TIRANA, Feb. 26- The Francophone Spring will launch another edition during March 2019, a tradition celebrating the French language and culture, and the friendship between Albania and France. This year also corresponds to the eighth edition of the International Cinema Festival in accordance with this tradition.
The French Alliance for the Embassy of France in Albania writes in its activities editorial that “Francophonie means men and women that have one mutual language, French!” The number of French speaking people around the world has reached in 300 million persons. This mutual linguistic space favors the reciprocal exchange and enriching, and also participates in the promotion of diversity and common values.
The 2019 program of the Francophone Spring illustrates this heritage through the various activities that will expand in the whole of Albanian regions during March. Cinema will hold the place of honor with the screening of nine films. These are seperated in two cycles, “classics of French cinema” and “Francophone countries cinema” (France, Slovenia, Canada, Switzerland, Egypt, Romania).
The program will also include theatre shows with Jean Anouilh’s Antigone. Classic music, jazz and electronic will be organized in four nights for the pleasure of participants. Adding to it there will also be French literature readings and two meetings with French writers and poets.
The editorial also mentions that arts and culture aren’t the only spectrums on which Francophonie is seen. In it are included also the values, sharing of ideas and debates over them, scientific research, and cultural exchange. In this framework the Francophone Spring will be also organizing conferences on the female and male equality, women’s forum, an economic forum, round tables in universities, and also a dinner with French style gastronomy. In Albania Francophonie is represented by French language teachers and students, and also actors to multi-linguistics and European integration.
The program will start on March 4 with a series of short films on gender equality. The event will take place on Kinema Agimi, and it will be followed by a debate on the progress made on gender equality and its long-term objectives. In the same topic on Mar. 6 there will be Francophone women’s forum at the Foreign Languages Faculty. The film “Women and Power” will be screened, followed by a debate regarding what position do women hold in the political, economic and academic sphere, on which there is still a majority of men in power.
Another cinema night will take place on March 7, followed by a music night in Kino in March 9 from French-Belgian DJ Haring, with his attractive, dreamy and melodious trademark sounds. On the same day the Experimental Theatre of Tirana will stage Antigone, which will be in Albanian.
More film cycles will be organized along that month regarding humans rights issues and children’s rights. An economic forum about Students and Entrepreneurship will be organized at the Europe House on March 13, to introduce students to various companies and their hiring policies. On the same day at the Polytechnic University will be organized the Book Day, appreciating the book as a connecting bridge between France and Albania. French poet Laure Cambau, and Albanian writers Luan Rama and Ylljet Alickaj will discuss about literature at the event.
The gastronomy night will be on March 21 at the Xheko Imperial Hotel, and other restaurants around Albania. Europe House will host on March 25 another forum, the round table about Basic Skill and Professional Integration. This forum will focus on communication skills, group work, decision-making, sense of organization, etc.. Professionals from the public and private sector will join to share their experiences with the participating students.
On the same day there will be a classical music concert titled “With the pace of time,” at the Aula Magna of the “Liria” building. March 27 will bring a literary meeting with travel writer Cedric Gras at the National Library, who will talk about traveling and exploration. On the 28th the Center for Openness and Dialogue will host an exhibition titled “10 French words,” followed by a short film screening. The exhibition is a display of murals made by Albanian students who study French.
On the same day The Black Box near the Arts University will host a musical concert by pianist Pierre-Yves Plat, followed on the 29th by the last film cycle. The Francophone Spring is thus enclosed on the 30th by two concerts, the Finale of French songs competitions at the Experimental Theatre, and a classical concert at the Orthodox Cathedral. The national orchestra will play music by French composers Gabriel Faure and Cesar Franck, and will be conducted by Martin Lebel.
