An Interview with Guila Clara Kessous
Guila Clara Kessous earned her PhD in French Language & Literature from the BU Romance Studies Department, graduating in 2008. She has spent her time since then as a human rights artist and academic. Kessous was nominated UNESCO Artist for Peace for her dedication to the arts and human rights, and Knight of Arts & Letters by the French Ministry of Culture for her work on the influence of French culture overseas. Earlier this year, the BU College of Arts & Sciences honored Kessous with one of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Kessous generously took time to answer some questions for our departmental newsletter, which you can find below. She tells us about her work since graduation, as well as her memories of BU.
Can you tell us a bit about your work as an UNESCO Artist for Peace? Is there a project that is particularly memorable or important to you?
As a UNESCO Artist for Peace, I belong to the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors division. My actions are carried out in collaboration with two specific UNESCO divisions: the Gender Equality Division and the Division of Social and Human Sciences.
I had the honor to create the Femina Vox Forum in 2019 for women’s voices to be heard to celebrate International Women’s Rights Day March 8th under the high patronage of UNESCO. More than 150 prestigious participants raised their voices such as Nobel Prizes recipients (Dr. Mukwege from Panzi Hospital or Dr. Shirin Ebadi); emblematic women activists (Eve Ensler, Diane Von Furstenberg or Her Excellency Sri Mātā Amritānandamayī called Amma), Ministers and Royal Highnesses (B. Cazeneuve, former Prime Minister or Her Royal Highness The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg), first ladies and famous actresses (First lady of Iceland, Greece, Guyana or Claudia Cardinale),….all those voices come to support activists who are testifying how is the situation of women’s rights on the ground all over the world (Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Libya, India,…). This forum is supported each year by the Global Peace Education Network and inspired books published in the French Gallimard collection.
I also had the privilege to create World Art Day every April 15th. The goal of such event is to unite artists, doctors, philosophers, activists, social workers from all over the world to recognize the power of art. This year we had the chance to have very famous artists such as street artist JR or Chinese pianist Lang Lang. I am working on the next edition already with St Louis Hospital in order to promote the “artistic medical prescription” which is a prescription doctors could offer for patient to alleviate suffering by discovering art in a museum. This has already been validated in Canada but there is still a lot of work to do for the rest of the world to attest the positive virtue of art. The fact that the World Health Organization is supporting the event is something remarkable in order to attest the positive benefits of art as the purpose is of course not to replace medication but to understand art could make a change in the wellbeing of patients.
How did your studies at BU prepare you for the work that you have been doing since graduation?
I really felt privileged to be distinguished by the 2024 recipient of the Arts & Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award. Looking backwards, I realize how Boston University has been a turning point in my career as I learned so much meeting amazing individuals there. I have to mention some here: Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize who helped me so much while I was doing my PhD; President Robert A. Brown, former president of Boston University who was so enthusiastic about my theatrical direction of E. Wiesel’s play “Once upon a time”; Marianne Brown, President of the Women’s Council for helping me to understand the cultural codes of Fisk House, a cooperative residence for women graduate students; Martha Hauptman, the devoted secretary of Elie Wiesel who facilitated all the office hours I spent with him; Pr. J. Kline who welcomed me at Boston University; Pr. J. Spruill, the legendary theater educator who taught me so much on social drama; Ludmilla Leibman, executive director of the Educational Bridge Project for her passion for art; Mildred Basker-Seigel who transmitted me real structured pedagogy, Nelly Rosenberg for her dedication to students; Bob Rothstein who was always so ready to help at the Geddes language Center,…and so much more. At Boston University, I really tried to use all the resources I could in order to transmit my passion for performance: radio show, hip hop classes, student theatre groups,…Being honored by such a university that offers so many opportunities for students to fully understand the world was honestly a true reward.
Is there a particularly important or fond memory of your time at BU that you could share with us?
I have so many fond memories of my time at Boston University. Once in particular was when I wrote and directed the play “Culture.com” in 2006. This play was a reflection on the difference between intelligence, intellect and wisdom. I wrote it as a tribute to John Malkovich as I really thought he was the good person for BU students to understand this social dimension of the power of theatre with his work at the Steppenwolf theatre in Chicago. I was privileged to work with a talented group of BU students in order to perform at the Tsai Center. I knew John Malkovich would come and I let the students know as well as the BU Department of Romance Language and Literature but they were all looking at me as if I was a French cuckoo as no one was thinking that a famous actor such as John Malkovich would attend the show….A lot of the people from the department were skeptical and it is only when they looked at the Daily Free Press journal, that they realized this was true….