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Press
Release: For immediate release
THE
WORLD IS THEIR OYSTER
Edinburgh, 11 March 2005
French
Connections, an event,
open to all and organised independently to celebrate
the International Day of French Languages and Cultures,
takes a more global turn with a high-profile addition
to the original line-up.
Senegalese
singer, Samba Sene, from multi-cultural band Diwan,
has just announced that he would be singing at the
French Connections event to take place on the 22nd
of March
2005 in the World.
This
generous participation will complete the “nuggets of
French culture” on offer at the World, in Thistle
Street: from a French cinema quiz to a presentation of
Monet’s art by PhD student Maylis Curie, a
rap workshop presentation by Céline
Cateland from new theatre company Zele and
the participation of a French DJ and electronica
musician… The various sides of
French culture are well and truly represented
in style!
Lise
Morel,
the event’s organiser, is absolutely delighted by
this participation as it clearly emphasises the impact
of Francophonie throughout the world, and its presence
in Edinburgh.
“It’s
great to see people who are genuinely interested and
enthusiastic about these celebrations!”, she says.
“As this is an individual initiative, we do not have
any funding at our disposal, and anyone taking part
does so in a completely voluntary capacity. People
often complain about apathy and lack of commitment: I
have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by
the response I got.”
This
event, jointly with the other events organised by
other institutions in the city, will clearly place
Edinburgh on the map of the French-speaking world,
along with New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Djibouti and
Cairo, to name but a few other great cities taking
part in this International French-Speaking Day…
Notes to editors:
- French
Connections:
French Edinburgh Party will take place on Tuesday
22 March 2005, in The World (Thistle Street).
- Samba
Sene:
Heads multicultural band Diwan. This
dynamic group changes its line-up from gig to gig
but always produces sweet sounds from Senegal,
Scotland, Ghana, Jamaica, Nigeria and Liverpool.
With a Ska style brass section and non-stop funky
bass their improvisational style and exuberant
energy always gets the feet moving. Recent gigs
include one of Edinburgh's top clubs
"Departure Lounge" with DJ Raw Deal and
they received a last minute booking from the Hairth
of Knockrach Festival.
Contact: 07916325170
- Maylis
Curie:
French PhD student (History of Art, Edinburgh
University): she took part in the 2004 Monet
exhibition in Edinburgh.
- Zele:
A new bilingual theatre group, headed by Céline
Cateland. This dynamic formation will present Histoires
de Becs, a bilingual storytelling event, in
April in the North Edinburgh Arts Centre. They
also hold rap workshops to introduce teenagers to
a different side of French culture.
Contact: 225 5357 / 0790 536 8967
- Other
events taking place in Edinburgh: On
a more traditional note, the French Institute also
celebrates the Journée Mondiale de la
Francophonie with a one-day conference on Jules
Verne and the writer’s links with Scotland on
the 16th of March, and the
Franco-Scottish Society will hold a talk on the
same day about French in the world.
- About
Lise Morel:
Lise Morel is French but has been living in
Scotland and teaching French to adults for 15
years in various capacities.
She has also published a French guide to
Edinburgh’s nightlife in 2004. On a more
eccentric note, she took part in a comedy show at
the Fringe 2004, teaching comedian Stephen K
Amos some French in front of an audience of
150 people…
Contact: 557 27 34
Press Contact : Lise Morel
Email:
l.morel@premiereclasse.co.uk
Telephone:
(0131) 557 27 34
Issued
by: Premiere Classe
Other
relevant information
53 States and governements
associated to Francophonie
Albanie,
Andorre (principauté d’), Belgique, Bénin,
Bulgarie, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodge, Cameroun,
Canada, Canada-Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada-Québec, Cap-Vert,
Centrafrique, Communauté française de Belgique,
Comores, Congo, République démocratique du Congo, Côte
d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominique, Egypte, France,
Gabon, Grèce, Guinée, Guinée-Bissau, Guinée équatoriale,
Haïti, Laos, Liban, Luxembourg, Macédoine,
Madagascar, Mali, Maroc, Maurice, Mauritanie, Moldavie,
Monaco, Niger, Roumanie, Rwanda, Sainte-Lucie, São
Tomé e Príncipe, Sénégal, Seychelles, Suisse,
Tchad, Togo, Tunisie, Vanuatu, Vietnam
10 observer states
Arménie, Autriche, Croatie,
Lituanie, Géorgie, Hongrie, Pologne, Slovaquie, Slovénie,
République Tchèque.
Abdou Diouf
Secrétaire général de
l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
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FRENCH
