Some know him for having written several books on Freemasonry, himself a member of the Grand Orient of France, he has already provided several television appearances to explain what this organization consists of, but who is really Laurent Kupferman ? Discover in this article, a man with humanist values who fell in love with the journey of a woman we no longer have to present: Josephine Baker.
Son of a French historian
Laurent Kupferman was born on January 19, 1966 in Paris between the union of the historian Fred Kupferman and the author Sigrid Kupferman, he studied at the University Paris Panthéon Assas before joining the cabinet of the Minister of Culture Philippe Douste-Blazy. Laurent is part of this generation of « transclasses ». Young people mostly from a working-class background, but who have managed to reach the « upper » social class. He became an active member of the Grand Orient of France, the most important Masonic obedience in continental Europe. Laurent receives in 2022, the « Prix Laïcité France » with the mention « special human rights prize » from the hands of the professor of economics former director of the IAE of Limoges Jean-François Nys accompanied by Minister Olivier Klein. See also: Freemasonry: at the service of all or only the elites?
His entry into the literary world
He became known in particular thanks to his works on Freemasonry, which he wrote in collaboration with the renowned lawyer Emmanuel Pierrat, but also a book on the French Republic with Jean-Louis Debré. He was crowned Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2021, in recognition of his cultural contribution to France. Then, he meets a personality who will change his life.
Her passion for Josephine Baker
It is through various readings that he plunges into the life of the famous Josephine Baker, he learns about her incredible destiny and falls in love with her journey. Both come from a modest background, Joséphine then becomes for him, the symbol of a success, of a humanism pegged to the body. In 2021, he contacted the philosopher Régis Debray in order to have permission to resume his idea of inscribe Joséphine Baker in the Panthéon, who accepted. Laurent then initiates a petition called « Osez Joséphine Baker au Panthéon », he will succeed in obtaining more than 40,000 signatures, including that of Line Renaud, Stéphane Bern, Jack Lang or Laurent Voulzy. The operation goes back to the ears of President Emmanuel Macron who accepts the request. Joséphine Baker will enter the Panthéon on November 30, 2021, the date on which she married Jean Lion, which allowed her to obtain French nationality.
From essayist to documentary filmmaker
The same year, Laurent Kupferman wrote the documentary » Joséphine Baker, un destin français » directed by Dominique Eloudy-Lenys for Canal+ with the Minister of National Education Pap Ndiaye and historian Pascal Ory as speakers. Through this documentary, he traces the fabulous destiny of a woman who fought and gave her life for the French homeland.
