Black masculinities
2024 - ongoing
As a man of Afro-Caribbean descent, born and raised in France, Christophe Boussamba has grown up in a country that doesn't always accept him for who he is. Throughout his life, he has asked himself many questions as a man, as a Black person: Why did an (white) ex-girlfriend only go out with Black men? Why was he almost systematically stopped at the entrance to stores? Why did his father need to assert his authority over him? Why was it so difficult to allow himself to cry?
He then sought to understand to what extent his experience was shared by others, and in what form. He therefore invited Black men to freely share their experiences as Black men in a society with colonial roots. To talk about the impact of the presence (or absence) of their parents — and more specifically, their father — in their upbringing. To talk about their relationships with men and women in a racist world. To recount their emotions and vulnerability.
Black Masculinities is a documentary series that explores the specific experiences of Black men in France. Highlighting both the effects of patriarchy and the very present vestiges of colonization on Afro-Caribbean natives and people of African descent, Christophe Boussamba challenges preconceived notions about this population and offers a much more complex reality through a variety of experiences.
‘We are on good terms, I respect him, we talk more concretely with the (adult) age that I have, but I am not really connected with my father!
I think that African modesty means that we cannot talk about all the subjects and taboos with children. It is really a principle that Africans should abandon. We should be able to talk about everything with our children.’
‘Surprisingly, when I was in groups of black people, I felt like I wasn't Black enough. I grew up in a tough neighborhood and was judged by the way I speak, a culture that was perceived as pretentious, and having an elitist direction in my studies (I was the first person in my high school to go to preparatory classes for business school, so leaving for another high school). I think I was judged as I was about to change my social class.’
‘When I returned from a trip to Portugal with my ex-girlfriend, the airport was empty and there were no checks. It was during Covid. My girlfriend was walking a little ahead of me, everyone was going through, and finally five customs officers stood in front of me. I explained the contents of my suitcase to them, they found nothing and asked a lot of questions. My (white) girlfriend, no longer seeing me, came back and got angry when she understood the situation. Immediately, the customs officers changed their attitude, saying ‘Oh, you're with him?’ She said she was my girlfriend, to which they replied ‘Well, okay, that's fine, go ahead.’
‘I've been fetishized a lot! A lot! By skin, smell, hair, etc. I've been told 'I've never tried (sleeping) with a black man' or 'I don't know what it's like (sex with a black man)'.
‘My best friends are mostly men, but I identify more with the sensitivity of my female friends. I feel I have a slightly different dynamic with men; I present myself less vulnerable.’