoying a particular quality of life in which you can take your time connecting with the world around you.

Dwibedy underlines the importance of creating a one-of-a-kind symposium for the students because providing engaging learning experiences for the students is what makes this type of event so impactful. These one-of-a-kind conferences need to stem from the desire to bring voices and lives that are silenced, unheard of, or forgotten to the forefront so that we can provide, 鈥渕ore holistic views of the people we look up to.鈥�

Thanks to the memorable response to 鈥淛鈥檃i deux amours: A Josephine Baker Symposium鈥�, we can look forward to more conferences like this one in the future. Professor Dwibedy is already speaking with the James Baldwin Foundation and several other organizations in and around Paris to create a symposium honoring James Baldwin in 2024. BT天堂 and its community proudly await seeing in what other ways we inspire future generations by celebrating the most influential members of past generations, such as the magnificent Josephine Baker.

Watch the full highlight video below!