Mois de la Francophonie
Opening Celebration
Discover art, music, and traditional foods, along with remarks from the Embassy of Madagascar in Washington, at our Opening Celebration of Mois de la Francophonie!
Join us in welcoming the works of two Malagasy photographers as well as a musical group as we kick off our month-long celebration of Madagascar, en musique!
The opening celebration of our Mois de la Francophonie is open to the public free of charge! You can help support the continued presence of cultural programs which benefit our community. Please consider making a donation towards this event and future projects by registering.
=== Le programme de la soirée ===
exhibitions
‘‘madagascar la chatoyante’’
exposition de PIERROT MEN
Pierrot Men lives and works in Fianarantsoa, Madagascar. There, he leads the largest photography studio in the country, and through his work he displays his intimate knowledge of and love for his homeland. You can discover his work on his website here.
‘‘femmes de l’ihorombe’’
exposition de KOLEANE FOXONET
Born in Betroka in Southern Madagacar, Koléane Foxonet is a photographer who combines her passion for environmental justice with her love of photography. This exhibition dedicated to the girls and women of Ihorombe tells about the contact they have with water.
You can learn more about the two exhibitions HERE.
After opening celebration, both exhibitions will be visible in our Vaaler Gallery until April 1.
music
TIJA
Tija is a Twin Cities based smooth jazz band formed in late 2009. During this opening ceremony, Tija will be accompanied by Jun Sugiyama on guitar. Marc Rakotomalala will be playing a Malagasy song on his Valiha, a traditional Malagasy instrument!
Not to be missed!
FOOD
Light refreshments will be served, along with malagasy mofo anana and catless!
books for africa
The organization Books For Africa will be with us! Books for Africa collects, sorts and ships books and related materials to every country in Africa in collaboration with partners worldwide. It is the largest shipper of donated text and library books to the African continent, shipping over 55 million books to all 55 countries on the African continent since 1988. Last year alone, Books For Africa shipped 3.2 million books, valued at over $26.7 million, and 355 computers and e-readers containing over 1,065,000 digital books, to 27 African countries. More than $2.3 million was raised last year to ship these books to the students of Africa. Learn more about our French Books Initiative, as well as other special initiatives (Girls Empowerment, Law & Democracy, etc.) at www.booksforafrica.org.
Do you have any books in French you would like to donate to Books for Africa? Feel free to bring them to the event and put them in their donation box!
Funding for l’exposition de Pierrot Men is supported by The Federation of Alliances Françaises USA