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Did you know that Paris is alive with black history, culture, and contemporary life? Most Anglophones, regardless of their ethnic background, do not! Yet, in a very real sense, the City of Light would not shine as brightly without the contributions of Africans and people of African descent.
Discover Paris! invites you to say "bonjour" to Black Paris by enjoying our Entrée to Black ParisTM tours, self-guided itineraries, and activities! Formerly called "Discover African-American History in Paris!" tours, these walks and presentations provide an historical and a contemporary view of the black experience in Paris.
Entrée to Black ParisTM tours are not only for black people! Our goal in providing these walks and activities is to increase awareness of Paris’ black heritage among all people – particularly those who already know and love Paris, and are seeking new avenues of exploration to enrich their cultural appreciation of the city.
Click here to access our Entrée to Black ParisTM blog for great information on Black Paris!
Photo: Black Paris after WWII tour with the American Club of Paris
Entrée to Black ParisTM tours have been developed by lecturer, author, and Discover Paris!TM co-founder, Monique Y. Wells.
***Click here to listen to Monique's interview on African-American Paris with radio show host and NBC News travel editor, Peter Greenberg.***
Photo: Monique's interview with Peter Greenberg
As an African-American owned business, Discover Paris!TM is uniquely positioned to offer you a rare opportunity to discover the vibrant legacy Africans and African-Americans have created as they influenced many events throughout French history. The existence of a strong Black-American community in Paris dating back to pre-WWI has lured many legendary cultural figures to the City of Light. We offer a variety of personalized itineraries that lead you to the sites and neighborhoods where notable African Diaspora artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals lived and created in Paris. We invite you to retrace the steps taken by such famous African Americans as Josephine Baker, Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Langston Hughes.
Our itineraries are available as part of our personalized itinerary, Complete Travel Planning or à la Carte services.
(Click here to see a sample itinerary.)
Our private, guided activities include:
Afro-centric Art
Some of Paris' most famous museums set the stage for our examination of representations of black people in European art. Our guide, a trilingual Parisian who has studied at the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre, presents informed commentary on collections found at the Louvre, Orsay, and Picasso museums. Tours of the collections of African art at the Dapper museum and the Musée du quai Branly can also be arranged for your pleasure.
Photo: Black Images in European Art at the Louvre
Black Paris and the Myth of a Colorblind France
Monique Y. Wells, co-founder of Discover Paris!TM and co-author of Paris Reflections: Walks Through African-American Paris (with Christiann Anderson) presents an overview of African-American history with an emphasis on the 20th and 21st centuries. Learn about statesmen and soldiers as well as artists and entertainers, and discover the story behind the myth of a colorblind France. The talk is followed by a question and answer period.
Wells has given this presentation for excursions in Paris sponsored by the National Association of Black Social Workers and by African-American travel organizations, for the American Library in Paris, and for numerous institutions in the U.S. These include Barnard College, Howard University, Rice University, and the Alliance Française San Francisco. Duration: ~1½ hours.
Afro-centric Walking Tours and Self-Guided Itineraries – The Choice is Yours!
We offer the opportunity to explore black Paris in two ways: with a private guide or by means of a self-guided itinerary.
Our guided tours, led by a knowledgeable and experienced local guide, involve about 2 hours of walking.
Our self-guided itineraries contain photographs or other illustrations, descriptive commentary, a map, and suggestions for places to pause for refreshment along the route. Self-guided itineraries involve about 2½ to 3 hours of walking, not counting the time spent to pause along the route for sightseeing, shopping, or taking refreshment.
The topics covered in our walks range from the artistic and literary (music and visual arts, prose and poetry) to the political (organization of rallies, aid to protesters). We present the history of Paris along with that of the African/Diaspora people living there so that you may benefit from the maximum perspective for each area covered on the tours.
Photo: Ayanna and Char at final stop of Left Bank Black Paris tour
The selections for our guided walking tours or self-guided itineraries are as follows:
The Black Pearl Walk. Celebrate Josephine Baker’s life with this walk of Montparnasse and the Champs Elysees. See where Josephine began her illustrious career, where she gave her last performance and where she was honored with a state funeral (8th and 14th arrondissements, or districts). To purchase the PDF downloadable version of this walk, please click here.
Black Paris after World War II. This walk highlights the lives of writers such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Chester Himes, and other literati (5th and 6th arrondissements). Learn about contemporary black French associations, the black heritage of the great French writer Alexandre Dumas, and the author of the French law that declares slavery a crime against humanity.
On the Grandest of Avenues. Here you will see the Champs Elysées and the surrounding area, where entertainers such as Josephine Baker and Sidney Bechet worked and where Sally Hemings and her brother James stayed with Thomas Jefferson (8th arrondissement).
Montparnasse - The Artists' World. See where many great African-American artists lived and worked (the 6th and 14th arrondissements). Learn about the French Antilleans who came to Paris to study and who created a stir amongst French and American women alike.
In the Shadow of Montmartre. Walk the area south of the hill Montmartre, where the first African-American community developed after World War I (the 9th arrondissement). Find out about the Senegalese soldiers who served during this war, and the modern day controversy over the use of an image that depicts them.
Richard Wright's Paris. A walk that encompasses Notre Dame Cathedral, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, with special emphasis on Wright's haunts and activities. To purchase the PDF downloadable version of this walk, please click here.
Retracing the Steps of Langston Hughes. See 'Black Montmartre', where Hughes worked in one of the most popular night clubs of the interwar years, and Montmartre itself, where Hughes lived during his sojourn in Paris in 1924.
The Spirit of Africa. Explore Château Rouge, an area with a remarkable mix of colors and cultures that features black African boutiques, restaurants, and a market street with several African food vendors. Then venture into La Goutte d'Or for a taste of North Africa in Paris.
Black History in and around the Luxembourg Garden. Explore the Luxembourg Garden and learn about the histories of such luminaries as Richard Wright, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Séjour, Lois Maïlou Jones, Henry O. Tanner, and Barbara Chase-Riboud. Learn about the myth of the black Statue of Liberty, and see the contemporary sculpture that commemorates the abolition of slavery.
We also offer a literary tour entitled:
Rendezvous Eighteenth. Our most recent walk was created in honor of African-American writer and Lyndhurst Prize winner Jake Lamar. His novel, Rendezvous Eighteenth, is set in the 18th arrondissement, where Lamar also happens to reside. See the many quarters where his protagonist, Ricky Jenks, deals with the trials and tribulations of life and love in Paris.
Special Offer
To introduce new clients to the concept of self-guided itineraries, Discover Paris!TM proposes the following Special Offer:
A two-day itinerary on African-American history in Paris for only $300. Set your own pace as you retrace the paths of great writers, performers and statesmen.Major sites and monuments as well as neighborhoods that are not on the standard tourist circuit will be your vantage point for this unique experience in African-American heritage.If you plan to stay in Paris for two days or more, why not treat yourself to the luxury of a self-guided itinerary that presents African Americans and their accomplishments in several areas of the city.
Please see our Services & Fee Schedule for additional information about our fees and services.
For more information, contact us at  .
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Sample 4-day Afro-centric Itinerary*
Day 1
Arrive in Paris. We suggest that you acquaint yourself with the neighborhood around your hotel. After lunch we recommend a stroll in an historic quarter of Paris, including a street where you can experience African shopping, food, and art.
Day 2
Visit the Left Bank, where Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and other African-American writers lived. Stroll past the famous Sorbonne, down major boulevards, and through one of Paris' most beautiful gardens. Several shopping locations for clothes, cosmetics, interior design goods and more are found in the vicinity.
Day 3
Visit the neighborhood of the Eiffel Tower and stroll down the Champs Elysées. During today's walk, you will experience all the glamour of Paris while learning of black-owned restaurants and nightclubs, art exhibits featuring African-American works, gospel concerts, and other aspects of African/Diaspora history and contemporary life.
Day 4
Appreciate the Louvre courtyard and the Tuileries Garden from an Afro-centric perspective. Then walk up one of Paris' most fashionable thoroughfares, visiting designer boutiques such as Prada, Sonia Rykiel and Dior while learning about the activities of African Americans such as Quincy Jones and designer Patrick Kelly.
*All itineraries are self-guided. We will provide suggestions for dining and nightlife with your itinerary.
The African-American History tour of Discover Paris! is proof of the company's dedication to detail. From the Grand Palais, where African-American artists have exhibited their works since the 1800's - to the fashionable Paris offices once graced by designer Patrick Kelly - Discover Paris! provides the client with endless points of interest. C.A.
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