I have just got back to the UK, after a few days exploring the Normandy region of France.
A fan of French hip hop, listening to various radio stations was a delight.
My favorite song of the holiday was by rapper Black M -“Je Suis Chez Moi”
(English Translation-“I’m home”)
I am not a fluent French speaker by any means and yet it seems quite straight forward to glean what the words mean.
The celebratory tone of the song is clear, and the repetition and defiance behind the lines “Je Suis Chez moi” and “Je suis Francais”, are undeniable.
The mix of French accordion music and afrobeat rhythms speak of unity and collaboration.
This brought a few things to mind. The idea that music is able to touch emotions in a way words cannot, and the fact that often human beings can communicate effectively, even when we are not speaking the same language.
It also felt of personal significance to me. I am not French yet hold a French surname. I was born in London and I am British by Nationality, however my family are from the Caribbean – so where exactly is home?
(No Place Like Home – Colette Baron Reid Wisdom of the Oracle Deck)
We drove past the migrant camps at Calais and the song was ringing in my ears.
“I am home”
But where is home for any one of us?
Poems about place aim to anchor the reader in a world constructed by the writer. When I write about a location, I am writing about my home, whether that be London, Jamaica or my bedroom.
Home is often where I equate my sanctuary to be. Where I feel safe, where I feel at ease.
Home can be with another person.
Home can be wherever you lay your head at night, even the street, even a tent.
Home can simply be somewhere you desire to have.
‘Home’ means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
Today, in a world filled with borders and controls, anger and parameters I ask you to think about where you call home.
Much love Txx
Meditations with spirit 
Great read! I love the Caribbean touch and the emphasis on names. What is in a name? Does it represent ones home, belonging or history? Humm…
So many questions hey…those with the same name (as in family) can also identify totally differently…yes – exactly what is in a name?
I love this song and video! Thank you so much, it made me feel like dancing – I really wanted to be there. Yes! That collaboration and breaking down of barriers that music (and art generally) can do is so important. So great how the police start dancing!
Thinking about questions of where ‘home’ is reminds me of a blogpost I wrote a while ago: http://sarahfeatherstone.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/natalia-goncharova-and-ancestors.html, where, through some art, I started to consider where my real home is. Was it the soil of my ancestors, or a place my soul has always been drawn to (India). I think home has got to be wherever I am right now, which is kind of hard because it means trying to accept things/self as they are and trying to find peace inside. As a character in one of my favourite novels ‘Kafka on the Shore’ by Haruki Murakami says: “I’m safe inside this container called me. With a little click, the outlines of this being—me—fit right inside and are locked neatly away. Just the way I like it. I’m where I belong.” https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/6191072-umibe-no-kafuka?page=12
xxx
Great blog post! – I think I remember reading it at the time 🙂 Yes, I do feel that ‘home’ is always shifting, simply because we are always shifting. Home is dependent on us and a part of us whether we consider a physical place to be home or not.
I’m beginning to suspect that ‘home’ is actually a state of mind….
Thank you for reading love! Glad you enjoyed it 😊😊 xxx