Mohalenyane Phakela
MARCH is a festivities month at Alliance Française branches across the world and the Maseru Chapter has lined-up a number of activities that will thrill a huge crowd expected to commemorate this year’s Francophonie.
Although the International Francophonie Day (French: Journée internationale de la Francophonie) is annually held on 20 March, the Alliance Francaise branches host events throughout the month to celebrate the French language and its culture through events that include music, literature, film and history along with talks, debates and contests.
Alliance Francaise de Maseru has for many years been part of the celebrations and this year they will host three different events to commemorate this month with the highlight being on 20 March.
It will kick-off with an outdoor movie screening of the film Wulu – a 2016 French crime drama about an ambitious 20-year-old bus driver from Mali who is sick of his dead-end job and later becomes a successful drug-runner instead. The outdoor cinema will be hosted at the Alliance Française de Maseru’s Ouh Lala café.
Since 20 March is the highlight of the celebrations, Paris (France) hailing six-piece band, The Dark Blue Orchestra, will serenade music lovers with a performance at Ouh Lala café. The band was formed by Don DiMartino and has other members, Salossin Freeman; Raphaël Bancou; JJ Lane; Pierre Favrez; and Terrence DeLawye. Composed of musicians sharing the same humanistic goals, The Dark Blue Orchestra has been skimming the underworld cabarets with great acclaim since 2011 and has hits such as Cabaret and Kiss Me.
The French diplomatic network also participates in the Goût de France (Good France) initiative by organizing dinners in embassies and certain consulates as part of the Francophonie celebrations. On 21 March, Kick4Life’s The Restaurant Number 7 will be the host of this unique event and its Chef, Mikey Mathai will prepare the menu. Good France Dinner is aimed at paying tribute to the excellence of French cuisine and the values that it represents: sharing, pleasure, and respect for good food, French contemporaries and the environment.
