(Provisional Programme, subject to change)
Media Contact D +27 (0)11 727 5112 T +27 (0)11 403 0458 comm.culture@ifas.org.za 62 Juta Street Braamfontein Johannesburg 2001 www.ifas.org.za IFASCulture @IF_SouthAfrica
Visual arts NOS HÉROS PRÉFÉRÉS and LA FABRICATION D’UN LIVRE February - December | Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Mbabane, Maseru, Pretoria Nos Héros Préférés and La Fabrication d’un Livre are two exhibitions about literature for kids that are travelling through the Alliance Française network in Southern Africa. Visual arts CARTOONS AT LARGE: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION SEEN BY 50 CARTOONISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD March - November | Johannesburg, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Lusaka, Gaborone The Cartoons at Large exhibition comprises 12 panels of press illustrations by 50 artists from around the world. Each panel is devoted to a specific theme concerning freedom of expression, such as censorship, corruption, women’s rights, sports, racism, etc. The drawings, made by artists of 45 different nationalities, have all been published in their respective countries. South Africa is represented by its own Zapiro. While echoing the attacks against Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, this exhibition is broadening the perspective by illustrating the manner in which freedom of expression today comes into play on all continents. Presented with the support of the Alliance Française in Southern Africa. www.alliance.org.za Visual arts MONGEZI NCAPHAYI SOLO EXHIBITION: SPIRIT’S RESPONSE April - November | Port Elizabeth, Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria Mongezi Ncaphayi won the 2013 Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award (now known as the Barclays L’Atelier) for the most promising artist, and this is his first solo exhibition since returning from his three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris last year as part of this award. The opening of the exhibition took place at the Absa Gallery in Johannesburg in February and will continue touring across the country in Port Elizabeth, Durban, Cape Town, and Pretoria throughout the year. Presented with the support of the Alliance Française in South Africa.
Radio “RENDEZ-VOUS AFRICA” RADIO SHOW April - December | Weekly Show | Johannesburg | Voice of Wits [88.1FM] A new radio show called “Rendez-Vous Africa” portraying the daily life of the French speaking African diaspora in Johannesburg will be launched in April on Voice of Wits (88.1FM). The 30 minute show will be broadcasted every Tuesday between 19.30 and 20.00. It will be produced by the African French-speaking community and will propose a variety of local reports, cultural news, and short feature programmes from RFI as well as African francophone music. This project is initiated by the French Institute of South Africa with Voice of Wits, in partnership with RFI (Radio France International) and the African Diaspora Forum NGO. www.vowfm.co.za Cinema LE MOVIE CLUB 28 April | The Bioscope Independent Cinema - Johannesburg On the last Thursday of every month, immerse yourself in the vibrant cultures of French and Francophone films from around the world. Throughout the year there will be different themes such as African cinema, French comedy and Animation. All the films are shown in French with English subtitles. 9 mois ferme (9 Month Stretch) will be the first instalment of Le Movie Club’s comedy theme. Written, directed by and starring Albert Dupontel, it tells the story of Ariane Felder, a judge of strict morals who discovers that she's pregnant by Bob Nolan, a criminal wanted for murder. Le Movie Club is an exciting new collaboration between The Bioscope Independent Cinema, the Alliance Française of Johannesburg and the French Institute of South Africa. Films provided by Institut Français. F: @TheMovieClubJHB
Books OLIVIER TRUC May | Wellington Award winning French crime writer Olivier Truc, writer of the international bestseller, Forty Days Without Shadow (Le Dernier Lapon), will be opening a new creative residency in Wellington, created in collaboration with the Breyten Breytenbach Centre and Stellenbosch University. Music VAUDOU GAME (Togo, France) May - June | Southern Africa Peter Solo is a singer and composer born in Aného-Glidji, Togo, a major site of the Voodoo culture. With his new band Vaudou Game based in Lyon, France, Peter Solo claims and spreads this spiritual and musical heritage. This is Togolese funk, born in the post-colonial era but that never before explored its ancient roots so deeply and proudly. The band will be touring Southern Africa for the first time this year, including at the Bushfire Festival (Swaziland), the famous Rainbow Club (Durban) and the Fête de la Musique in Joburg and Pretoria. Presented with the support of the Alliance Française in Southern Africa. www.metiola.com/artist/vaudou-game Books SPIER POETRY FESTIVAL 7 May | Spier Wine Farm - Stellenbosch This unique literary project comprises a week-long gathering, in the Western Cape, of internationally acclaimed literary voices, for discussion and debate, reading and writing, translation and travelling. It brings about a vibrant space of creativity, interaction and celebration for the participant ‘band’ of poets, translators, minstrels and musicians. Michel Deguy (philosopher and poet) and Maram AlMassri (poet and musician) will be guests of honour. www.spierpoetryfestival.co.za
Cinema EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL 6-15 May | Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban The 3rd edition of the European Film Festival (previously organised by IFAS in 2014 and 2015) is hosted by Cinema Nouveau and organised by the Goethe-Institut from the 6th to the 15th of May 2016. 11 European films will be screened during 2 weeks in four cities across the country. The selected French film is Chocolat (Monsieur Chocolat) by Roschdy Zem starring French actor Omar Sy. The European Film Festival is organised by the Goethe Institut, in partnership with the European Union and the French Institute of South Africa, the British Council, the Camões Institute, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Embassy of Belgium and the General Representation of the Government of Flanders as well as the Embassies of Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. www.eurofilmfest.co.za Dance FABRICE LAMBERT: GRAVITÉ - D'EUX #2 7 May | Durban Gravité is both an installation and choreography. A body leans on a stretch of smooth water through which light and sound constantly come, revealing, in doing so, the slightest movements on the water. United by these movements, body and water become one entity; they are fused into one graphic image. As part of his African tour, Fabrice Lambert with his new project Gravité will be performing at the Durban University of Technology. In partnership with the Alliance Française of Durban and DUT. www.experienceharmaat.com French Language REGIONAL UNIVERSITY - SHORT COURSES FOR FRENCH LANGUAGE PROFESSIONALS 9-13 May | Taj hotel and Alliance Française - Cape Town This intensive five-day training will host a hundred participants (Alliances Françaises, local educational institutions, French schools) working in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean regions and will offer 9 training modules, roundtables and cultural activities. The trainings will be delivered by experts in teaching French as a foreign language, or CIEP's expert’s partners in the fields of French for specific purposes, teaching to children, new technology for education, and management. At the end of the training, a certificate will be issued by the CIEP to all participants. Cultural evenings, meetings with the partners of the publishing
world as well as a welcoming ceremony, in the presence of the Ambassador of France in South Africa, the director of CIEP and local partners in the field of the education, will be organized alongside. This will present opportunities for the participants to get acquainted and to develop a network. Brought to you with the support of the Alliance Française of Cape Town. Cinema CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: South African Factory Screenings 12-22 May | Cannes, France On the 12th of May, 4 short films directed by 8 international talents, including 4 South African directors, will be showcased during the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, as part of the opening of the Directors’ Fortnight (Cannes Film Festival section). These screenings are the results of The Factory young talents programme, initiated by French producer Dominique Welinski and the Directors’ Fortnight with the support of the French Institute of South Africa. The SA Factory allowed 8 young directors to work in tandem and to create short films shot in South Africa during their residency. www.quinzaine-realisateurs.com Books FRANSCHHOEK LITERARY FESTIVAL: CRIMINAL BOUNDARIES BREAKING THE BARRIER 13-15 May | Franschhoek French crime writer Bernard Minier, French publisher MarieCaroline Aubert and Quais du Polar Festival co-organizer Frédéric Crouzet will be among the international guests to share their insights in their respective crafts of crime writing, publishing and international literary events. www.flf.co.za Visual arts 60 SOLUTIONS AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE by YANN ARTHUSBERTRAND 19 May - 5 June | Johannesburg Through 21 photos from the book “60 Solutions Against Climate Change", this exhibition emphasizes concrete solutions in the fight against climate change and in favour of a sober growth model in carbon. Organized in partnership with Yann Arthus-Bertrand and the GoodPlanet foundation. www.goodplanet.org
Cinema HUMAN by YANN ARTHUS-BERTRAND 20 June | Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Stellenbosch, Bulawayo, Harare, Gaborone, Lusaka, Maseru and Mbabane. What is it that makes us human? Is it that we love? That we fight? That we laugh? Cry? Our curiosity? The quest for discovery? Driven by these questions, filmmaker and artist Yann Arthus-Bertrand spent three years collecting real-life stories from 2,000 women and men in 60 countries. Working with a dedicated team of translators, journalists and cameramen, Yann captures deeply personal and emotional accounts of topics that unite us all: struggles with poverty, war, homophobia, and the future of our planet mixed with moments of love and happiness. www.human-themovie.org These projects are brought to you with the support of the Alliance Française in Southern Africa. Academic Conference CUBA & AFRICA: ENGAGEMENTS, CIRCULATIONS AND RACIAL REPRESENTATIONS 23-24 May| Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), University of Cape Town In September 2012, the fourth meeting of ‘African Solidarity with Cuba’ took place at the African Union, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where 27 African countries engaged in discussions with a Cuban delegation to cries of ‘Viva Fidel!’ and ‘Cuba estamos contigo!’ This forum looks over the histories, representations and practices that accompanied, transformed or influenced the relations between Cuba and Africa by measuring the scale of the many-sided engagements between Cuba and Africa. Cinema LE MOVIE CLUB 29 May |The Bioscope Independent Cinema - Johannesburg Bande de filles (Girlhood) will be the second instalment of Le Movie Club’s comedy theme. Directed by Céline Sciamma, Bande de filles tells the story of young French girl Marieme, who lives in a rough neighbourhood on the outskirts of Paris, dealing with conceptions of race, gender and class, by capturing the stories of black teenagers. F: @TheMovieClubJHB
Books BD - REPORTAGE: WHEN COMICS AND JOURNALISM MEET June | Cape Town La BD Reportage known in English as graphic reporting is a new format of journalism at the service of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The French Institute of South Africa and the Goethe-Institut propose a one-month residency for 3 graphic artists (French, German, and South African) renowned for their graphic reporting who will work in partnership with 3 South African investigative journalists on the theme of migration. The aim of these collaborative workshops is to promote fresh perspectives and to produce innovative and high quality articles, which can reach wide audiences, and particularly young people. Hippolyte (France), Kai Pfeffer (Germany) and Su Opperman (South Africa) will join the residency. Presented in partnership with the Goethe-Institut as a project of the Franco-German Cultural Fund Visual arts DOCTA (Senegal) June | Johannesburg Docta (“Doctor”in Wolof) heals the walls with colourful designs and a positive energy. He is one of the pioneers of graffiti in Senegal. In 2010, Docta initiated “Festigraff”, the first international hip hop graffiti festival in Africa, which aims at “sharing knowledge, techniques and visions around graffiti”. Docta will be in residency in Johannesburg to collaborate with local artists and initiate youngsters to graffiti art. Cinema REALNESS SCREENWRITERS RESIDENCY June-August | Durban, Johannesburg REALNESS, Screenwriters Residency selection to be announced at Les Cinémas du Monde French pavilion in Cannes: SA production house Urucu Media, in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa, the Institut Français’s Cinémas du Monde (sponsoring of the French script consultant), Berlinale Talents, The Nirox Foundation and Durban Filmmart presents REALNESS, a screenwriters residency for a new generation of African cinema. In June 2016, 5 screenwriters will be invited to attend a seven-week residency to develop their original feature screenplays. The aim of REALNESS
is to provide the continent’s best emerging writing talents with the necessary time, space and support to develop their unique cinematic vision. www.lescinemasdumonde.com Special Commemoration 100 YEARS OF MEMORY: SOUTH AFRICA AND WWI June | Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town In July 2016, South Africa will commemorate the Centenary of WWI Battle of Delville Wood, in the départment of La Somme, in France. With the Union of South Africa losing 80% of its men after several months of warfare, the battle at Delville Wood was one of the bloodiest of the First World War. As part of the remembrance of the Delville Wood battle, the Label “Centenaire”, the French Institute of South Africa, the Alliance Française, the Goethe Institut and the South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation are organizing a series of events to memorialize the Union of South Africa’s engagement in the First World War.
CONFERENCE: Round-table on the Memory of the WWI with historians PERFORMING ARTS: performance directed by Sylvaine Strike CINEMA: Animated short film screenings on WWI
Cinema & Film Industry DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL & DURBAN FILM MART 16-26 June | Durban In 2016, IFAS/the French Embassy will partner once again with the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and its industry programme, Durban Film Mart (DFM). For the 4th consecutive year, experts from Produire au Sud programme of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes, France) will be represented at DFM with a focus on script writing. Last year, the French film industry was widely represented with a large selection of French films and co-productions. 2015 was also marked by the presence of two French directors, Jean-Jacques Annaud who premiered his latest film Wolf Totem and Boris Lojkine with his film Hope. For the first time, two prestigious Cannes Film Festival sections were represented, the Critics’ Week and the Directors’ Fortnight, together with a delegation from Reunion Island and experts from Produire au Sud taking part in the Durban Film Mart industry programme. www.durbanfilmfest.co.za
Music FÊTE DE LA MUSIQUE 18 June |Newtown - Johannesburg The 5th edition of the Fête de La Musique will take place on Saturday June 18th in Newtown, a historic area which is currently experiencing an impressive revitalization, and on its way to reclaiming its title of Jozi’s number one cultural hub. The Fête de la Musique is a free popular family-friendly event, open to professional and non-professional musicians from all music genres. It celebrates live music, promotes local musicians by providing a platform to young emerging talents, and brings free music for all in a safe and inclusive environment. Presented in partnership with the Alliance Française of Johannesburg, the Bassline, and with the support of Total. www.fetedelamusiquejhb.co.za French Language FRANCOPHONE AFRICA BUSINESS FORUM 29 June | Houghton Golf Club – Johannesburg In keeping with the Forum on French as a Language of Employment held in April 2015, this business forum seeks to support South Africa in its desire to build economic ties with Francophone African countries. In partnership with BUSA (Business Unity South Africa), the Mazars firm, the AfricaFrance foundation, Business France and the FSACCI (French South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry), the French Institute will invite representatives of South African businesses planning to invest or establish operations in Francophone African countries for a day of discussions and workshops. The event will also bring together the South African Alumni network (former French government bursary students) for the purpose of facilitating exchanges between Alumni and South African business representatives. Cinema LE MOVIE CLUB 30 June | The Bioscope Independent Cinema| Johannesburg Casse-tête chinois (Chinese Puzzle) will be the last instalment of Le Movie Club’s comedy theme. Casse-Tête Chinois is the third chapter of Cédric Klapisch’s famous trilogy, after L'Auberge Espagnole (2002) and Les Poupées Russes (2005). F: @TheMovieClubJHB
Multidisciplinary NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL 30 June - 10 July | Grahamstown This year marks the 20th anniversary of the partnership between IFAS and the National Arts Festival. Since 1996, over forty productions across all genres supported by IFAS have been presented in Grahamstown as part of a dynamic and inspiring partnership. During the France-South Africa Seasons 2012-2013, a significant programme of highly acclaimed French artists and productions were presented at the National Arts Festival. The 2016 edition of the festival will highlight the strong bonds of collaboration, dialogue and mutual understanding between our institutions and also between the artists of our two countries. It will include the inter-medial performance Les Cenci: A Story about Artaud by Gopala Davies, a piano recital by Ammiel Bushakevitz, concerts with French accordionist Daniel Mille and French clarinettist Stephane Chausse at the Standard Bank Jazz Festival, in partnership with the Alliance Française Network, and a talk about Matisse as part of the Thinkfest programme, before the opening of the exhibition in Johannesburg on 13 July. As part of the fringe festival, Theatre Thump! from Bordeaux France, in association with ASSITEJ SA, will give a series of workshops and will present visual and musical street performances of the public art shows "Flowers of Silence" and “Lenyalo”. www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
Visual arts 2016 BARCLAYS L’ATELIER GERARD SEKOTO AWARD FOR THE MOST PROMISING SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT July | Johannesburg For over 10 years, the French Institute of South Africa, the Alliance Française Network and South African National Association for Visual Arts (SANAVA) have been in partnership with Absa to award the Barclays L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award for the most promising artist. Every year, this award is given to a young South African artist in the visual arts. Through IFAS, the winners have the opportunity to do an artistic residency of three months at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and then present their work in a broad- scale platform within Southern Africa, through touring exhibitions in the Alliance Française of South Africa and partner galleries. www.lateliercompetition.com Books VRYSTAAT INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE FESTIVAL 11-16 July | Bloemfontein The University of the Free State (UFS) in partnership with the Vrystaat Arts Festival is proud to present the Vrystaat Literature Festival from 11-16 July in Bloemfontein. The theme of this year’s literature festival is ‘Our Africa’ and promises to provide all booklovers and readers tantalizing food for thought. Several South-African languages will be featured. Among the international guests will be Berlin based Congolese writer Wilfried N’Sondé. Already with his first novel Le Coeur Des Enfants Léopards (The Heart of the Leopards’ Children), he has been recognized as a new voice on international stage. For this novel he received the Prix des Cinq continents de la Francophonie and also the Prix Senghor de la création littéraire. www.ufs.ac.za
Visual arts MATISSE | RHYTHM AND MEANING 13 July - 17 September | Johannesburg For the first time, the artworks of French modern art master Henri Matisse will be shown in South Africa. The exhibition (free entrance) will be hosted at the Standard Bank Gallery from the 13th of July to the 17th of September and will include a number of paintings, drawings, collages and prints covering all the dominant themes in the artist’s body of work, from his early Fauvist years, through his interest in exoticism and orientalism, to the paper cut-outs that he produced in the last years of his life. An extensive educational programme, aimed at primary and secondary school learners as well as the general art-loving public, will support the exhibition. Henri Matisse Rhythm and Meaning is presented by Standard Bank in partnership with the Musée Matisse du Cateau-Cambrésis, the Embassy of France in South Africa and the French Institute of South Africa, with the support of Air France, Total, Air Liquide and Pernod Ricard. Academic Conference THE STEVE BIKO LECTURES IN PHILOSOPHY 21 July, 14 November | Johannesburg Lecture series organized by the Centre for Phenomenology in South Africa, the Centre for Indian Studies in Africa, and the French Institute of South Africa, with the support of the Steve Biko Foundation.
21 July: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak 14 November: Alain Badiou
Cinema LE MOVIE CLUB 28 July | The Bioscope Independent Cinema - Johannesburg Film TBC. Stay tuned! F: @TheMovieClubJHB
Visual arts TWO ISLANDS (working title) August 2016 - December 2016 | Johannesburg Artists from Reunion Island will be invited in residence in South Africa from mid-July to mid-August, after which their work will be on exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Cinema LE MOVIE CLUB 25 August | The Bioscope Independent Cinema - Johannesburg Film TBC. Stay tuned! F: @TheMovieClubJHB
Contemporary Circus CIRQUONS FLEX: LA PLI I DONN (Reunion Island, Madagascar, South Africa) September | Southern Africa In Reunion creole, La Pli i donn is an expression which means 'it's pouring with rain'. The show brings together four acrobats from Reunion Island, Madagascar and South Africa – territories which are close geographically yet each rich in their own influences and characteristics. La Pli i donn is a show using various mediums, mixing circus performance, music, sound and visual recordings, multilingual texts and traditional and fusional dances. The show addresses the themes of encounters, exchanges and ecological issues. It integrates the disciplines of each of its performers: the Gumboots dance of South Africa, Fonnkèrs (texts in Réunion creole), aerial and ground based acrobatics, and a representation of a Madagascan funeral ceremony – the 'Famadihana'. This show is for all audiences and will tour Southern Africa with a series of performances and workshops. Presented in partnership with the Alliance Française in Southern Africa. www.cirquonsflex.com Music GUILLAUME PERRET September-October | Johannesburg Saxophone player Guillaume Perret is a sound explorer. He plays the wa-wa pedals and electric effects to elevate his notes to a new and surprising universe, one that makes you dream, and distorts sounds to make them strangely more musical. His music does not belong to a specific genre, rather it calls upon our senses. It is an innovative mixture of contemporary Jazz, funky grooves, screaming metal… A hybrid sort of music, troubling, bewitching, that evokes sensations and imagery. Guillaume Perret will be in Joburg for one night only as part of his African tour in September-October 2016. www.guillaume-perret.fr
Books OPEN BOOK FESTIVAL 7-11 September | Cape Town Among the many local and international guests that it attracts the Open Book Festival will this year feature prominent French writers and visual storytellers. Amongst them will be Benjamin Chaud (children’s writer and illustrator), Hippolyte, (graphic-journalism) and Zeina Abirached (graphic novel). www.openbookfestival.co.za Cinema LE MOVIE CLUB 29 September | The Bioscope Independent Cinema Johannesburg Film TBC. Stay tuned! F: @TheMovieClubJHB
Visual arts NATALIE MOORE RESIDENCY October - December | Cité Internationale Des Arts - Paris Natalie Moore’s photographic triptych Once upon a time in Jozi won the 2015 Barclays L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award for the most promising artist. She will have a three-month art residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and on her return will be given an opportunity to exhibit her work, first at the Absa Gallery in Johannesburg and following that a tour around the country through the Alliance Française network. Presented with the support of the Alliance Française in South Africa.
Music SMADJ 3-15 October | Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Harare, Bulawayo, Gaborone Smadj Oud Solotronic takes the instrument from a repertoire of classical Arabic music to a world of electronic soundscape. Smadj likes to travel the world, inviting local musicians and creates a video diary of his explorations. He will be touring across Southern Africa through the Alliance Française network. Presented with the support of the Alliance Française in Southern Africa. www.smadjmusic.com Gastronomy SO CHEF! 10-22 October | Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Maseru After its previous successes, the So Chef! project returns to Southern Africa for a 3rd edition. 3 top Chefs from France will travel to South Africa and Lesotho to take part in culinary activities and create gastronomic masterpieces. Last year, 1.300 people attended the 46 So Chef! workshops and events organised countrywide. They include workshops in schools (primary and secondary), workshops in TVET colleges, Universities and cooking schools, gastronomic dinners in partnering restaurants and many other food events such as culinary degustation, cocktail and documentary screenings.
So Chef! is co-organised by the French Institute of South Africa, Atout France and with the Alliance Française Network and takes place as part of the National Nutrition Week of the SA Department of Basic Education. Bon appétit! www.sochef.co.za Cinema LE MOVIE CLUB 27 October | The Bioscope Independent Cinema - Johannesburg Film TBC. Stay tuned! F: @LeMovieClubJHB