Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In "Les Voyages en train" (Train Rides), the French slam poet Grand Corps Malade creates an extended metaphor comparing love stories to train rides. Just as a successful train ride involves arriving at the station on time and catching the right train, a good love story involves finding the right person at the right moment in one's life. See if you can find some other similarities between the two in this gorgeous video.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
In "Inch'Allah" (Arabic for "if God wills" or "God willing"), French slam poet Grand Corps Malade and Algerian singer Reda Taliani team up to promote a message of love and acceptance of people of all cultures and colors. In the video, two people are lucky enough to have the song performed at their wedding!
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
In "Éducation Nationale," the slam poet Grand Corps Malade gives us his opinion on the shortcomings of the French national education system through the eyes of Moussa, a fifth grader in Épinay. It's a touching song and a call for change in the name of equal opportunity.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Slam poet Grand Corps Malade sings "Comme une évidence" ("Like an Obvious Fact" or "Like it's Meant to Be"), in which he tries to write a love song for his beloved who wreaks sweet havoc on his life. He is anxious to find the right words for her. As in his previous song, "Les Voyages en Train" ("Train Rides"), which he alludes to, he includes multiple double entendres and clever turns of phrase that you will enjoy.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In "Je suis Charlie" (I Am Charlie), Fabien Marsaud a.k.a. Grand Corps Malade commemorates the victims of the devastating attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. As the slam poet notes, "I prefer to pick up a pen because tonight I am Charlie."
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
In "Pocahontas," slam poet Grand Corps Malade offers some insights on raising kids and watching them grow up. He even recreates some old family photos!
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Fabien Marsaud was once an accomplished athlete who after a serious accident had to change his life path. Sometimes we're forced to give up on our dreams, as his song "Plan B" cheekily illustrates.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
On his sixth album, Plan B, slam poet Grand Corps Malade tells his story through his songs. This one, "Dimanche Soir" (Sunday Night), is dedicated to his wife of twelve years.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
These brief interviews on the streets of Lille were conducted in order to test the waters of the tricky dispute over the banning of burqa-wearing in public.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
A cemetery might not top your list of places to visit in a city. But actually, cemeteries are a treasure trove of information on a city’s history and architectural taste. The cemetery in Roubaix is particularly rich, with Gothic and art deco tombs side by side.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Alice is fighting for a great cause: animal abandonment. She rescued her dog, Gadoue, named after the muddy terrain where he was found, through "Réflexe Adoption," an organization dedicated to animal welfare.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The rock group La Jarry has set to music a text written by Florence Cassez, a French woman who was imprisoned in Mexico in 2005 for her alleged involvement with a Mexican kidnapping ring. Cassez's case has provoked diplomatic tensions between Mexico and France in the years following her arrest.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Some people believe that plants contain pollution-reducing properties. However, a study by a group of researchers in Lille debunked that theory.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The greenhouses at the Tourcoing botanical garden contain a lot of exotic greenery, from banana trees to cacao and coffee plants. Visitors can take a guided tour of the garden to see where some of the foods they eat every day come from.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Eight-person bicycles, reversed tandems... Why not try them on your next trip to Lille? If you don't know how to ride these unusual bicycles, rest assured—someone will be there to give you a lesson. Just be careful not to fall off!
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