November 1938 to early 1940, part 9

[continuing from previous page, Mancoba returns to his hotel from celebrating Christmas with friends] snow tread –

Following day Mall arrives & I am glad to see him – He has changed tremendously – He hates the English more than ever before.  He has been three years in England and thinks little of the English – He has been a socialist in England & has met very interesting people – Politically he has been very unhappy & has even given up public speaking – In Sheffield he has been called nigger nigger by the children in the streets [.] the children through the English literature have been taught and have assimilated the stereotypes of other races as outsiders & objects of suspicion [,] but some English girls love coloured men and they are assured of a good time in the company of blacks who spend money on them –

[/P] Mall has been to Egypt, having travelled from Paris to Marseilles & has been greatly impressed by the Southern coast of France [,] beautiful islands [,] blue skies & colourful surroundings [.] He has been to Egypt and tells me how greatly the English have exploited that land where there is unspeakable poverty & wretchedness – 7000 British troops [,] Prostitution rife and the English soldiers frequent the dens of prostitution in crowds [.] He has learnt to dance & has become well known in the dancing circles – Siegfried –

We go to the Greek Restaurant by Dupont & have a good feed then coffee at Dupont [.] We decide to go to Chatelet to see the French stage – we have supper in my Hotel & Mall tells me the History of Islam he seems [illegible] to have become more religious – we talk of the cosmopolitanism of Islam – He tells how Mohamed married a Coptic Xtian [sic: Christian] – A negress – an arab [.] A negro slave married a relation of his own etc. No colour friction within the circles of Muslems – I say how unfortunate the Moslems did not wipe out the Hindu religion when they had the opportunity – during their Conquest of India – Mall says Moslems not a [illegible] religion tolerance – they fought as self defence [.] We plan to go to the Mosque in Paris – After Supper we go to Chatelet – We are disgruntled & leave before the interval – It is the Coffre Fort Vivant – a fellow swallows a diamond and it settled in the appendix & there has to be an operation [.] he runs away with a nurse girl to Martinique [,] Hollywood & New York – They revue spectacle is a presentation of these adventures & the story is an excuse for foolish singing, dancing & tom foolery – We go to the Negro bar – Horrible types of negros – I drink punch & Mall [,] coffee – Much talking & playing cards – Mall goes home & we make appointment for Saturday

// After lunch I have a bath & we take metro to Magodor Theatre but Mall has seen the play & we go to see Laurie & Hardie [sic: Laurel & Hardy] – a bitter satire on marriage – Afterwards we go along Boulevard & look at Xmas [sic: Christmas] selling crowds of people – We go to walk at [illegible] of Follies Bergeres as we return a man asks us if we want to see a show of naked girls doing the sex act – we do not resist but go to No 14 [sic: number 14]. climb the stairs I see two elderly looking men waiting their turn looking foolish & sheepish [.] A woman comes out and asks the fellow what we want & she does not want people just to come & look – I see a half naked girl and Mall tells me afterwards there was a black girl – The man asks us if we wld [sic: would] not like to see swimming girls – we get away & Mall is filled with horror & [illegible] and disillusionment.  He asks me if I am not horrified [,] I reply that I cannot be horrified at prostitution as such – I am horrified at the cause for it & for the other ills of our society – A butcher shop horrifies me very much the same way – Meat hanging there with thousands of hungry people looking on unable to eat – Wages too low for people to get married & settle down [.] We see many negro soldiers [.] Metro [,] get off at St Michael [,] eat at Capulade [.] We go to Negro Bal [sic: Bal Negre] – We settled down [,] Mall is thrilled by music – He wants to dance but I am not willing – He asks a girl & they dance [.] I think he cuts a poor figure in those clothes – The girl thanks him and he sits down – Next dance he asks another girl [,] she refuses then another still no [.] He scratches his head and sits down confused [.] I was sorry – But why did he not ask the same girl again [.] But then I have never been able to account for the behaviour & reaction of woman [,] so uncertain – I drink grog & he coffee – He is hurt and talks of these girls as below him etc [.] He admires the frank expression of sex in the dance –

Many officers army with their wives [,] many beautiful negro girls – we go upstairs & look down, a queer affair – I tell Mall my opinions of dancing [,] how one must fit oneself to a whole gamut of foolish senseless [illegible] to be a dancing idol [,] buy trousers, think of fashions of shoes [,] trousers, ties hair etc etc – I am not willing.  I shall dance in a different society – He looks impressed [.] He says he is not upset he has met rebuffs before – Some of the girls are well dressed [,] others shabby and it is the well dressed that get a dance [.] we leave in despair – I go to sleep –

Mall arrives at 130 & we go to see the Follies – He has heard it is a good show from a Scotch woman at the Auberge de la Jeunesse [.] we enter & the show begins – a fairly clever skit on tailors & Scouts – The next rubbish – Technique marvellous but no substance.  I remark that the stage requires a Shakespeare to use it [illegible] & satisfactorily [,] the spirit of the times – More confusion – we go to Greek cafe for Supper – Cha Dupont for tea – There we meet Mall’s friend [.] The hit at Marseilles – He takes us still to another Cafe – very kind & Mall tells him – He wants to learn English [.] He is [illegible] – we make appointment for 6.30 Monday evening –

Mall arrives at 630 and we go to see his friend – we take bus at Bd St Germain [sic: Boulevard St Germain] & as we are not used to system in Paris Mall gives 5 fr [sic: francs] but conductor demands another for return money – Hes a talkative fat short fellow – Characteristically [.]

[/P] We get off & Malls friend waves to us through the window – we walk up & man is very hospitable – On radio Samson & Delilah opera [reference: “Samson and Delilah”, opera by Camille Saint-Saëns] – There is tea & wine – Mall takes little & reminds us he is Mohammedan [i.e. Muslim] – They talk about North Africa & man shows pictures painted by himself – we talk of politics & especially South Africa – We believe French colonial policy not so ruthless as English – Socialism in Europe on the retreat & France united as one Nation – we depart & I tell Mall how a South African [,] a friend of mine [,] was thrown out of a flat because she allowed me to go & see her

It is snowing & we take the bus back to St Michel – Mall asks me what I think of Indians in South Africa [.] I tell him I despise them as short sighted and hope a man like Kajee [reference: Abdullah I. Kajee ][1] will be successful in persuading the Indians to join the united front.  It is one of the most beautiful bus rides I have had in the snow [.] We go to Dupont & take Chocolat [sic: chocolate] – All races there – A negro & French woman are making love at the corner –

Tuesday – we go to see Musée Guimet and Mall brings a Belgian friend he met at the Auberge – At the metro he says he does not like the French – He likes the English and ever the graceful [illegible] – He is a student of medicine at Brussels University – Mall asks why – courteous etc we tell him we are happiest in Paris – He is surprised – We look at Musée & have dinner together at a little restaurant – We stay until 4 oclock at Musée – Afterwards we away towards the Eiffel Tower [.] It is a tremendous thing and a great engineering achievement – we pass beneath it and buy chestnuts of a French woman in the snow – we see some of the exhibition [illegible] the process of being pulled down – Cardboard [.] we walk down Champs Elysee & take the metro to St Michel – we eat at Greek restaurant among snobs –

Wednesday we go to Trocodero Musée Lhomme [sic: Trocadero, Musée L’Homme] – we see the skeletons & mummies but cannot finish in a day [.] Mall points out the differences between male & female skeletons – He is fascinated & we go to Opera & eat at Indian restaurant [.] Curry disappointing – There are Indian people here speaking English [,] Mall dislikes them – women & a man –

We go out to find Picasso, we go along Bd Hausmann [sic: Boulevard Haussman] – I see the most modern Post Office I have known [.] Galleries Lafayette wonderful – Au Printemps magazin [French: store] tremendous – Mall looks at the picturesque policeman on horseback controlling the traffic – We find Picasso at Rosenberg’s – Mall & I are interested – Then Paulsen [sic: Christian Poulsen] arrives with the Swedish lady [.] She is queer [,] shakes hands & goes off – We fix appointment to meet following day at 4 for tea at Poulsens – We go to Simon Galleries [probable reference to gallery of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler] to look at at some Surrealists – then back to St Michel – [illegible]

We go to Trocodero [sic: Trocadero] again & finish the Musée Lhomme [sic: L’Homme] [.] Man has gone through terrible days & Xtian [sic: Christian] religion a tremendous force towards the proper direction – I cannot find anything European before Xty [sic: Christianity] & I wonder why – Such a musee [sic: French: musée or English: museum] would be dangerous in the hands of Nazi crooks to prove superiority of white race against the black –

We finish and go back to St Michel - & find Xtian [sic: Christian Poulsen] at home – We have tea and Pulzer arrives [,] we talk of modern art and of course Mall gives his opinion of the English moderate –

I tell of my impressions after reading England, the unknown island [reference: Paul Cohen-Protheim “England, the Unknown Isle” first published 1931] & English are they human [reference: G. J. Renier “The English: are they human?” first published 1931] – The former writer a Nazi – superiority of black race against white – Bulzer says not necessarily – Mall agree with him – Modern art I feel inexplicable & there must be an answer & standpoint for appreciation [.] Bulzer thinks [illegible] you either like it or you don’t – unsatisfactory [.] we eat at Olympia –

Friday we go to Luxembourg Musée [sic: Musée du Luxembourg] & I see some of M. Vallette’s work – Bust by Maillol [reference: Aristede Maillol (1861-1944, France)] very good – we go out & have tea – We look at books & I buy Picasso –

Saturday we go to Musee Rodin pay 5 fr [sic: francs] – Mall is very interesting his view about art – 1^st Hall more [illegible] than 2^nd – The Burghers of Calais [.] We wonder away & go get tea at Le Dome – Mall likes it [.] We go [illegible] at Olympia then to see the adventures of Marco Polo [,] terrible muck – Mall goes home [.]

Mall arrives we go to eat then Louvre but it is closed – we go to see if the Follie Berger have changed program but not [.] we see Marx Brothers – Quite clever – we eat and Mall & I goes [sic: go] to his hostel – we talk about conditions in SAfrica [sic: South Africa] – Particularly relations between black [,] white & Religion – He deplores my materialism

[end of this section of the diary]