The 2023 edition of the Week of the Francophonie is being held from March 18 to 25 at the Alliance Française, Sector 36, Chandigarh, jointly with the Canadian Consulate. The ‘Francophonie Week’ is the festival of French language and the cultures of French-speaking countries, which is celebrated in the middle of March across the world.
The week-long activities here in Chandigarh include a petanque (a form of lawn bowling) match held on March 18. Artistic activities and screening of short films would be held during the entire week at the centre. The most-awaited activity is on March 25 when food stalls from seven French-speaking countries will be set up at the centre.
Ophélie Belin, Director of Alliance Française Chandigarh, said, “The discovery of any country’s activity includes culinary specialities of these countries. This is why we invited seven natives from seven French-speaking countries, Lebanon, Tahiti, Tunisia, Canada, France, Mauritius and Burundi, to share some of their specialities with the public. Different dishes will take the public on a culinary journey.”
Petanque is a French game of boules, born in Marseille in the south of France. It is a game played in teams of two against two, often with 3 balls each and a “cochonnet”, a small ball.The objective is to score points by placing your balls closer to the goal than your opponent in relation to the ball.
“On a canvas, we have drawn symbolic elements of French-speaking countries such as the Eiffel Tower, the hibiscus, the maple leaf, and cheese. The public will be invited to colour these elements and add their own creativity in the available space,” said Ophélie.
“Being a woman means encountering obstacles and, in this program, there are so many personalities who show us how to overcome sometimes complex situations and assert our freedoms. Six short films (3 fictions, 2 animations and 1 documentary) made by women with a cycle time of 91 minutes would be screened,” she said.
Ophélie said, “This year the theme of the Francophonie is ‘time’ and it proposes to explore 10 words: year-light, déjà-vu, lambiner, tic-tac, synchronous, plus-que-parfait, dare-dare, rythmer, avant-jour, and hivernage. The French illustrator Armelle will propose a painting in connection with these ten words.”
There will be a special film screening of ‘Goodbye Happiness’, which has been programmed by the Canadian Consulate. The film is a Canadian comedy-drama film, directed by Ken Scott released in 2022. The film centres on four brothers who do not get along but are attempting to set aside their differences at their father’s funeral.
