Princess Power

"Of course that is true," nods Hèléne. "European people and white people -- they have to know they are losing their culture of dominance."

"Yes, that is why there is so much madness in the world right now," says Célia, "why fascism and racism are rising everywhere, why there is so much bloodshed. France, Europe . . . it is crazy now."

"See," continues Hèléne, "they think they know their history, but they don't. We know them more than they know us. We know the fullness of their history. Asian people know more about white people than white people know about Asia. Latino people know more about white people. White people, they know about who? We are starting to see some young white people who have figured this out. They know what's going on. The next millennium will be the millennium of the Third World. For sure."

BEING OF MIXED-RACE HERITAGE (FRENCH FATHER, Cameroonian mother), Les Nubians identify as black women; they're artists and activists around the issues that surround their racial and gender markers. I ask the two, who were raised in both Africa and France and now reside in Bordeaux, France, what it was in the way their parents raised them that imbued them with their strength.

"I think," says Célia, "it's because our parents raised us knowing each culture very well. I think our album is representative of that, of our experiences as Afropean people. We have a real African consciousness. That means that we grew up with African influences -- and that means the diaspora, not only Africa the continent. We listened to Afro-American music, Afro-Cuban, raggamuffin, salsa, reggae, South American music. All of it. And our father, who is French Caucasian, used to say, 'Don't forget you are black. Every time you forget . . . '"

"The world will remind you," says Hèléne.

"Yes, they will remind you," nods Célia. "He knew that to be true, even though his blood was flowing in us. I believe our parents were very clever to do that. Because we don't feel lost.