Francophonie Festival 2021 in Singapore

For more detailed information, please visit the official website of the festival: https://www.voilah.sg 

This year, the festival is helmed by the newly established Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie in Singapore, gathering 21 countries.

The Francophonie is a prime example of a space facilitating cultural and linguistic diversity, it is a concept that encapsulates not only a shared language but shared values.

This year, the festival will explore the theme of Gender Equality in greater details through various activities as movie screenings, online cooking master classes, art exhibition, song competition as well as talks and webinars.

We have chosen a few events that you should not miss!

1. Francophonie Film Festival (11-27 March)

Alliance Française de Singapour is proud to present the 2021 edition of the Francophonie Film Festival! Starting from the 11 March, a diverse line-up of films revolving around this year’s theme of “Gender Equality” has been prepared.

From paying homage to revolutionary French feminist activists in “Delphine and Carole”, to celebrating the life of one of the greatest Greek lyricists in “My Name is Eftihia”, to following the journey of a Mexican transgender opera singer in “Made in Bangkok”, we take you through a series of thought-provoking films that feature heroes and heroines from all around the world in their glorious fight to assert their true identities, honouring both the triumphs and failures in their struggle to carve out a place for themselves in society.

2. Masterclasses with Renowned Chefs of the Francophonie

(6PM on weekdays ; 12PM on weekends)

It can be said that food is another language that countries from the Francophonie have in common.

Francophone-EAT! is a gastronomy segment of the festival featuring eight renowned chefs from different countries of the Francophonie sharing their specially curated recipes. From moka chocolate tartes to lobsters and laksa mussels, each chef will let you in on their ‘savoir-faire’ as they walk you through the recipe through videos. For those who are interested in learning them, don’t worry! The recipes will be posted along with the videos, encouraging you to participate in learning how to make the dish as well.

This event is free for all and will be made available on demand on social media. These videos will be posted on the respective Facebook pages of embassies on respective days through the time period. Participate in this event to follow a step-by-step guide on how to cook and share with us your creations!

3. Feminine Body, Female Gazes (24 March -8PM)

In line with the exhibition Intimate Topographies in which artist Hélène Le Chatelier explores the idea and the image of the female body as a “terra incognita”, the panel discussion will further examine the theme of “gentleness in the act of creation”. As an artist whose works resist the conventional male gaze of art history while simultaneously questioning “feminine” attributes and histories, Hélène Le Chatelier will talk about her unique approach towards art and her positioning as a female artist. Writers Lilyane Beauquel and Joffrine Donnadieu and Malika Madi will chime in with a discussion on the distinction between “femininity” and “feminism”, and more generally, on how we are conditioned by a shared history that is often difficult to escape.

The conference will be held in French with English subtitles and moderated by Sébastien Bonnemason.

More than ever, gender equality needs to be put forward. Let’s participate in the Francophonie Festival together to discover more about the difficulties faced by women worldwide!