“Afropolitaine” is Set to Deliver an Afro-French Touch to a Global Audience
Tracy Gotoas and Manda Toure
It’s 8:48am in Washington, DC and 2:48pm in France on a Sunday morning in September. Manda Toure and Tracy Gotoas have joined us on Zoom from their homes in Paris to discuss the upcoming YouTube series, “Afropolitaine.” The two play Yvoire and Janis, respectively.
The premise of the show: two Afro-French sisters experiencing life in Paris,France with different results. It’s a show in the key of humor.
Yvoire (Manda Toure) is a business student who, despite being the eldest sister, seems to be more malleable after spending her youth seeking to assimilate. You may recognize Manda from Soraya Milla’s short film “Exotique,” which was picked up by Air France in-flight entertainment.
The character Janis (Tracy Gotoas) is a budding Black Lives Matter activist in France — a timely role that fits the mood of the country, which saw thousands of people take to the streets in support of black lives four years after the death of Adama Traoré and in the wake of global unrest following the death of George Floyd. She's the little sister fighting against the system and the social norm.
The comedic series was filmed in Paris in early 2020 right when COVID 19 hit France. The crew managed to film the 10 episode series before lockdowns in France and across the world shuttered productions.
While Manda and Tracy may come across as polar opposites on the show, the two actresses have quite a bit in common in life. For example, they grew up as bi-cultural kids. Plus, their smiles are contagious, they have flawless skin, are bilingual and are easy going this Sunday morning.
We can’t wait to support the pair onscreen. The two, along with Stephanie Vitonou as their maman Therese, deliver an “Afro-French touch,” as they say. But what is an Afro touch ? “Maybe [it’s] this feeling of having Afro origins and being aware, young, millennial Europeans,” says Manda. Tracy chimes in: “It’s a melange. The mix between Africa and Europe or North America, where your parents are from one country, but you were born and raised in a white country.” Manda adds, “but you have the African touch in your spirit and your mind. Africa lives inside of you.”
On-screen the two navigate their shared cultures and identities in unique ways. Off-screen Manda’s parents emigrated from Mali, while Tracy’s parents are from the Central African Republic. And, yes, they, too, navigate life in France in uniquely different ways.
Speaking of parents, "Afropolitaine" is mother and daughter production by Soraya and Aline Milla. The pair chose YouTube after shopping around a 25-minute-per-episode show, but some broadcasters told them, “It’s great to have a show about the Afro-French community, but we’re not sure the French audience is ready for that.”
In shock but determined, mother and daughter decided to create a shorter version to establish the show and attract viewers in order to prove that “there is totally an audience for this type of show.”
“Afropolitaine” will follow in the footsteps of web series like Issa Rae’s “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” (USA) and Cecile Emeke’s (UK) “Ackee & Saltfish.” The two series are familiar to many Black millennials and Gen Z’ers who found casts that resembled themselves thanks to YouTube and other online outlets. Now a little French series will have its chance to capture a global audience.
“It was actually quite liberating to do something like this,” says Soraya. “To think that our program will be available everywhere for the Afro-French community but also for everyone curious about Afro-French culture, and it's for free. It will really be the audience's choice if it's a success and not some random committee that doesn't know anything about [the] community or the topics we're talking about. It should never be their choice. It should always be the audience’s choice. YouTube is a good place to start a revolution in French TV. Don't you think?”
We certainly think so.
The show debuts on YouTube on Oct. 1st. The French comedy series will include English subtitles.
In preparation for the premiere, Apres Josephine spoke to Tracy and Manda about their upcoming roles in Afropolitaine.
Manda, you play a business student, and, Tracy, you play a BLM activist. Did you feel you were anything like the characters on the show, or did you feel an attachment to any of the characters?
Manda: I felt attached to every role because I felt like I knew every character. The fact that I’ve worked with Soraya in the past, I think she knows me well, and she thought about me for this character, so she wrote it for me, I think, a little bit. I think she thought about everyone around her.
Tracy: As a black woman, we’ve been through so much and so many things. At this time of my life, I feel like I have some things to say. I want to be part of projects that tell my stories. So, my character was completely what I wanted to do at this time. I wanted to scream. I wanted to proclaim many things, and it was a great opportunity for me to express what’s in my heart right now. It was a blessing for me. It was a gift, and I’m proud.
Manda: I think, Tracy, you also have a baby brother like I do? We are sensitive about these matters. As for me, I don’t think I can be a leader who is able to speak in front of a lot of people. I don’t think I have that kind of energy because it takes so much energy to tolerate life as a Black woman in France. So, I feel like just working as an actress in France and being able to do such things is doing my part.
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Who is your character, and what are they trying to say?
Tracy: I think my character is trying to say, don’t forget where you’re from. Be proud of where you’re from.
Manda: I think my character is saying to just live. Be proud of who you are and accept all the different parts of your identity. But, as an actress, I think what this story is saying is that the black [ characters] are so different. Black people are so different. In a Black community, you see so many fiery characters and identities. There are so many interesting people. We have an infinite amount of diversity, and that’s so inspiring.
Episode 9 of “Afropolitaine” and Exotique both touch on hair, including wigs. What role has hair played in your lives, particularly, while growing up in France?
Manda: I think I had a classic journey with my hair.
Tracy: When I was a little girl — I was six — I told my mom that I wanted to be a white girl because I wanted to have straight hair. The only women I saw at this time were white girls with long and straight hair, and mine was short and very kinky/nappy. And growing up, it was the same thing. I went to private school, so I was the only black girl all the time. I put in some weaves and straightened my hair. Eventually, I saw the hair damage, but then I was on YouTube and saw a clip with Tyra Banks — she was six or seven— and she was saying she wasn’t proud to be a little Black girl because she felt ugly. This broke my heart. I didn’t sleep at all. The next morning, I took scissors and I cut all of my straight hair. Then I embraced my hair and was proud of it. And now I’m proud to have locs, and I’m comfortable with it. I think Black girls should be comfortable with their hair. No matter if it’s straight, kinky, a wig or not, or locs or whatever. You have to be comfortable with your hair and not to what society wants you to be.
Who inspires you creatively?
Manda: I don't have any muse or idol actually. I try to be surprised, so I can be inspired by anyone at any moment!
Tracy: I don't have one person who's inspiring me. Life itself inspires me because I can be inspired by my family, by a friend, by a person in the street etc. My creativity can be fed by everything. But, if I have to really choose one person that I admire ,the story, the work and what she represents: I choose Viola Davis because she's a charismatic genius, she's beautiful, she's passionate, she seems honest, and I'm in love with her.
How has your family embraced your career in acting?
Manda: They were really concerned at the beginning because I had no role model in my family or our community who was an actor. But my family has always loved the arts, and they supported me as soon as they understood I was very motivated to do the job.
Tracy: I'm lucky that I have my mother and brothers support, otherwise I wound't be here. I'm so lucky and proud to have my family.
What songs are you currently listening to when it’s time to get hype on set?
Do you remember a show, an actress or actor that you saw on screen who made you decide to be an actress?
“In Black communities you see so many fiery characters and identities. There are so many interesting people. We have an infinite amount of diversity, and that is so inspiring. ”
Tracy: Denzel Washington in “Training Day.” I thought, this is what I want to do with my life. I was six years old. I watched it in secret because my mom didn’t want to watch it. I was like, ok, I want to play a crazy woman like this one day. *laughs* And then I fell in love with Meryl Streep.
Manda: I’m not sure if there is a particular movie. When I started acting, I was twelve or thirteen, and I was watching a lot of things from different countries. A lot of teen fiction, and I started to think, well, I can do that. {A movie that stands out] When I saw Lupita N’yongo in “Shuga,” it was so good.
What are you currently watching on television?
Tracy: I’m in love with “Euphoria”, “I May Destroy You” (incredible), and I love ”Insecure.”
Manda: Right now, I’m not watching anything. But a show I like is Greenleaf. Every year when it’s released, I watch the season in three or four days.
Me interjecting: But you didn’t watch” I May Destroy You!”
Manda: I’ve been waiting for the “Noughts + Crosses” series for ten years. [Ed Note: The series premiered on the BBC on March 2020.] The writer is Malorie Blackmon. It’s about a world in which Black people are dominant. This is one of the books that after I read it, I knew I wanted to tell stories with my work. The book was really important to me when I was a teenager because it was so empowering to read about a universe where my ancestors had power from the beginning to now.
We discussed Black hair and seeing yourselves on screen as child. What would you like young Black viewers take away from the show?
Tracy: I think “Afropolitaine” can provide a good example of ambition. I went them to embrace two cultures and be comfortable with it. They can be French and African and be proud of their two cultures. I would love them to realize that it’s a woman and her mother who made the show, and demonstrate that it’s possible to go far. You can do whatever you want with your life. You have to work hard. You have to be patient. You have to be passionate. This is the message.
Manda: I agree 100%.
The two are currently hard at work on upcoming projects. Tracy is filming the Netflix series Braqueurs, and Manda is slated to begin filming an Italian series next month. You can follow news about “Afropolitaine” Web series on Instagram.
Editor Update: You can NOW watch the first episode of Afropolitaine on Youtube.
*This Q&A has been edited for clarity.
