Josephine Baker Is Immortalized By The French

By GL Harris

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The feature documentary, Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World, about the life of the world’s greatest diva reminds us of the American born chanteuse’s ability to surprise and defy all odds.

Baker was given the penultimate honor on November 30, 2021 by her adopted country, France and inducted into the French Panthéon. She is the first entertainer, black woman and American to receive such honors.

“ Josephine Baker is said to be the first black woman entertainer to gain international acclaim. In Paris she was a star, respected for her talent as an entertainer,” said Diarah N’Daw-Spech, Co-founder and Co-director of the African Diaspora International Film Festival. “She was not a star in the 1920s in America. She left the US because she could not find room to grow.”

Baker whose career began in vaudeville before crossing the Atlantic mesmerized French audiences with her African inspired banana belt dance and later with her beautiful singing.

“Initially, she was exotic and American.  She was not perceived as a threat, and she was different, special.  Later, she became a French citizen and a war hero. WWII marked and shamed France, especially when the French government was under Nazi occupation,” said N’Daw-Spech.  

She became a resistance fighter during the war, passing vital information to the French military.

“The film shows how she used her cover as an entertainer to pass messages and help the Resistance. She showed tremendous courage and played an important role in the liberation of France,” she added.

Director Annette von Wangenheim skillfully inter-weaves archival footage with Baker’s performances. We see her offstage life and interviews from those who knew her best.The legendary dancers Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder share their remembrances of their friend and colleague.

Born in St. Louis in 1906, Baker became a French citizen by 1937. She participated in the American civil rights movement and worked to create a world free of segregation and degradation that she faced in the United States.

“Most people who are able to transcend the limitations inherent to where they were born, their gender or race inspires and receives respect.  Josephine Baker had real talent. She was a celebrity and, for black people, a symbol of success,” said N’Daw-Spech.

Black-and-white footage and photos of her family, comprised of children adopted from 12 countries with her husband, the bandleader Jo Bouillon, shows how happy Baker was in her role as mother.

“This film is significant as it provides a more complex, layered exploration of Josephine Baker's life, beyond her role as an entertainer.  It shows the complexity of a woman who was extremely intelligent, generous, courageous, and self-actualized. She is an inspiration for all,” said N’Daw-Spech.

Whether performing her legendary choreography which created theater history or singing “J’ai deux amours” which became her anthem, Baker has earned her eternal rest alongside Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Marie Curie and Simone Veil. 

“We wanted to celebrate her entry in France's Panthéon.  It is a significant event in France as she is the first black woman and first entertainer to receive this honor,” N’Daw-Spech said. “Josephine Baker deserves all the honors she is getting. However, this does not necessarily reflect how all WWII veterans were treated by France.  In the festival, we are showing Camp of Thiaroye by Senegalse filmmaker Ousmane Sembene.  That film shows how the French assassinated African soldiers who had served during WWII, won battles for the French and revolted for not being treated fairly. The relationship of France with members of its former colonies and current territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean is very complex.”

 Directed by Annette von Wangenheim, Germany/US/France, 2006, 45 minutes, documentary, French and English with English subtitles