my brush with celebrity

So let me tell you about how I met Carla Bruni and Eve Ensler...

Monday afternoon I got a call from my Italian coworker, Ginevra, asking if I would be available tuesday evening after work. There was apparently going to be some sort of meeting about the work NPNS does with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and all the interns were invited. And there would probably be stuff to eat. Eager for free food, I said I'd be there.

So yesterday I go into work. All is cool. I spend the day working on the grant proposal for a women's rights project in Guinea. In the afternoon one of the other interns mentions that they think Carla Bruni, the first lady of France, will be at the event. I get excited. I'm also invited by my boss, Mar, to another meeting about the Congo that will be happening at the NPNS office wednesday evening. Ever polite and eager for new experiences, I oblige. Anyway, the evening draws closer, and our official time at the office ends. Pauline, Ginevra and I grab a quick dinner and head to the museum where the event is being held. As we get closer, I find out the Rama Yade, the French secretary of state for human rights, will be acting as host for the event, and that Eve Ensler would be there. As many of my friends know quite well, Eve Ensler is the author of the Vagina Monologues. So I'm thinking this is freaking sweet and I'm loving my job right about now.

Well, we get to the museum, walk past Rama Yade on our way into the building, then slip past Eve Ensler on our way up the staircase (whispering to each other, "Was that...?" "Yeah! I think so!") and into the theatre where the presentation is happening. After a quick introduction by Rama, Eve comes on stage with Carla Bruni. The three proceed to discuss the situation in the Congo -- war, mass raping of women, unspeakable horrors -- and then Eve talks about the project that her organization, V-Day, is working on to help the Congolese women.  Next, they screen the brand new V-Day movie about the Congo. And finally, several other important people in charge of human rights organizations (including Sihem Habchi, présidente of NPNS) take the stage for a round-table discussion on the topic. This is all very interesting stuff, and really eye-opening.

After the presentation, the audience is invited to go back out into the art gallery to enjoy a "cocktail dînatoire" (just a fancy way of saying "cocktail buffet" -- but with French wine and real hors d'oeuvres). This would be an appropriate place to mention that I felt entirely out of place during this whole event. Apparently it was a kind of private event, only meant for leaders of NGOs, business people, and members of the press. Everyone was wearing nice suits and sensible dresses. I was wearing jeans and a checkered shirt. I was obviously only there because of my NPNS connections.

Anyway, the whole reason NPNS was at the event is because we're joining up with V-Day's campaign in the Congo to raise awareness and help the women suffering over there. Which is why the second meeting -- this evening -- took place. Eve Ensler, along with her V-Day team, and other representatives from several Congo-based NGOs came to the NPNS office for a planning meeting. Again, all us interns were there, and we got to sit at the big table with everyone else. So I was literally across the table from Eve the whole time. The meeting itself was interesting, but it was really just logistical mumbo-jumbo. But it was still an awesome experience. Afterwards, we had our own small NPNS-style refreshment buffet: Coke, orange soda, chips and assorted nuts. Classy classy.

(That's Eve on the far left)

Soooo... yeah. I just thought that was pretty dang cool. These past two evenings have made me realize how connected and truly influential Ni Putes Ni Soumises really is. And how lucky I am that I get to work with them while I'm here. On a side-note: I'm pretty sure my French accent is way better than Eve Ensler's... just saying.

So click here if you want to learn more about the V-Day campaign, and here for some background on the atrocities they're fighting against in the DRC. Please. And then tell your friends about it.

Oh, and I almost forgot : I'm heading down to Bordeaux bright and early tomorrow morning to visit my friends Elizabeth and Colin (who both used to go to DePaul with me) for a few days. They've been studying down there in wine country this school year, and I've been wanting to visit them for a long time now. It will be nice to see some old familiar faces. I'll be back sunday afternoon, so let you know how the trip goes.

Happy Travels

-- Cody