Mircea Vintilă, muzician, cântăreț și compozitor român de muzică folk

Mircea Vintilă (n. 23 martie 1949, București), cunoscut și ca Ciocu', este un muzician, cântăreț și compozitor român de muzică folk.
Mircea Vintilă face parte din prima generație de artiști folk din România, cea a anilor '70. El este cunoscut atât pentru activitatea sa solo sau cu formația de acompaniament Brambura, cât și ca membru al supergrupului Pasărea Colibri. A compus cântece pe versuri de Adrian Păunescu, George Coșbuc, Tudor Arghezi, Florian Pittiș, Gheorghe Azap și alții. Este recunoscut pentru faptul că o parte dintre cântecele sale recreează atmosfera și farmecul Bucureștiului de odinioară.
Mircea Vintilă s-a născut în data de 23 martie 1949 la București și a fost interesat de muzică din copilărie. A urmat Școala de Muzică, clasa violă. A terminat Liceul „Gheorghe Lazăr” și apoi a absolvit Institutul de Construcții din București în anul 1974.
Mircea Vintilă cântă alături de alți prestigioși artiști (Mircea Florian, Marcela Saftiuc, Doru Stănculescu) la primul festival studențesc de muzică folk din anul 1971, la Clubul 303 aparținând Universității Politehnice București, apoi la Clubul Universitas, la Casa de Cultură a Studenților „Grigore Preoteasa” și în Cenaclul Flacăra.
La a doua ediție a Festivalului „Primăvara baladelor” câștigă „Marele Premiu” cu piesa „Lordul John” pe versuri de George Coșbuc. Cu piesa „Bade Ioane”, pe versurile poetului Tudor Arghezi, câștigă premiul „Teletop” al Televiziunii Române, iar cu piesa „Făt-Frumos” pe versuri de Adrian Păunescu câștigă premiul Uniunii Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România.
Debutul discografic al lui Vintită se produce în anul 1976, când apare un disc single intitulat Mielul / Pământul deocamdată, editat de Electrecord. Versurile celor două cântece ce se regăsesc pe disc aparțin lui Adrian Păunescu. În 1977 apare un disc EP cu trei piese, Bade Ioane / Hanul lui Manuc / Eroii. Următorul material discografic semnat Mircea Vintilă este Crezul meu, apărut în anul 1978. Este primul LP al cantautorului, ce conține 11 cântece, o parte dintre acestea fiind orchestrate de Dan Andrei Aldea de la formația Sfinx.

În perioada 1978-1984 au fost editate două compilații folk pe care Mircea Vintilă figurează cu patru piese.
Mai târziu, în 1984 urmează un al doilea LP intitulat Peripeții noi și apoi, în 1989, un alt album, intitulat simplu Mircea Vintilă, din cauză că titlul original, Se retrage la Vatra Luminoasă, nu a fost acceptat de cenzura comunistă a vremii. La acest ultim album al său de dinainte de Revoluție, Mircea Vintilă colaborează cu Florian Pittiș la texte și cu Sorin Chifiriuc la orchestrații și aranjamente instrumentale.
În anul 1990 primește „Marele Premiu pentru Întreaga Activitate” în cadrul Festivalului Național de Muzică Folk „Om bun”. Urmează o serie de turnee în Austria, Franța, Germania, Rusia și Slovacia. Susține spectacolul „Față în față cu lumea” la Teatrul Bulandra din Capitală, alături de Florian Pittiș, cu care în anul 1993 editează albumul Nu trântiți ușa!. La acest album colaborează pentru prima dată cu Mircea Baniciu și Vlady Cnejevici, care s-au implicat ca orchestratori în realizarea materialului.
În 1992 fondează, împreună cu Mircea Baniciu, Florian Pittiș și Vlady Cnejevici, grupul Pasărea Colibri, desfășurând o prestigioasă activitate discografică și de turneu în țară și străinătate (Statele Unite ale Americii, Canada, Germania). Pe parcursul anilor '90 lansează împreună cu Pasărea Colibri trei albume de folk-rock de mare succes: În căutarea cuibului pierdut (1995), Ciripituri (1996) și Cântece de bivuac (1999).
În octombrie 2000 lansează albumul Madama de pică, material discografic produs de Roton, ce reprezintă primul proiect solo după o perioadă în care a activat mai mult împreună cu Pasărea Colibri. Albumul include doar piese noi, cu un sound remarcabil, la care și-au adus contribuția muzicieni de marcă: Iulian Vrabete (membru al grupului Holograf, în calitate de producător executiv și chitarist bas), Horia Stoicanu (co-autor la muzică și versuri), Gheorghe Emanuel „Fisă” (programare și claviaturi), Relu Bițulescu (percuție), Eugen Caminschi (chitară), Marius Bațu (chitară acustică și voce adițională). Primul single extras, „Noros Cecer”, beneficiază de un videoclip. Madama de pică a fost declarat „cel mai bun album folk al anului 2000”, iar videoclipul piesei „Noros Cecer” a luat premiul pentru „cel mai bun videoclip al anului”, decernat de Uniunea Artiștilor Profesioniști din Televiziune.
În paralel, Mircea Vintilă își continuă activitatea alături de Pasărea Colibri, cu care realizează albumul Încă 2000 de ani, lansat în 2002. În același an, pe data 12 decembrie, participă la concertul aniversar de 10 ani a grupului Pasărea Colibri la Palatul Copiilor din București. Spectacolul face obiectul unui dublu album live și a unui DVD, lansate în 2003. În vara lui 2003, Pasărea Colibri își încetează activitatea. Pentru Mircea Vintilă au loc câteva schimbări pe plan artistic. Astfel, semnează un contract cu o nouă casă de discuri, părăsind Roton-ul pentru Intercont Music. O altă noutate o reprezintă trupa Brambura, care îl acompaniază pe muzician în concerte, dar și pe noul material discografic. Formația este compusă din instrumentiști de valoare: Eugen Caminschi (chitară), Gelu Ionescu (claviaturi), Vadim Tichișan (baterie), Cătălin Crețeanu (bas), Elena Pavel și Andrada Popa (voci adiționale).

Nino Vaccarella, an Italian former sports car racing and Formula One driver

Nino Vaccarella (born 4 March 1933 in Palermo, Sicily) is an Italian former sports car racing and Formula One driver.


His principal achievements include winning the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Targa Florio in 1965, 1971 and 1975, when it no longer was a World Sportscar Championship event.

Sicily-born Vaccarella was well known for being a Targa Florio specialist. According to Vic Elford "he knew the roads on Sicily like the back of his hand". He was teamed with Umberto Maglioli for the 1960 Targa Florio in a birdcage Maserati, which was owned by the Camoradi team. Maglioli had previously won the race twice; Vaccarella was a schoolteacher in Palermo with a great passion for motorsport. They took the lead in the early afternoon on 8 May and maintained it for three laps until the car broke down. The event was won by Joakim Bonnier and Hans Herrmann in a small silver Porsche.^[1] Vaccarella was paired with Lorenzo Bandini in the 1965 Targa Florio when they won with an average speed of 63.7 miles per hour, finishing in 7 hours and 1 minute. 12.4 seconds.^[2] In 1966 Vaccarella and Bandini led most of the race until their Ferrari 330 ran off the track after seven laps and was too damaged to continue.^[3] While waving his hand to acknowledge the crowd, Vaccarella made eye contact with a retaining wall that carried the inscription Viva Nino.^[4] Maglioli and Vaccarella drove a Ford GT-40 to fifth place in the 1967 12 Hours of Sebring.^[5] The 8 May 1968 edition of Giornale Di Sicilia proclaimed in its headline, Only Vaccarella Can Bring Off The Miracle. The meaning had to do with the Sicilian driver's great task of gaining victory in the Targa Florio in his 2.5-litre Alfa Romeo, called the Tipo 33. He was up against four German competitors who were driving Porsche 910 models. The Porsches had recently swept the endurance races at Daytona and Sebring. Few experts gave the four Alfa Romeos much of a chance against the flawless Porsches, but Sicilians were trusting the skill of Vaccarella's driving.^[4] Vaccarella qualified eighth for the 1970 24 Hours of Daytona in a Ferrari 512S. He also drove the big V12-powered Ferrari 512S in a heroic yet ultimately losing effort in 1970, damaging the car in the final stages. This was one of a series of 11 endurance events held in Europe and North America for the 1970 world manufacturers championship.^[6] Vaccarella and Toine Hezemans won the 1971 Targa Florio in an Alfa Romeo. They crossed the finish line over a minute ahead of Andrea de Adamich and Gijs van Lennep, who also drove an Alfa Romeo. This race ended the dominance of Porsche, which had finished first in the previous five Targa Florio races.^[7] Vaccarella competed in the 1972 12 Hours of Sebring in one of four Alfa Romeo 33/3TT's to be entered in the event. His driving partner was Nanni Galli.^[8] They qualified fifth after another Alfa Romeo of Rolf Stommelen and Peter Revson, who started third.^[9]

Formula One

Vacarella was selected for the 1962 Ferrari Formula One race team by Enzo Ferrari. He was joined by John Surtees, Mike Parkes, Willy Mairesse, Bandini, and Ludovico Scarfiotti. He participated in five World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 10 September 1961. He scored no championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races.

Gianfranco Zola, an Italian former footballer, who played predominantly as a forward. After retirement from playing he became a manager

Gianfranco Zola OMRI^[3] OBE^[4] (born 5 July 1966) is an Italian former footballer, who played predominantly as a forward. After retirement from playing manager.

he became a
He spent the first decade of his playing career playing in Italy, most notably with Napoli, alongside Diego Maradona and Careca, where he was able to win the Serie A title, and at Parma, where he won the Italian Super Cup and the UEFA Cup. He later moved to English side Chelsea, where he was voted the Football Writers' Player of the Year in the 1996–97 season. During his time at the club, he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, two FA Cups, the League Cup, and the Community Shield. In 2003, he was voted Chelsea's greatest player ever.^[5] He was capped 35 times for Italy from his debut in 1991, appearing at the 1994 World Cup, where Italy finished in second place, and Euro 1996.
After a stint with Italy under-21s, Zola began his club managerial career with West Ham United of the Premier League in 2008 in the Premier League, before being sacked in 2010. He was manager of Watford from July 2012 until he announced his resignation on 16 December 2013. From December 2014 to March 2015 he managed Cagliari in Serie A.

Manfred von Brauchitsch, a German auto racing driver who drove for Mercedes-Benz in the famous "Silver Arrows" of Grand Prix motor racing in the 1930s

Manfred Georg Rudolf von Brauchitsch (15 August 1905 – 5 February 2003) was a German auto racing driver who drove for Mercedes-Benz in the famous "Silver Arrows" of Grand Prix motor racing in the 1930s.
Although an excellent driver who had reasonable success, he struggled with bad luck, and was overshadowed by his more successful Mercedes-Benz teammates Rudolf Caracciola and Hermann Lang.

Brauchitsch won three Grands Prix - the 1934 ADAC Eifelrennen which saw the first appearance of Silver Arrows Mercedes Race cars, the 1937 Monaco Grand Prix (considered his greatest victory), and the 1938 French Grand Prix. His fastest lap in the 1937 Monaco race (1 minute 46.5 seconds, 11.9 seconds faster than the old record lap) set a record that stood for 18 years.

He was twice runner-up in the European Championship, in 1937 and 1938, and finished third in 1939.

He was noted for his red helmet and his bad luck, losing a number of other Grands Prix when he was on the very verge of winning (no less than five, by some counts). His most famous loss was the 1935 German Grand Prix, when a tire blew while he was leading the last lap, handing victory to Tazio Nuvolari in an Alfa Romeo in one of the latter's most famous victories - the only time during the reign of the Silver Arrows when a Grand Prix was won by a car other than a Mercedes or Auto Union.

Following World War II, being the son and nephew of military officers was not of much practical use in West Germany. After several failed businesses, Brauchitsch contacted Caracciola, who gave him contacts in South America. Unable to settle there, he returned to West Germany embittered and became a target for the communists of East Germany. Again unable to settle, he returned to West Germany, where he was arrested and charged with espionage. In 1951, he was jailed and then released on bail.^{[citation needed]}
During a bail period in 1955, Brauchitsch defected to East Germany; his wife Gisela committed suicide a year later. He was put in charge of the East German national motor sport organisation, as well as becoming president of its movement to promote the Olympic ideal. The latter led to his being awarded the Olympic Order in 1988 by the International Olympic Committee.^[1]
Brauchitsch later remarried, to Lieselotte, and they were permitted to visit West Germany occasionally. Following the death of Hermann Lang in 1987, Brauchitsch was regarded as the last surviving member of the pre-war "Silver Arrow" drivers. He died in Gräfenwarth in 2003.

Hubert de Givenchy, a French fashion designer who founded The House of Givenchy in 1952. He was famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn

Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (20 February 1927^[2] – 10 March 2018^[3]) was a French fashion designer who founded The House of Givenchy in 1952. He was famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.
Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy was born on 20 February 1927 in Beauvais, Oise^[5][6][7] into a Protestant family.^[2] He was the younger son of Lucien Taffin de Givenchy (1888–1930), marquis of Givenchy, and his wife, the former Béatrice ("Sissi") Badin (1888–1976). The Taffin de Givenchy family, which traces its roots to Venice, Italy (the original surname was Taffini), was ennobled in 1713, at which time the head of the family became marquis of Givenchy.^[8] He had an elder brother, Jean-Claude de Givenchy (1925–2009), who inherited the family's marquessate and eventually became the president of Parfums Givenchy.
After his father's death from influenza in 1930, he was raised by their mother and maternal grandmother,^[7] Marguerite Dieterle Badin (1853–1940), the widow of Jules Badin (1843–1919), an artist who was the owner and director of the historic Gobelins Manufactory and Beauvais tapestry factories. Artistic professions ran in the extended Badin family. Givenchy's maternal great-grandfather, Jules Dieterle, was a set designer who also created designs for the Beauvais factory, including a set of 13 designs for the Elysée Palace. One of his great-great-grandfathers also designed sets for the Paris Opera.
He moved to Paris at the age of seventeen, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts.^[6][7]

Career

Givenchy's first designs were done for Jacques Fath in 1945.^[6][9] Later he did designs for Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong (1946) – working alongside the still-unknown Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior.^[6][9] From 1947 to 1951 he worked for the avantgarde designer Elsa Schiaparelli.^[6][9]
In 1952, he opened his own design house at the Plaine Monceau in Paris.^[6][7] Later, he named his first collection "Bettina Graziani" for Paris's top model at the time.^[6] His style was marked by innovation, contrary to the more conservative designs by Dior. At 25, he was the youngest designer of the progressive Paris fashion scene. His first collections were characterized by the use of rather cheap fabrics for financial reasons, but they always piqued curiosity through their design.^{[citation needed]}
Audrey Hepburn, later the most prominent proponent of Givenchy's fashion, and Givenchy met in 1953 during the shoot of Sabrina.^[10][11] He went on to design the black dress she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's.^[10][11]
He also developed his first perfume collection for her (L'Interdit and Le de Givenchy).^[6][7] Audrey Hepburn was the face of that fragrance. This was the first time a star was the face of a fragrance's advertising campaign, and probably the last time that it was done for free, only by friendship.^[12]
At that time, Givenchy also met his idol, Cristóbal Balenciaga.^[7][13] Although a renowned designer, Givenchy not only sought inspiration from the lofty settings of haute couture but also in such avant-garde environments as Limbo, the store in Manhattan's East Village.^[14]
Clients have included Donna Marella Agnelli, Lauren Bacall,^[5] Ingrid Bergman, Countess Mona von Bismarck, Countess Cristiana Brandolini d'Adda, Sunny von Bülow,Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas, Capucine, Marlene Dietrich,^[5] Daisy Fellowes, Greta Garbo, Gloria Guinness, Dolores Guinness, Aimee de Heeren, Audrey Hepburn,^[10] Jane Holzer, Grace Kelly,^[10] Princess Salimah Aga Khan, Rachel Lambert Mellon, Jeanne Moreau, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,^[10] Empress Farah Pahlavi, Babe Paley, Lee Radziwill, Comtesse Jacqueline de Ribes, Nona Hendryx, Baroness Pauline de Rothschild, Frederica von Stade, Baroness Gaby Van Zuylen van Nijevelt, Diana Vreeland, Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney, Baroness Sylvia de Waldner, the Duchess of Windsor, Jayne Wrightsman, etc.
In 1954, Givenchy's prêt-à-porter collection debuted.^[7][13]
De Givenchy created the iconic 'Balloon coat' and the 'Baby Doll' dress in 1958.^[15][16]
In 1969,^[17] a men's line was also created.^[7] From 1976 through 1983, the Ford Motor Company offered a Givenchy Edition of its Continental Mark series of luxury automobiles beginning in 1976 with the Continental Mark IV coupe and ending with the 1983 Continental Mark VI coupe and sedan. In 1988, he organized a retrospective of his work at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.^[9]
The House of Givenchy was split in 1981, with the perfume line going to Veuve Clicquot, while the fashion branch was acquired by LVMH in 1989.^[18] As of today, LVMH owns Parfums Givenchy as well.^[6]


De Givenchy retired from fashion design in 1995.^[10] His successor to head the Givenchy label was John Galliano.^[6][7] After a brief stint by Galliano, a five-year stay from Alexander McQueen and a term from 2001 to 2004 by Julien Macdonald, Givenchy women's ready-to-wear and haute couture was then headed by Riccardo Tisci from 2005 until 2017.^[6][7]
Clare Waight Keller is now the creative director of the fashion house since the Resort 2018 collection.
He resided at the Château du Jonchet, a listed historic castle in Romilly-sur-Aigre, Eure-et-Loir, near Paris.^[7] In his retirement, he focused on collecting 17th and 18th-century bronze and marble sculptures.^[11] In July 2010, he spoke at the Oxford Union.^[6][7] From 8 to 14 September 2014, during the Biennale des Antiquaires, he organized a private sale exhibition at Christie's in Paris featuring, artwork by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot, the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, Jacques-Louis David, Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, etc.^[19]
In January 2007, The French Post Office issued postage stamps for Valentine's Day designed by Givenchy. In October 2014, a retrospective exhibition featuring ninety-five of his designed pieces took place at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain.^[10][20] His longtime partner was fashion designer Philippe Venet.^[21]
He died in his sleep at the Renaissance chateau near Paris on Saturday 10 March 2018.

Leslie Marr, a British landscape artist, painter and former Formula 1 racing driver

Sir Leslie Lynn Marr, 2nd Baronet (born 14 August 1922) is a British landscape artist, painter and former racing driver.
Marr was born in Durham, England, the son of John Lynn Marr (1877–1931) and Amelia Rachel, née Thompson (1884–1971). He was educated at Shrewsbury School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He inherited his baronetcy in 1932, on the death of his grandfather, shipbuilder Sir James Marr, 1st Baronet, though he does not use the title. He studied engineering at Cambridge University, where he graduated in 1942. During World War II he served as a technician in the Royal Air Force. His interest in painting developed during his posting to Palestine.
 Marr participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, making his debut on 17 July 1954 at the British Grand Prix.^[3] Racing in his private Connaught, he finished in 13th place, but retired from his last world championship race in 1955, after a damaged brake pipe caused him to spin off.^[4][5]

 Marr competed in several non-Championship races, with his best results including winning the 1955 Cornwall MRC Formula 1 Race and finishing fourth in the 1956 New Zealand Grand Prix.

Marr is recognised primarily as a landscape artist and painter.^[6][7][8] After the war ended, Marr attended life classes at Heatherley's Art School in Pimlico and subsequently studied under David Bomberg at what was then known as the Borough Polytechnic (now London South Bank University). He allocated the upper floor of a bookshop he had rented as an exhibition space for Bomberg's students (who became known as the Borough Group). Following the Group's dissolution in 1950, Marr continued to paint and to travel across Britain and the continent, and it was at this time that Marr tried his hand at motor racing.^[1][9]

Between 1983 and 1991, Marr lived and painted on Arran, and later moved to a home and studio in Norfolk.^[1] Artworks by Marr are held in the public collections of the British Academy, Imperial College Collection, Laing Art Gallery Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Pallant House Gallery, Chichester

Pope Francis, the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City

Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio;^[b] 17 December 1936) is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the 8th century.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March.
Throughout his public life, Pope Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, concern for the poor and commitment to interfaith dialogue. He is credited with having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he is known for favoring simpler vestments void of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as cardinal. He maintains that the Church should be more open and welcoming. He does not support unbridled capitalism, Marxism, or Marxist versions of liberation theology. Francis maintains the traditional views of the Church regarding abortion, marriage, ordination of women, and clerical celibacy. He opposes consumerism, irresponsible development, and supports taking action on climate change, a focus of his papacy with the promulgation of Laudato si'. In international diplomacy, he helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. Since the publication of Amoris Laetitia in 2016, Francis has faced increasingly open criticism from theological conservatives, particularly on the question of admitting civilly divorced and remarried Catholics to Communion.

Léopold Sédar Senghor, a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal

Léopold Sédar Senghor (9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal (1960–80). Ideologically an African socialist, he was associated with the Négritude movement. He was the founder of the Senegalese Democratic Bloc party.
Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. He is regarded by many as one of the most important African intellectuals of the 20th century.

He graduated from the University of Paris, where he received the Agrégation in French Grammar. Subsequently, he was designated professor at the universities of Tours and Paris, where he taught during the period 1935–45.^[13]
Senghor started his teaching years at the lycée René-Descartes in Tours; he also taught at the lycée Marcelin-Berthelot in Saint-Maur-des-Fosses near Paris.^[14] He also studied linguistics taught by Lilias Homburger at the École pratique des hautes études. He studied with prominent social scientists such as Marcel Cohen, Marcel Mauss and Paul Rivet (director of the Institut d'ethnologie de Paris). Senghor, along with other intellectuals of the African diaspora who had come to study in the colonial capital, coined the term and conceived the notion of "négritude", which was a response to the racism still prevalent in France. It turned the racial slur nègre into a positively connoted celebration of African culture and character. The idea of négritude informed not only Senghor's cultural criticism and literary work, but also became a guiding principle for his political thought in his career as a statesman

Farfarello, eine deutsche Akustik-Rock-Band um den Geiger Mani Neumann und den Gitarristen Ulli Brand

Farfarello, früher auch Trio Farfarello, ist eine deutsche Akustik-Rock-Band um den Geiger Mani Neumann und den Gitarristen Ulli Brand, die im Jahr 1982 gegründet wurde. Die musikalischen Einflüsse der Band reichen von traditioneller rumänischer Musik bis zum Progressive Rock.
Neben Neumann und Brand, die bis heute den Kern bilden, wurde die Band ursprünglich als Trio farfarello gemeinsam mit dem Bassisten Ecke Volk gegründet. Seit dessen Ausscheiden spielen andere Musiker als Gastmusiker bei farfarello mit, neben Bassisten auch Schlagzeuger und Perkussionisten.
So ist als Schlagzeuger regelmäßig Charly T zu hören, der unter anderem 2005 für Köster / Hocker, 2009 für The Lords und 2012 für Chris Kramer spielte.^[2] Ebenso spielt immer wieder der niederländische Jazzperkussionist Martin Verdonk mit. Früher waren unter anderem der deutsche Bassist Dal Martino und der indonesische Percussionist Nippy Noya als Gäste der Band zu hören. Zudem wurde ab 1989 die Band fast 20 Jahre lang ergänzt um den Schwelmer Gitarristen, Cellisten und Sänger Stefan Wiesbrock.^[3]
Der langjährige Gast-Bassist Joschi Kappl wurde mit dem MTV „Lifetime Award“ ausgezeichnet.^[4] Heute ist nach einer Pause wieder der Bassist Urs Fuchs mit farfarello unterwegs, der auch 2015 die CD ZeitZone mit einspielte.^[5][1] Auf größeren Konzerten gibt es seit 2015 eine Erweiterung mit einem Streichtrio, bestehend aus Violine, Viola und Cello.
Der Brite Chris Thompson spielte zusammen mit farfarello auf der 1990 veröffentlichten Single Sea of emotion. Mit der Neuen Lausitzer Philharmonie produzierte farfarello das 2001 veröffentlichte Album Classics. Gemeinsam mit dem Quintetto Accento nahm farfarello die 2004 über das Label Perleberg veröffentlichte CD Rendez Vous auf.
Beim Album farfarello & freunde von 1998 wirkte unter anderen die Kölner Harfenistin Ulla van Daelen mit.
farfarello unterstützt seit Jahren musikalisch den Lichtkünstler Jörg Rost bei seinen Darbietungen. Der spanische Perkussionist José Cortijo unterstützte im März 2013 das Duo bei dem Projekt „farfarello im Licht“^[6] und gehört derzeit ebenfalls zu den regelmäßigen Mitspielern.

Nicholas Medforth-Mills, formerly Prince Nicholas of Romania

Nicholas Michael de Roumanie Medforth-Mills, formerly Prince Nicholas of Romania, (born 1 April 1985) is the eldest child and only son of Princess Elena of Romania and Robin Medforth-Mills. As a grandson of Michael I, the former king of Romania, he was third in line to the defunct throne of Romania according to a new family statute enacted in 2007, that also conferred the title of a "prince of Romania" on him^[2] which was abrogated in 2015. The statute and the titles it confers have no standing in present Romanian law.

Nicholas Medforth-Mills was born on 1 April 1985 at La Tour Hospital in Meyrin, a commuter town near Geneva, Switzerland, the first child and son of Princess Elena of Romania and her first husband Robin Medforth-Mills and the second grandchild of King Michael I of Romania and his wife Queen Anne.^[3]
He was baptised in the Orthodox faith, his godparents being Queen Anne (his maternal grandmother) and Crown Princess Margareta of Romania (his maternal aunt).^[4]
He was followed by a sister, Elisabeta-Karina (born 1989).

Prince of Romania

In 1997, Romanian monarchists intended to ask Michael to designate a male heir-presumptive from the House of Hohenzollern in keeping with the rules of the last royal constitution which were based on agnatic primogeniture and "Salic law"; The monarchists eventually agreed on a compromise and requested him to designate a male rather than female heir-presumptive, in the person of Nicholas. However, under the influence of Queen Anne, Michael rejected the monarchists' request, and at the end of 1997, he designated Princess Margareta as heir presumptive in keeping with the European Convention on Human Rights,^[25] which meant Nicholas would only succeed to the headship of the royal family after the deaths of King Michael, Crown Princess Margareta and his mother.
In 2005, Michael told Medforth-Mills that he could choose to have the chance of becoming a "prince of Romania" which would mean assuming responsibility in a conscious manner by starting to work for the country.
On 30 December 2007, the press office of King Michael announced that Nicholas Medforth-Mills would receive the title "prince of Romania" with the style of "royal highness", coming into effect on Nicholas's 25th birthday. On 1 April 2010,^[2] by virtue of his new title, he became a member of the Romanian royal family^[26] and was decorated with the Nihil Sine Deo, the highest of royal decorations at the time.
In February 2008, Nicholas stated in an interview with the Romanian daily newspaper Cotidianul that if the Romanian people asked him to become king, he would not refuse.^[27]

In September 2012, after his university studies, he moved to Romania to undertake more of the royal family's public activities.^[28]

Removal of succession rights and princely title

On 1 August 2015, former King Michael of Romania signed a document removing the title prince of Romania and the qualification of royal highness from his grandson. Medforth-Mills also has been removed from the line of succession. The former king took the decision after considering that Romania needed a ruler marked by modesty and moral principles, respect and thought for others after the "reign and life" of his eldest daughter, Crown Princess Margareta, will have finished. In issuing the declaration, the former king expressed the hope that "Nicholas will find in future years a suitable way to serve the ideals and use the qualities that God gave him". Nicholas's mother, Princess Elena, received notification of the former king's decision in a personal letter.^[29]
The move "stunned Romanians" and "sparked speculation that a jealous relative had sought to edge Nicholas out of the succession."^[30] Marlene Eilers Koenig speculated that the exclusion of Nicholas from the royal succession was due to the birth of an illegitimate daughter, born from a short relationship with Nicoleta Cîrjan.^[31] The child, born 9 February 2016 and named Iris Anna, was not recognized by the former prince.^[32]
Nicholas released a press statement on 18 November 2017 from London about the child.^[33] Point 2 of the Press release stated, "I returned to Romania in November 2015 to resolve the situation with my alleged child. Due to the constant lack of co-operation from the mother of my alleged child, this situation has remained unclear. So far, there is no medical evidence to support the mother's accusations. Therefore, any accusations that are related to this subject are unfounded."^[33] On 27 May 2019, Nicholas confirmed via a Facebook post that paternity tests had confirmed the illegitimate child is his, and that he had assumed legal responsibility for the child.^[