8 months ago
3
The Alliance Française de Pondichéry volition showcase the civilization of Reunion Island, the overseas archipelago with month-long events connected October.
The ‘Month of Reunion Island’ fete, opening connected October 1, volition diagnostic concerts, movie screenings, lectures, conferences, publication talks, workshops, and exhibitions, to item multifarious aspects of Reunion Island, which is location to volcanic landscapes, vibrant music, and surviving traditions shaped by intersecting influences of Africa, Europe, and Asia (India).
Entries to these events are escaped which volition beryllium held astatine Alliance Francaise, Ecole Française d’Extrême-Orient, Auroville and Pondicherry University. Music concerts and expos are besides scheduled astatine different cities wherever the Alliance Francaise has a presence, including Chennai, Delhi and Ahmedabad.
Satish Nallam, Alliance Francaise president and Laurent Jalicous, Director, told successful a property league that the month-long fete volition observe the centuries-old historical ties betwixt erstwhile Pondicherry and Reunion Island.
“We person implicit 30 events, 1 programme each time of the period scheduled successful the city”, said Mr. Jalicous.
The month-long festival coincides with a signifier of attempts by Reunionese to revive and deepen ties with the portion of their roots. Reunion Island and Puducherry person a shared ancestral history, economic, linguistic and taste connections that began with the earliest steamships carrying job-seeking migrants leaving these shores for French archipelagos connected the Indian Ocean.
Mr. Satish Nallam pointed retired that a testament of this reconnecting with the roots among migrants was the installation of a ‘Stele de Memoire’ (16th to 19th centuries) successful January 2010, and its renovation successful 2022, astatine the field of Pondicherry University. The stele was conceived arsenic portion of the “Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage” programme supported by Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, Reunion Region, and endorsed by UNESCO.
Generations of Réunionnaise person kept live their Tamil roots, disposable successful language, rituals, cuisine, and festive traditions that person fixed signifier to the creole identity, a synthesis of taste markers.
In 2018, the Alliance Francaise had presented 4 salient bands that had regaled audiences with the Reunion Island’s chiseled Maloya philharmonic contented of slam, rock, reggae, jazz and dance, and the fashionable Ziskakan set successful 2023. This year, the flagbearer of the island’s Maloya euphony genre rooted successful African and Malagasy rhythms is Kafmaron, singer-songwriter who fuses accepted euphony with reggae influences.
The exhibitions are “Dig-Dig tickling successful creole”, a photograph expo by Ysabelle Gomez and “Cilaes, a tone by Laurent de Gebhard” (October 1-12/AFP), Ysabelle Gomez & “Cilaes, a tone by Laurent de Gebhard, connected the enslaved boy-turned-horticulturist “Edmond Albius” (October 14-26) and “Furcy Madeleine” (the enslaved who dared to request freedom/October 28-November 9).
The different highlights are literate presentations/book talks featuring historiographer Gilles Gauvin, History of slavery successful Reunion Island done comics (University), philharmonic speechmaking and penning store led by by Gaëlle Belem, novelist, a sheet treatment connected post-indenture representation and screening of prime films.
The Alliance Française de Pondichéry successful the city, which is location to India’s largest Francophone community, has been seeing an uptick successful French connection learners, a astir 40% summation successful pupil enrolments, and is 3rd ranked successful administering DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française) aft Delhi and Mumbai.
“The emergence successful students learning the French connection is besides opening up employment opportunities successful France for aspirants here”, said Dr. Nallam.
Going forward, the Alliance Française de Pondichéry volition crook a communications hub for coordination wrong the web of 15 chapters crossed India, Mr. Jalicous said.
