Music, cinema, theatre, exhibitions, conferences, dances, poetry, gastronomy and even wine tasting are some of the events which will be held in Tirana, Shkodra, Kor衬 Fier, Elbasan, Durres, Vlora from March 20 to 29
TIRANA, March 17 – More than a hundred events will be staged in Albania’s main cities for ten days as part of Francophone Spring celebrations in Albania, an annual event celebrating French culture which revives cultural life each March.
Music, cinema, theatre, exhibitions, conferences, dances, poetry, gastronomy and even wine tasting are some of the events which will be held in Tirana, Shkodra, Kor衬 Fier, Elbasan, Durres, Vlora from March 20 to 29, says the French embassy in Albania, the organizer of the events.
The tight calendar of events opened on Thursday, March 20 in Tirana with a concert by renowned French pianist Gerard Daguerre. Sixty documents featuring France’s history through a comic gallery of French heroes will be on display at the “French history told through publicity” exhibition at the National Arts Gallery from March 26 to 30.
The French cinema will be showcased each evening at the Marubi film school in Tirana.
Albanian-born, Paris-based contemporary artist Anri Sala, who in 2013 was selected to represent France at the Venice Biennale will also be featured in the event with several videos.
Albert Camus, a French Nobel Prize winning author, will also be featured in a digital exhibition at the TEN multimedia centre in Tirana.
Pop-rock band Lyleo will also perform in several Albanian cities.
The Game of Love and Chance, a three-act romantic comedy by French playwright Marivaux, will also stage at the National Theatre in Tirana as part of the French Francophonie.
The 2012 programme of events marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the French Alliance in Tirana.
Organized by the French Embassy in Albania and the French Alliance in cooperation with Albanian state institutions, the Francophone Spring events are expected to revive cultural life in Albania, further promoting the French culture and arts in the country which numbers thousands of French speakers.
French is widely taught subject in Albanian schools. Several schools have also established bilingual Albanian-French sections.
Albania has been a full member of the International Organization of Francophonie since 2006. The International Organisation of La Francophonie represents one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world. Its members share more than just a common language. They also share the humanist values promoted by the French language. The French language and its humanist values represent the two cornerstones on which the International Organisation of La Francophonie is based.
The International Organisation of La Francophonie was created in 1970. Its mission is to embody the active solidarity between its 70 member states and governments (56 members and 14 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations’ member states and account for a population of over 870 million people, including 200 million French speakers.
