Wednesday, October 16, 2024 – In 2024, the American renowned writer and social critic James Baldwin would have turned 100. To mark this special occasion, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), in collaboration with the Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings (CLIC) and Passa Porta, will present the radio play A Kind of Home by Caryl Phillips, followed by a panel discussion on audio drama. Through this initiative, the university aims to encourage the public to critically reflect on Baldwin's sharp analysis of impact of racism on the individual – and the creative artist.
A Kind of Home explores Baldwin's first move from the United States to Paris in the 1950s, where he wrote his debut novel Go Tell It On the Mountain under challenging circumstances. While Paris was a key destination for migrants, the shadows of racism and the segregated culture of America cast its shadows, impacting emotional landscapes and surfacing in conflicts.
The radio play, by playwright Caryl Phillips, was first broadcast by the BBC in 2004, the year Baldwin would have celebrated his 80th birthday. Baldwin passed away in 1987 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, where Phillips first visited him in 1983.
The introduction of the radio play is given by Professor Bénédicte Ledent, who held the Lorand Chair of Intermediality at the VUB during the 2023-2024 academic year. She has extensively published on the work of Caryl Phillips and other contemporary writers from the Caribbean diaspora. Her most recent publication is a collection of Caryl Phillips' radio plays (Methuen, 2023). The radio play ‘A Kind of Home: James Baldwin in Paris’ serves as the concluding event of Ledent’s tenure as chairholder.
Program
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8:00 PM – 8:15 PM: Introduction by Bénédicte Ledent (Lorand Chair of Intermediality 2024 at VUB)
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8:15 PM – 9:15 PM: Radio Play: A Kind of Home: James Baldwin in Paris
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9:15 PM – 9:45 PM: Panel discussion with experts in literature and audio drama, moderated by Tola Ositelu (PhD Fellow at VUB):
• Bénédicte Ledent, VUB
• Lander Kesteloot (co-founder of the literary podcast "De Letterfretters")
• Tundé Adefioye (dramaturge and lecturer at St. Lucas School of Arts) -
9:45 PM – 10:00 PM: Q&A
Practical Information
Location: Passa Porta, Antoine Dansaertstraat 46, 1000 Brussels
We warmly invite journalists to attend the now SOLD-OUT radio play honoring James Baldwin's 100th birthday on Monday, October 21, at 8:00 PM at the Royal Library of Brussels. Interested in attending? Please contact Nathalie Vlaemynck – 0479 87 23 26 – nathalie.vlaemynck@vub.be
About Author James Baldwin (1924 - 1987)
American James Baldwin was a writer and civil rights activist whose eloquence and passion on the subject of race in America made him one of the most important voices of the 20th century. Baldwin addressed race relations with deft complexity and incisive anger. He was also one of the first Black writers to include queer themes in fiction. His 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain has been ranked among the best English-language novels by Time Magazine. His 1955 essay collection Notes of a Native Son helped establish his reputation as a voice for human equality.
About Playwright Caryl Phillips (b. 1958)
Caryl Phillips is a multiple award-winning British novelist, essayist and playwright whose works have been translated into numerous languages. Nine of his radioplays were broadcast by the BBC. Born in St. Kitts, he grew up in the north of England and now lives in the USA, where he is Professor of English at Yale University.
Other events on the agenda
• In the 2024-2025 academic year, Professor Bénédicte Ledent will be succeeded as chairholder by Professor Anca Parvulescu, affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis. In light of the 150th anniversary of Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Mann (1875–1955), which will be celebrated in 2025, she will deliver a lecture on his novella Death in Venice.
• Caryl Phillips will visit Brussels inMay 2025 as part of the new VUB series ‘Ties That Bind Us’.
The World Needs You
This activities are part of VUB's public programme: a programme for everyone who believes that scientific knowledge sharing, critical thinking and dialogue are an important first step to create impact in the world.
As an Urban Engaged University, VUB aims to be a driver of change in the world. With our academic edcuational programmes and innovative research, we contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and to making a difference locally and globally.