October 30, 2008

Chers lecteurs / Dearest Readers

We can predict no more certainly the projectile this blog shall follow, than we can suggest to you now, with any confidence or impressionable wisdom, the roads which we shall follow in the coming months ahead. We fly from Paris to Hurghada, Egypt on Sunday the 16th of November. We are unsure of the duration of this trip. Despite the fact that Eugénie and myself have been long in the process, the preparation, the pondering and placidity of waiting for this grand voyage, there remains many things which we will only have the opportunity to discover along the way. We plan to travel the eastern coast of Africa in search of "projects of relevence and substance with regard to the changing vision of the continent". This search has been analogous for the both of us with "a change in our own vision of how each's role in the world shall actualise in our lives to follow". We have both obsessed over the fantasy of this trip since we were young and without knowledge of the other in the world. But I believe fulheartedly that I could not venture with any reasonable success on this journey without Eugénie. We, firstly as partners, secondly as artists, and thirdly as travellers, support and compliment the potentials in each other to move suredly in the direction of personal acheivement and success with the aid of our shared insights. Our relationship, I imagine, will be one of our strongest attributes and points of confidence along the way. This blog's intentions are focused, but multiple. One focus is to provide a public documentation of our travel for those who are close to us, those who are travellers, those who take inspiration from the shared experience of memoire, those who might have interest in our projects, or those who might provide us with guidance along the way. Another focus is to provide an open and honest discussion of topics concerning travel, photography, Africa, language, field recording, and more. And finally this blog aims to introduce our evolving ideas of who we are. The latter of the points suggests that while we shall be realizing projects along this trip as the early expository work for our budding careers, that the final goal of the voyage is thus, far from a materialized something. We hope to be sincere and honest in each of our posts with the greatest respect to the readers. Thank you for joining us in this expedition. Seamus & Eugénie

Le 16 novembre prochain nous décollerons avec un aller simple pour Hurghada, cité égyptienne au bord de la Mer Rouge. Il nous est à ce jour difficile de vous proposer un itinéraire précis et définitif des routes africaines que nous allons emprunter. Mais l'essentiel n'est-il pas d'être sur la route ? La longue et passionnante préparation de ce voyage nous a fait prendre conscience que le temps est l'un de nos meilleurs atouts, ainsi nous allons pouvoir sillonner les routes au gré des vents. Notre volonté commune est celle de parcourir les pays de l'Est africain en portant un autre regard sur ces contrées lointaines. Partenaires et voyageurs infatigables, nous prenons la route, l'un armé de son appareil photo, l'autre de son magnétophone. Ce carnet de voyage, que nous tiendrons à jour au gré des opportunités, a différents desseins. Il va premièrement nous servir à diffuser des informations et de la documentation sur les pays traversés. Il va aussi nous permettre d'exposer nos travaux photographiques et sonores, tout en partageant nos impressions. Ces récits sont destinés à la fois à nos proches, à d'autres voyageurs, à ceux avides de découverte et de partage, ou bien à l'inconnu qui s'intéresse à nos projets. Nous désirons ainsi ouvrir le dialogue et provoquer l'échange sur des sujets aussi variés que les voyages, la photographie, le langage, et bien évidemment l'Afrique. Ouvrons nos horizons et diffusons nos passions pour se tourner vers l'avenir et réaliser de vieux projets, car enfin, il est temps.
Merci de vous joindre à nous dans l'aventure.
Eugénie & Seamus