KOTD x PARIS (Do you consider Paris your home?)
Creative Direction: Dominik Schefer + Leni Charles
Photography: Rémi Procureur + Jade Deshayes
I’m not sure I can really call Paris my home. Even though I grew up here and speak French fluently. Because of my doule héritage (which is French and Chinese) – a part of me still feels enstranged in France. Vice versa in China. However, Paris is the only place I really know, that fits the most to the definition of home to me.
Paris is an inspirational melting pot. Once you arrive here, you are given this Key to diversity, that you have to keep preciously because not everyone has it. My grandparents came from Armenia and Tunisia, and I was born in Paris but raised in Miami. I came back here. I see it as my home. Paris has probably become, unconsciously and naturally, a magnet for my mind and my body. Like Jules Renard said: “Ajoutez deux lettres à Paris: C’est le paradis.”
My body is in France but my soul rests in Asia. My parents come from Madacascar. Madagascar is one of the first multicultural countries. Long time ago people fromMalaysia emigrated to Madagascar and mixed with locals… Long story short. Here I am: A Blasian living in France! :)
I guess I have a special relation to Paris even if it’s not my actual hometown. I am from Ausria. I have a part of my family which is French, and some of them, like my father, lived in Paris for a while I kind of have a connection, and for me it certainly feels like home. Paris has a wide diversity in many domains and the most important one for me is the abundance of culture that the city can offer. There is culture everywhere you go and you can find any kind. In fact, there are so many aspects to discover!
I’ve been in Paris for 4 years now. Africa is definitely where I belong and the place I can call home. Being a Kid of the Diaspora is really empowering. I’ve lived in many countries. Five to be exact. From my childhood on till now and I like diversity in terms of cultures. Hence, I like to surround myself with different people from all over the world and Paris helps me do that. My mother is half Cameroonian, half French. And my dad is Ivorian. Also, I was born in Canada so I have 4 nationalities.
The fact to know that I am not the only Kid of the Diaspora makes me proud. I met so many people in Paris who live in Paris but are not from here. To me this defines the beauty of this city. I am proud of my origins but also proud of being part of Paris' melting pot. I was born in Cameroon, raised in Austria and welcomed in France. I am a Kid of the Diaspora.
I identify Paris as my home because of the multiple ethnicities that I am used to be surrounded with, whether it’s my family or my friends. My roots, that I know of, go far up to Tunisia. I am half French half Israeli.
For me Paris is like my second home. I as born in Paris and I have lived in Paris since always. This city doesn’t have any secrets for me anymore. I think it’s actually the best city in the world. As a matter of fact, I’m 100% Vietnamese. Indeed my parents came from Vietnam to France with their parents when they were very young. I’m lucky to speak Vietnamese fluently. But, obviously, I consider myself as a French too!
I definitely would identify Paris as my home, because I grew up here. I wasn’t born here but I was raised by this city. It taught me everything. Living in Paris is an adventure every day. You need to overcome challenges and it makes your life more interesting.