Josephine Baker to become first Black woman to be honored in French Pantheon
The Hindu
French President Emmanuel Macron decided on her entry into the Pantheon, responding to a petition lobbying for her “pantheonization.”
France is inducting Josephine Baker — Missouri-born cabaret dancer, French World War II spy and civil rights activist — into its Pantheon, the first Black woman honored in the final resting place of France’s most revered luminaries.
On Tuesday, a coffin carrying soils from the U.S., France and Monaco — places where Baker made her mark — will be deposited inside the domed Pantheon monument overlooking the Left Bank of Paris. Her body will stay in Monaco, at the request of her family.
French President Emmanuel Macron decided on her entry into the Pantheon, responding to a petition lobbying for her “pantheonization.” In addition to honoring an exceptional figure in French history, the move is meant to send a message against racism and celebrate U.S.-French connections.
Chennai has two categories of Black kites: a larger group heading to the city from the western parts of India during the south west monsoon and heading back when the monsoon is past; and another group, smaller and resident, which would make minor movements in and around Chennai looking for an optimal atmosphere for nesting and raising the young. A couple of pylons in Perumbakkam suggest that Black kites have found an ideal nesting space there
This is part of the Karnataka Namakarana Suvarna Mahotsava celebrations organised to mark the naming of the State as ‘Karnataka’ during the tenure of the late D. Devaraj Urs. The statue, sculpted at an approximate cost of ₹21.24 crore, is 41-foot-tall including the pedestal and weighs around 31.5 tonnes.