The song is not new (2017). Bambi loves it and she is fond of Mr. Claude Capéo’s talent. “Riche” was written for him by co-authors Manon Romiti, Silvio Lisbonne, Nazim Khaled, and Mark Hekic.
While driving yesterday from NB to NS back and fourth, Bambi listened to it. What a beautiful song! If you do not believe her, here is a translation of the deep lyrics found on the internet (https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Claudio-Cap%C3%A9o/Riche/translation/english), followed by the song with Capéo’s warm voice!
Last summer, Bambi’s post honoured one of her childhood friends who runs an annual marathon for her country in which she is famous for her jump at the final destination :):
This year, if she may, Bambi will share an older message in Arabic from the Ambassador of the USA in Lebanon (July 4th, 2020): “Like the Lebanese people, we are resistant. We face challenges in a direct way. We keep growing, adjusting, and learning” (by Ms. Dorothy Shea who remains the US Ambassador in Beirut).
Finally, to conclude this post on a joyful musical note, here is a French song from Bambi to all her American friends and relatives (hello if you are reading now :)). This song, by Mr. Joe Dassin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Dassin), is entitled l’Amérique. Well, you may notice or know that l’Amérique is Yellow River, which was written by Mr. Elton John and turned into a worldwide hit by a British band, called Christie.
Bambi would like to thank one of her friends for sharing the powerful cartoon above entitled “Today’s democracy”.
Sadly, it applies to so many countries historically known for defending, sometimes with blood, perhaps the most important value in the world: Freedom.
Here is a translation of the cartoon above (by an unknown source): The Raven (the free bird on the tree branch) asked the parrot: “Why are you in a cage?” The parrot replied: “Because I talk…“.
This is how citizens are feeling in so many countries of the world, including us in Canada and in the nearby United States as well as in Lebanon (+ several others countries) where worrisome stories are increasingly occurring.
In Canada, citizens have been/risk increasingly being the target of forces of censorship. Bambi is not talking about her own censorship saga here (even if it is a sad and unacceptable example of the erosion of our democratic societies). She is talking about “illeberal” bills by so-called Liberal governments. Yes, she is referring to Bill 36:
She is also talking about dangerous practices in the USA like what Facebook is doing right now: Encouraging its clients to denounce each other in the name of so-called anti-extremism:
The link above is in French. Thank you Mr. Vincent Dessureault for interviewing one of our most talented thinkers on the topic, Dr. Mathieu Bock-Côté. Like the latter, Bambi is for a liberal approach to speech in life. It is definitely the healthiest approach to a society. Saying otherwise is a slippery slope that we usually see in the former Soviet era or under dictatorships, not in free societies. It is precisely for this reason that Bambi has never been on any social media. Many of her family and friends found her odd for that. She told herself: I do not trust those things. If one day someone decides you are a terrorist, they can go after all your friends, etc. Remember, for having grown up during a bloody, absurd civil-war, she knows what she is talking about here.
See what is happening today with those big tech companies. They even dared to silence their own President. How could this be done, whether you like him or not and whether he says vulgar things sometimes or not. No one should silence anyone in life, not Mr. Biden and not Mr. Trudeau. Not Mr. Aoun and not even Mr. Nasrallah… and surely not human citizens or deer.
Everyone has a place in a democratic society. Everyone’s insights are valid. Of course, as long we do not call for violence or do not resort to defamation, all expression in all languages and in all countries that respect themselves must be protected.
The last example Bambi will conclude with sadly happened in Lebanon to two foreign journalists. It gave Bambi goose bumps, reminding her of the kidnapping of journalists during war times… Luckily, they are released now and the Lebanese Press Syndicate publicly condemned the action. Same for many journalists and the “Samir Kassir eyes (SKeyes) Center“… “established in Beirut in November 2007 at the initiative of the Samir Kassir Foundation, which was founded following the assassination of Lebanese journalist and historian Samir Kassir on June 2, 2005.” (https://www.skeyesmedia.org/en/About-Us).
Enough of censorship. Enough of intimidation of any citizen/all citizens, journalists, scholars… in any country of the world. Just ENOUGH!
Thank you, Judge Bitar, for doing your job in what appears to be an independent and transparent way.
First, here is one of Bambi’s posts on the surrealistic Beirut port explosion in which she reported that Judge Bitar is considered by senior Law Professors as being both talented and decent. She also wished him to be safe.
Second, a few days ago, Bambi read that the office of a lawyer was the target of a blast. It was not clear if it is related to this case or to another case. Regardless, it is (always) shocking and unacceptable to see targeted violence against lawyers, judges, courts, etc. Anyhow, it seems that this lawyer and his two children (also lawyers) are thankfully all safe and sound (https://www.the961.com/sakher-al-hashem-office-explosion/amp/).
Third, Bambi was happy to read about this decision by Judge Bitar:
Bambi does not know the engineer Nayla el Hage and Maj. Daoud Fayad, but it does not take much reflection in life to guess that often innocent scapegoats pay the price instead of negligent criminals. Bambi wrote a post about Ms. el Hage (she did not know abou Maj. Daoud Fayad’s story at the time):
Fourth, it seems that Judge Bitar is also asking to remove the immunity on three Ministers in order to interview them. Questioning top politicians is a first in the investigation of the Beirut port…
As a reminder, the surrealistic Beirut port explosion destroyed half of the capital, killing 200+ residents (including children), and injured 6000+ others (including Bambi’s niece, brother-in-law who almost lost an eye, and a DEAR childhood friend who is still undergoing serious surgeries to her leg since August 4. 2020).
For Bambi, who is not an expert of explosives or politics, this surrealistic blast seems to be like the icing on the cake of Lebanon’s negligent governance. The latter operates in the context of an endless toxic marriage between two powerful forces, the mafia and the militia. The mafia is that endemic corruption from the top down OR bottom up, as politicians usually come from the people who sadly keep on re-electing the same politicians. The militia is the warrior mindset/forces of the strongest group, which may feel empowered by the apparently weak American external policy about Iran. Bambi is saying so with respect to all nations, including both the USA and Iran. She just hopes she is wrong in being concerned because both the present and long-term future of Lebanon are at stake.
To conclude this post on a musical note, here is a song about the Beirut explosion (released in December 2020). It is in French, sub-titled in English. The singer is called Mr. Fady Bazzi. Bambi discovered his talent lately, first with the song “Jeannot le fou” (one of the earlier posts) and then she came across this song that you may or may not like. He is a businessman living in his adoptive country, the Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire in French (https://fady.fr/index2.php?fady=biographie). He seems to be in love with the Ivory Coast and with “hisAfrican sun“, to use his own terms. Of course, he remains attached to Beirut/Lebanon like Mr. Mark Hachem from Montreal, Québec, Canada (featured in the latest post).
Thank you Mr. Mark Hachem (2019) for this interesting video… at least for Bambi :).
This is particularly meaningful for her, especially following the “Saint-Jean” (June, 24) and “Canada Day” (July, 1), of course both yearly celebrated on this blog!
As Bambi
posted last year, and as one of her friends from Québec and the talented Dr.
Mathieu Bock-Côté reminded her (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/06/30/la-verite-a-propos-du-o-canada),
our beautiful national anthem “was initially composed for the French-Canadians”
(= today’s Québeckers), before gradually being “taken” by the Canadian state
“in its process of building a symbolic identity” .
Dr. Bock-Côté
is right, one must not forget the truth about a powerful symbol like our O
Canada.
Of course, this wisdom also applies to the dark part of our history about the fate of Indigenous children in residential schools… and the agony resulting from this tragic cultural genocide ☹.
Nevertheless, it is by embracing our entire past, with both its tragedies and beauties (while committing to truth, increased peace, healing, and hopefully finally TRUE justice!) that we will write together the next chapter of our country’s great book.
Yes together, we can do it with maturity, peace, and love.
Not with
fire, not with blood… and without destroying any historic statue or burning any
churches.
Yes, we
can… PLEASE let’s do so!
Until then, with or without municipal celebrations, Happy Canada Day to all/Bonne fête du Canada à tous!
