Hélène Cardona in conversation with Koketso Marishane
1. Being the multi-lingual professional that you are, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. With a busy schedule like yours, could you please take us on a practical journey on how you spend your 24hrs?
I wear many hats and work as an actor, translator, writer, editor, teacher, producer, and dream analyst. So I live a very artistic and multi-faceted life and have to be very adaptable and flexible. Every day is a little different. Some days I’ll be working a on a film or TV series. It can be in Los Angeles, where I live, or on location anywhere in the world. I also get hired as a dialect coach in the film and music industry. And I do a lot of voice-over work, for movies, commercials, documentaries, etc. I used to teach at universities. Now I mostly teach privately or small groups, as this suits my schedule much better. I work as a translator/interpreter and as a literary translator. My translation Ce que nous portons of What We Carry by Dorianne Laux was recently published by Editions du Cygne in Paris. My translation from the French of Beyond Elsewhere by Gabriel Arnou-Laujeac is forthcoming in the United States. I'm also translating from the Spanish The Birnam Wood by my father José Manuel Cardona, and have translated many other poets, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Aloysius Bertrand, Jacques Crickillon, René Depestre, Ernest Pépin, Jean-Claude Renard, Eloise Klein Healy, to cite a few. The dream analysis or dream work that I do is very fulfilling. It's mostly Jungian, with some shamanic elements. And I help produce films that interest me or that I feel can have a postitive impact. For instance I co-produced with director Emmanuel Itier the documentary Femme: Women Healing the World, about the divine feminine and bridging the masculine and feminine, and I'm co-producing with Mark Eisner the documentary Pablo Neruda: The Poet's Calling.
I balance work with yoga. It’s become a spititual practice. I also run and take long walks in nature. They are a form of meditation and replenish the soul. Reading and listening to music are a constant in my life. And I love spending time John, my partner. I’m a member of the British Academy of Film and Television and we see as many films as possible. I enjoy going to plays whenever I can and visit art exhibits. And of course I’ve always loved traveling. I’ve lived in eight different countries. My family is still in Europe. Finding time to write can sometimes be tricky. The only thing that’s missing at the moment is having a dog. So I befriend every dog (and cat) that I meet.
b. When you dream, what language do you use?
I mostly dream in the language of the country I’m in, when it’s a language I’m fluent in.
I speak English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Greek. And I usually dream in English. But I’ll also switch to French when in France, and Spanish when in Spain or South America. But sometimes while at home in the U.S., I’ll have a dream with bits of other languages. For instance, my grandmother will visit me and speak to me in Spanish. Or I’ll hear some French or German, and so on. Sometimes a new word appears to me in a dream for the first time and that’s how I learn it.
Now this raises the question of where home is. Right now hime is the the United States. When I visit my family in France and Spain, these countries are home too. They were and will always be home. So when I land in France or Spain, I’ll still dream in English for a few days, then at some point I’ll switch to French or Spanish. Europe was home for me during my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. I went to school in France, Swizterland, England and Spain. When I moved to the U.S., this became my new home. I was born in Paris. My mother was Greek and my father is Spanish. We moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and that was home for many years.
I spent my childhood there and in the French and Swiss mountains. That was a very important part of life. We still have a place in Spain. I grew up in a very international environment. My father worked for the U.N. in Geneva, Paris and Vienna, among many places, and I feel like I was literally raised in the United Nations. His colleagues were mostly from Latin America and Spain. For instance Julio Cortázar was a friend and colleague of his in Paris and would come have lunch with us. When my mother worked, it was was for the European Parliament in Brussels. At home we spoke French, Spanish and Greek. In Switzerland, everything is written in French, German and Italian. That’s where I started learning German and Italian.
The other interesting thing about my family is that both my parents come from countries that suffered under ditactorships. So politics were a natural part of life and conversation. My mother had already left Greece during the Greek military junta, but many of her friends were tortured. One of her friends was Vassilis Vassilikos, who wrote the novel Z, which was adpated into the Oscar winning film of the same name by Costa-Gavras.
My father left Spain to avoid getting jailed for his writing and exiled himself in France and Switzerland. He was always politically involved and as a lawyer defended immigrant workers in Geneva.
Frankly I consider myself a citizen of the world. I have three citizenships and am easily at home whenever and wherever I travel in the sense that I also feel at home in foreign places. I enjoy the feeling of foreigness, discovering different environments, cultures and languages. In a way, I could almost say I need that.
I constantly work with many actors and writers from all over the world. I enjoy picking up accents and learning languages. I’m curious about languages and life in general. Knowing etymology helps you understand where you come from. Speaking different languages facilitates communication between cultures. In this way you become a bridge between cultures and civilizations.
2. People are forever travelling to attend events (seminars, summits, conferences, workshops etc), but the media continues to show us variances in terms of nation building towards a peaceful future. Being a well travelled and extremely experienced individual, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. How would you describe yourself (your life) within the broader spectrum of globalisation?
What can I do to promote unity? On a global level, let’s start with questioning nationalism. We’re all here as humankind and have to find a way to come together and overcome our differences to live in peace.
What’s fascinating since the advent of the internet is that social media helps us get together, so that we can be connected to people from all corners of the world. We’re becoming a community that thinks the same way and bypasses prejudices. Two billion people are on the internet. Social media is facilitating a recognition of the unity of everyone across the globe. We all come from everywhere. We’re probably on the verge of discovering alien life and realizing that what matters more than our differences is what unites us. It is sharing this Earth.
b. Why is cross-cultural education a must towards facilitating harmonious and sustainable development Post 2015?
The more we educate ourselves about other cultures, the more we understand one another. We then don’t look at “the other” or “the one who is different” or “the foreigner” in fear. People usually fear what they don’t understand. And by understanding where we come from we all get to know ourselves.
3. Leading a colourful life as yours, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. How often do you see your ‘own’ family and how do you rest?
I see my family about once a year. I wish I’d see them more often. When I lived in New York instead of Los Angeles, I’d go visit at least twice a year. I hope to be able to travel more.
I tend to exhaust myself and have to make sure I get enough rest. Sleep is paramount. I also like to cultivate a relationship with my inner self through dreams. Yoga and walks along the ocean are very therapeutic. As necessary as it is to be connected to the world, it is also vital to remain in communion with nature. To be in silence. To commune with your inner or higher self, which is connected to what we can call the divine or the force of universe.
b. Could you please offer practical recommendations on how and why migration could be incorporated into Post 2015 UN Development Agenda, including through a new global partnership for inclusive development?
The rise of the sea levels is going to force a lot of people to move. They will not be welcome and will have less rights. This has happened throughout history.
What can be done about that is for individuals across the globe to see the unity between themselves and the relationship they have to one another. What’s required is a shift in consciousness.
4. If you’re an animal, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. Which one (animal) would you be and why?
I would say I’m inhabited by many animals. The wolf comes to mind first. Then the horse and several others. I deeply connect with animals. We are all one kin. It’s easy for me to communicate with them. I recognize myself and all of us in them. They’re part of our evolution. Speaking of home – again – I’m comfortable and at home around animals. I’ll take it even further. I need to be connected to animals to be happy. They have a healing impact on humans and it’s proven. Hospitals encourage people to bring dogs to visit patients because of their uplifting effect.
Wolves have had a tremendous influence on us. They are great regulators of our environment. Our society is based on theirs. Each wolf plays a specific role in the pack. There’s the medic etc. They take great care of both their young and their old and are extremely intelligent. And they’re willing to live with us. The least we could do is return the favor. Every species and plant maintains our ecosystem. We should be stewards of our planet and take good care of it during our brief time here.
b. What are some of the lessons for consideration and suggestions for improvement contributing to the development of the operational guidance for a peaceful society within an animal context?
We are becoming more and more aware of how intelligent animals are. They are sentient beings just like us. And many countries have started granting them more rights. For instance in Spain you can no longer experiment on primates. In a landmark resolution, San Francisco recognized the rights of whales and dolphins: the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a measure stating that cetaceans, or whales, dolphins and porpoises, have the right to be free from life in captivity. The resolution states that the animals deserve “to be free of captivity, and to remain unrestricted in their natural environment.” In the EU treaty of Lisbon, animals are considered as ‘sensitive creatures,’ and recent amendments to French Civil Law have modified the classification of animals from ‘personal property’ to ‘living beings gifted with sentience’. In 2002 Germany became the first country in the European Union to grant constitutional rights to its animals. In 2006, members of the Dutch Party for the Animals (PvdD) became the first animal-rights MPs anywhere in the world. We still have a long road ahead challenging the exploitation of animals. It is in our own interest to stop mistreating them because it is backfiring on us.
5. Based on your life’s experiences, please do enlighten us on the following:
What criteria do you use when choosing the company (people) to be with at personal time and professionally? And based on the notion that we’re all passers-bye, in one sentence, what would your eulogy be?
I tend to choose kindred souls, people with whom I share affinities.
She lived with grace and had the best laughter.
1. Being the multi-lingual professional that you are, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. With a busy schedule like yours, could you please take us on a practical journey on how you spend your 24hrs?
I wear many hats and work as an actor, translator, writer, editor, teacher, producer, and dream analyst. So I live a very artistic and multi-faceted life and have to be very adaptable and flexible. Every day is a little different. Some days I’ll be working a on a film or TV series. It can be in Los Angeles, where I live, or on location anywhere in the world. I also get hired as a dialect coach in the film and music industry. And I do a lot of voice-over work, for movies, commercials, documentaries, etc. I used to teach at universities. Now I mostly teach privately or small groups, as this suits my schedule much better. I work as a translator/interpreter and as a literary translator. My translation Ce que nous portons of What We Carry by Dorianne Laux was recently published by Editions du Cygne in Paris. My translation from the French of Beyond Elsewhere by Gabriel Arnou-Laujeac is forthcoming in the United States. I'm also translating from the Spanish The Birnam Wood by my father José Manuel Cardona, and have translated many other poets, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Aloysius Bertrand, Jacques Crickillon, René Depestre, Ernest Pépin, Jean-Claude Renard, Eloise Klein Healy, to cite a few. The dream analysis or dream work that I do is very fulfilling. It's mostly Jungian, with some shamanic elements. And I help produce films that interest me or that I feel can have a postitive impact. For instance I co-produced with director Emmanuel Itier the documentary Femme: Women Healing the World, about the divine feminine and bridging the masculine and feminine, and I'm co-producing with Mark Eisner the documentary Pablo Neruda: The Poet's Calling.
I balance work with yoga. It’s become a spititual practice. I also run and take long walks in nature. They are a form of meditation and replenish the soul. Reading and listening to music are a constant in my life. And I love spending time John, my partner. I’m a member of the British Academy of Film and Television and we see as many films as possible. I enjoy going to plays whenever I can and visit art exhibits. And of course I’ve always loved traveling. I’ve lived in eight different countries. My family is still in Europe. Finding time to write can sometimes be tricky. The only thing that’s missing at the moment is having a dog. So I befriend every dog (and cat) that I meet.
b. When you dream, what language do you use?
I mostly dream in the language of the country I’m in, when it’s a language I’m fluent in.
I speak English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Greek. And I usually dream in English. But I’ll also switch to French when in France, and Spanish when in Spain or South America. But sometimes while at home in the U.S., I’ll have a dream with bits of other languages. For instance, my grandmother will visit me and speak to me in Spanish. Or I’ll hear some French or German, and so on. Sometimes a new word appears to me in a dream for the first time and that’s how I learn it.
Now this raises the question of where home is. Right now hime is the the United States. When I visit my family in France and Spain, these countries are home too. They were and will always be home. So when I land in France or Spain, I’ll still dream in English for a few days, then at some point I’ll switch to French or Spanish. Europe was home for me during my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. I went to school in France, Swizterland, England and Spain. When I moved to the U.S., this became my new home. I was born in Paris. My mother was Greek and my father is Spanish. We moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and that was home for many years.
I spent my childhood there and in the French and Swiss mountains. That was a very important part of life. We still have a place in Spain. I grew up in a very international environment. My father worked for the U.N. in Geneva, Paris and Vienna, among many places, and I feel like I was literally raised in the United Nations. His colleagues were mostly from Latin America and Spain. For instance Julio Cortázar was a friend and colleague of his in Paris and would come have lunch with us. When my mother worked, it was was for the European Parliament in Brussels. At home we spoke French, Spanish and Greek. In Switzerland, everything is written in French, German and Italian. That’s where I started learning German and Italian.
The other interesting thing about my family is that both my parents come from countries that suffered under ditactorships. So politics were a natural part of life and conversation. My mother had already left Greece during the Greek military junta, but many of her friends were tortured. One of her friends was Vassilis Vassilikos, who wrote the novel Z, which was adpated into the Oscar winning film of the same name by Costa-Gavras.
My father left Spain to avoid getting jailed for his writing and exiled himself in France and Switzerland. He was always politically involved and as a lawyer defended immigrant workers in Geneva.
Frankly I consider myself a citizen of the world. I have three citizenships and am easily at home whenever and wherever I travel in the sense that I also feel at home in foreign places. I enjoy the feeling of foreigness, discovering different environments, cultures and languages. In a way, I could almost say I need that.
I constantly work with many actors and writers from all over the world. I enjoy picking up accents and learning languages. I’m curious about languages and life in general. Knowing etymology helps you understand where you come from. Speaking different languages facilitates communication between cultures. In this way you become a bridge between cultures and civilizations.
2. People are forever travelling to attend events (seminars, summits, conferences, workshops etc), but the media continues to show us variances in terms of nation building towards a peaceful future. Being a well travelled and extremely experienced individual, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. How would you describe yourself (your life) within the broader spectrum of globalisation?
What can I do to promote unity? On a global level, let’s start with questioning nationalism. We’re all here as humankind and have to find a way to come together and overcome our differences to live in peace.
What’s fascinating since the advent of the internet is that social media helps us get together, so that we can be connected to people from all corners of the world. We’re becoming a community that thinks the same way and bypasses prejudices. Two billion people are on the internet. Social media is facilitating a recognition of the unity of everyone across the globe. We all come from everywhere. We’re probably on the verge of discovering alien life and realizing that what matters more than our differences is what unites us. It is sharing this Earth.
b. Why is cross-cultural education a must towards facilitating harmonious and sustainable development Post 2015?
The more we educate ourselves about other cultures, the more we understand one another. We then don’t look at “the other” or “the one who is different” or “the foreigner” in fear. People usually fear what they don’t understand. And by understanding where we come from we all get to know ourselves.
3. Leading a colourful life as yours, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. How often do you see your ‘own’ family and how do you rest?
I see my family about once a year. I wish I’d see them more often. When I lived in New York instead of Los Angeles, I’d go visit at least twice a year. I hope to be able to travel more.
I tend to exhaust myself and have to make sure I get enough rest. Sleep is paramount. I also like to cultivate a relationship with my inner self through dreams. Yoga and walks along the ocean are very therapeutic. As necessary as it is to be connected to the world, it is also vital to remain in communion with nature. To be in silence. To commune with your inner or higher self, which is connected to what we can call the divine or the force of universe.
b. Could you please offer practical recommendations on how and why migration could be incorporated into Post 2015 UN Development Agenda, including through a new global partnership for inclusive development?
The rise of the sea levels is going to force a lot of people to move. They will not be welcome and will have less rights. This has happened throughout history.
What can be done about that is for individuals across the globe to see the unity between themselves and the relationship they have to one another. What’s required is a shift in consciousness.
4. If you’re an animal, please do enlighten us on the following:
a. Which one (animal) would you be and why?
I would say I’m inhabited by many animals. The wolf comes to mind first. Then the horse and several others. I deeply connect with animals. We are all one kin. It’s easy for me to communicate with them. I recognize myself and all of us in them. They’re part of our evolution. Speaking of home – again – I’m comfortable and at home around animals. I’ll take it even further. I need to be connected to animals to be happy. They have a healing impact on humans and it’s proven. Hospitals encourage people to bring dogs to visit patients because of their uplifting effect.
Wolves have had a tremendous influence on us. They are great regulators of our environment. Our society is based on theirs. Each wolf plays a specific role in the pack. There’s the medic etc. They take great care of both their young and their old and are extremely intelligent. And they’re willing to live with us. The least we could do is return the favor. Every species and plant maintains our ecosystem. We should be stewards of our planet and take good care of it during our brief time here.
b. What are some of the lessons for consideration and suggestions for improvement contributing to the development of the operational guidance for a peaceful society within an animal context?
We are becoming more and more aware of how intelligent animals are. They are sentient beings just like us. And many countries have started granting them more rights. For instance in Spain you can no longer experiment on primates. In a landmark resolution, San Francisco recognized the rights of whales and dolphins: the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a measure stating that cetaceans, or whales, dolphins and porpoises, have the right to be free from life in captivity. The resolution states that the animals deserve “to be free of captivity, and to remain unrestricted in their natural environment.” In the EU treaty of Lisbon, animals are considered as ‘sensitive creatures,’ and recent amendments to French Civil Law have modified the classification of animals from ‘personal property’ to ‘living beings gifted with sentience’. In 2002 Germany became the first country in the European Union to grant constitutional rights to its animals. In 2006, members of the Dutch Party for the Animals (PvdD) became the first animal-rights MPs anywhere in the world. We still have a long road ahead challenging the exploitation of animals. It is in our own interest to stop mistreating them because it is backfiring on us.
5. Based on your life’s experiences, please do enlighten us on the following:
What criteria do you use when choosing the company (people) to be with at personal time and professionally? And based on the notion that we’re all passers-bye, in one sentence, what would your eulogy be?
I tend to choose kindred souls, people with whom I share affinities.
She lived with grace and had the best laughter.
