From March 7 to March 25, 2009, the Alliance Francaise will host the Festival de la Francophonie, Chicago’s only French-speaking countries festival. The following are events that will be held during this festival:
Festival de la Francophonie- Opening Night! Soirée Commune
Saturday, March 7, 6:00P.M. – 10:00P.M.
Admission: $15 Adults, $5 Children
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
For the 8th consecutive year, the Alliance Française de Chicago will once again pay tribute to the Francophone culture by organizing Chicago’s only French Speaking Countries Festival during the month of March. Over 2,000 Chicagoans are expected to join us as we celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity of the French speaking world which includes over 200 million people in over fifty five countries. As Senegalese President, Abdou Diouf said, this festival…”demonstrates that Francophonie and the French language, its values and the richness of its diversity represent a certain perception of the world. La Francophonie is a vibrant movement and promotes peace, solidarity, and the dialogue of civilizations.”
Join us in our celebration of the French-speaking world. There will be food, refreshments, music, and a silent auction where packages such as airline tickets from Air Canada will go to the highest bidder.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=433&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- Romania
Tuesday, March 10, 6:15 P.M.
Admission: Free
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
The Consulate General of Romania brings a beautiful union of Romanian and French visual art and music to the Alliance Française in Chicago. This artistic journey will be masterfully guided by: Denise Oana Jones, Julia Ghica, Samir Golescu, Olga Ridgway, and Mugur Alexandru Simionov.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=449&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- Switzerland: « Jeune Homme » Film Screening and Discussion
Thursday, March 12, 6:30 P.M.
Admission: Free
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
Switzerland will present a Swiss film dedicated to the coming of age of a young man who fancies escaping his controlling family and going to foreign territory. Sebastian announces on his eighteenth birthday that he is going to Geneva to improve his French while working as an au pair in a family, looking after the children and doing the household chores. What starts out as an adventure turns into a learning experience about love and life.
Following the screening of Jeune Homme, an audience discussion on the still existing stereotypes of female/male roles and the cultural and linguistic diversity of Switzerland will be conducted by Ms. Jody Percy, School Counselor at the Lycée Français Chicago.
Sponsored by the Swiss Benevolent Society of Chicago, the Swiss Club of Chicago, the Service de la Francophonie of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Berne, Switzerland and the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=450&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- Haiti: Music and Dance
Friday, March 13, 6:00 P.M.
Admission: Free
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
An evening filled with flavorful Haitian cuisine and the soulful music of Chicago Twoubadou Sound. The Tamboula Ethnic Dance Company will be on hand to demonstrate folklorique dances. There will also be a special appearance by a celebrated singing talent.
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Haiti in Chicago.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=451&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- High-Quality Chocolate: A Long Chain of Excellence
Presentation & tasting by chocolate-maker Benjamin Desmartins
Saturday, March 14, 3:00 P.M.
Admission: $15 for Members, $20 Non-Members
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
Not all chocolates are created equal. Learn about some of the secrets of turning coca beans into the highest-quality chocolates. It’s a complex alchemy that links botanists, farmers, chocolatiers, and candy makers.
During his studies at the Ecole de Paris des Métiers de la Table (Paris School of Culinary Arts), Benjamin Desmartins was trained by Pascal Caffet, a well-known Parisian chocolate-maker and Meilleur ouvrier de France. He then took up the family chocolate-making business, “Comptoir du Cocoa” (Cocoa Counter) and created the brand “France Cocoa” which offers a range of simply crafted chocolates that use the best ingredients on the market. He received the first prize for praline-filled chocolates at the 2003 Chocolate Fair and first prize for creativity from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=453&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- Buud Yam by Gaston Kaboré Film Screening
Wednesday, March 18, 7:00 P.M.
Admission: $5
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
Buud Yam is a 1997 Burkinabé historical drama. As of 2001, it was the most popular African film ever in Burkina Faso. The film draws on the African oral tradition. Set in a nineteenth century village, it follows a group of characters from Kaboré’s debut film Wend Kuuni. Wend Kuuni (Serge Yanogo) is a young man who is suspected of being responsible, through the use of sorcery, for his adopted sister’s ill health. To help his sister, and clear his name, he tries to find a healer who uses the legendary “lion’s herbs”. He also searches for his own roots. In 1997, Buud Yam was shown at the Cannes Film Festival during Directors Fortnight and had its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. It won the Etalon de Yennega (the Grand Prize) at the 15th Ougadougou Panafrican Film and Televison Festival. 199, 99 min.
In Mòoré with English subtitles. Wine will be served.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=445&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- Québec: Uncovering the Hidden Face of Anglo-America
Thursday, March 19, 6:00 P.M.
Admission: Free
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
Dean Louder, Professor Emeritus at the University of Laval, will speak, in English, about the movements of Francophones throughout the North American continent and their impact today in certain regions. His recent book Franco-Amérique will be the foundation for his presentation.
A small reception will follow the presentation.
Organized by La Délégation du Québec à Chicago.
More information : http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=452&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- Canada: BLOU, Music from the Maritimes
Friday, March 20, 6:30 P.M.
Admission: Free
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
An evening of Acadian, Cajun and Zydeco fusion music from north of the border. Serving as musical ambassadors of the ancestral land called Acadie, the Nova Scotia band Blou has performed in 26 countries for millions of people and has won 13 international and national awards. On this night, they make their Chicago debut.
A small reception will precede the concert.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=454&type=0
Festival de la Francophonie- Belgium & France: La Bande Dessinée, film, lecture, and illustration demonstration
Wednesday, March 25, 6:15 P.M.
Admission: Free
Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street,
Please enter 54 West Chicago Ave.
(312) 337-1070
A marvelous celebration of the art of the comic strip. First, we’ll screen the film “La Bande Dessinée a 100 ans,” a 53-minute document (in French with English subtitles) on the history of comic strips, narrated by the American novelist Jerome Charyn and featuring rare interviews with some of the masters of the art form, including Moebius, Schuiten and Franck Pé. ‘The Comic Strip Hits 100’ traces the evolution of the comic strip and its largely unacknowledged relationship with painting, sculpture, literature and the cinema. After the film, French author and comic book artist Emile Bravo will speak about his life and work.
This program will be followed by an aperitif offered by the Wallonia Trade and Investment Office and the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Belgium in Chicago.
More information: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.asp?event=448&type=0
