Interview
Agop J. Hacikyan: 'I don’t feel I am translating my culture into English'
The playful Armenian-Canadian author talks his latest novel - hailed as a 'love letter to Istanbul' - straddling continents and his opinions on Turkey in the EU
interview, literature, languages, london, identity, candidate countries, armenia
Annett Louisan: 'I don’t need to go the fake platinum blonde bombshell route anymore'
The breathy German chanson singer hasn’t only changed hair colour over the years - she seems to have done a bit of growing up as well. We catch the 31-year-old entertaining the Franco-German relations ambassador and performing live in Paris for the first time
interview, germany, paris, leonid kuchma, brunch, culture, music
The Wankin' Noodles, four boys from Rennes who sing about girls
Romain, Regis, Jean-Sylvain and Guillame went from being graphic design, cinema, information technology and literature students, to being backed by big names as France's latest post-teenage kicks band. Quick catch up with the twelve-eyed foursome at the Transmusicales festival in their hometown
interview, bands, culture calendar, pop music, rennes, men and women, culture
Dominika Nowak: 'I want to stay unusual, even if I've had to become more commercial'
The designer untames convention with her 'Nunc' shoes, insisting that her furry fabric fantasies are made to be adapted to daily life. We discuss Paris-Krakow, fashion uglies and what it's like to go it alone as a one-woman brand at 27
interview, university, paris, poland, emancipation, fashion, business
Andrew Bird: 'even hip-hop is folk music'
From his Chicago-based home - a farm in Illinois - the 36-year-old thinks up the songs featuring violins, guitars, voices and whistling, which have made him one of the best exponents of the folk renaissance. His latest album Noble Beast was a US hit and has been garnering praise in Europe, where he is touring until 24 November
Coeur de Pirate: 'when I grow up I will be like Mathieu Chedid!'
Beatrice Martin, 19, was discovered on Myspace in Quebec and is attempting to conquer France. We meet at Cébazat in the Puy-de-Dome region for the opening of the Sémaphore en Chanson festival
Moby: free Europe concerts for climate change
'Play4Climate.eu' raises awareness among Europe's youth before the December UN summit in Copenhagen. We chat to the American musician/ activist
interview, copenhagen, budapest, environment, barack obama, climate change, activism
Phil Stumpf: anaesthetist by day, DJ by night
Living in France for the last decade has allowed the German, 35, to be more 'exotic'. But the capital is too expensive to allow an underground culture to manifest itself, he says
interview, europe, germany, paris, berlin, club, phil stumpf
Wajdi Mouawad and the theatre: ‘I don’t feel as if I belong to this world’
'Strangely, this does not make me unhappy’, he says the Quebec-Lebanese author, 40. At the 2009 Avignon Festival, he presented Cielos, adding another work to his trilogy on wars, exile and the state of the world.
interview, arts, lebanon, theatre, canada, culture, théâtre de l'odéon
Wael Nawara: 'Secular is a word we Egyptians used to use wrongly'
A nocturnal meeting with the second-in-command of the El Ghad ('The Tomorrow') party, Egypt’s main force of liberal opposition to Mubarak’s regime
Swedish Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström: ‘Europe is stronger than the US’
The newly elected pirate MEP, 49, a former computer programmer from Stockholm, talks about the EU-US relationship, eyes turning towards Sweden again and Europe’s second wave of pirate parties. Part I in a special edition marking the six-month Swedish presidency of the EU
interview, christian engström, internet, computer, european parliament, sweden, european elections 2009
Immunologist Norbert Gualde: don't throw a swine flu party just yet
Rumours of a new way to deal with 2009's global epidemic broke out in the UK in July. The idea is crazy; catch the Influenza A (H1N1) virus and make antibodies before it becomes more virulent. A note of warning
interview, aids, science, public health, health, society, swine flu, sars, tuberculosis, malaria, spanish flu
Herman Dune vs. Vandaveer: transatlantic anti- & alt-folk
An American plying his trade in Europe and a Franco-Swiss exporting his ‘anti-folk’ to the American continent – that place where a guy called Dylan’s first notes were heard. Interviews
interview, europe, folk music, song, business, culture, concert
Warp records' Steve Beckett: ‘I was certain guitars would die out and electronic music would be everywhere’
For over two decades, Steve Beckett, 45, has been at the very forefront of electronic music. His independent record label 'Weird and Radical Projects' is home to the likes of Aphex Twin and Plaid, and has overseen the birth of some of the now finest names in electronic music over the past 20 years
interview, bands, paris, steve beckett, technology, electronic music, culture calendar
Vjollca Dibra on being a young poetess in pre-war Kosovo
The thirtysomething works at OSCE logistics in Pristina when I meet her in late 2007, four months before Kosovo declares independence from Serbia. Who you might brand your average blonde, bespectacled working mother-of-two is also one of Kosovo's youngest recognised female poets
interview, literature, pristina, independence, serbia, refugee, poetry
Nicolai Lilin talks tattoos, Bulgarians and Transdniestria
From Russia to Italy via Transdniestria. Siberian Education, the literary debut of Nicolai Lilin, tells the life story of a young man who, in spite of changing country and culture, has never forgotten the historic traditions of his original community. Interview with the 29 year-old writer and tattoo artist
interview, russian federation, books, italy, immigration, culture, best of cafebabel.com
Jose Manuel Durão Barroso: ‘We don’t need another EU commission candidate'
The conservative and incumbent will be running to renew his mandate for another five years as the head of the executive branch of the EU. ‘We are building a supranational democracy’ with a double legitimisation system ‘in which consensus is the most important,’ he says in Warsaw
interview, warsaw, poland, josé manuel barroso, central and eastern europe, european commission, european elections 2009
Sali Berisha: 'We are going to win the elections because Albanians are smart people'
The Albanian prime minister, 64, announced his country's official EU membership bid to the Czech presidency of the council on 28 April 2009. In Warsaw, the lively PM talk elections, internet and the EU at the two-day congress of the European people's party (EPP). Albania is one of its six non-EU members*
interview, heads of state, warsaw, poland, czech presidency, sali berisha, albania
by
by
