The Prefect of Haute-Vienne,
Ladies and gentlemen parliamentarians,
Representatives of the Presidents of the Regional Council and the Departmental Council,
Mayor of Limoges,
President of the Limoges-Métropole agglomeration community,
Ladies and gentlemen elected,
The President of the Academy, the Delegate General of Quebec in Paris,
President of the Festival des Francophonies,
Dear Alain VAN DER MALIÈRE,
Madam Director, dear Marie-Agnès SEVESTRE, whose entire team I greet,
Dear friends,
I am very pleased to be here with you. This festival is dear to me, I say this forcefully, because I find here two echoes that guide me on a daily basis in the Ministry: the echo of the territories, on the one hand, that guide my fight against the Paris-Province divide that persists, in the distribution of the means of my Ministry.
I have started a rebalancing movement, at the service of those who, like all of you here, are committed to the heart of our regions: in the service of territorial equity and in the service of citizens. And then there is the echo of cultural diversity, which is always in the spotlight here: this diversity forms the heart of the French model, but it is a fragile treasure, targeted by those who advocate the return to borders, or reduce France to a first name... Cultural diversity is my constant struggle.
To feed it, France has an immense chance: it is the Francophonie. This chance, this festival helps us to seize it for thirty-five years now, with a programming of an eclectic and exceptional quality. I would like to take this opportunity to be with you today to pay tribute to Marie-Agnès SEVESTRE, who brought this festival to life for thirteen years:
Dear Marie-Agnès: you have decided to pass on the torch but your imprint will remain. Thank you for your faithful, constant and passionate commitment. Thanks for everything. I would also like to take this opportunity to greet your successor: dear Hassan Kouyaté, thank you for your commitment, I wish you all the best in leading this beautiful event. A big thank you to all the teams, elected officials and partners who make this event a reality year after year.
When I arrived at the Department of Culture and some voices told me to “dust off” the Francophonie, I must say that I was initially surprised… Because in my life as an editor, the Francophonie had always been there: alive, beating, flamboyant. And because I knew exemplary demonstrations like these. But I found that at the level of our institutions, there was still a long way to go. That a form of discomfort was still floating.
It is our responsibility not to leave the francophonie to the past, to make it a policy for the future. The President of the Republic marked his determination.
I carry this ambition with him. My department – our operators, our labels – must take their full part, and be more involved with those who are mobilizing, like you, to make the francophonie live. In the field of live entertainment, which brings us together here, I have clearly expressed my desire to make the Francophonie more visible, more audible, on all stages – large and small, territorial and national.
This is the meaning of the mission I entrusted to Xavier NORTH and Paul de SINETY at the beginning of the year – two personalities who have long been committed to the French language, whom I greet warmly and thank for their work. They gave me their report, which makes proposals on the promotion of the francophonie in the field of performing arts. Today, I would like to present a first set of measures that I have learned from this work and that I would like to share with my department.
To begin with, we will support the development of “reference centres” for francophone artists in France. It is a matter of building on places already heavily engaged to structure our support for the creation, production, and dissemination of artists.
We have already identified three structures, spread over the territory: -This Festival des Francophonies is part of it, of course: it has the vocation to become a reference center in the region for live Francophone performance. The support of my department will be strengthened to enable this festival to strengthen its mission as a showcase of francophone creation and to further develop its means of production.
In the same spirit, we will strengthen support for “Théâtre Ouvert”, which has been committed for three decades to promoting and disseminating contemporary texts by French-speaking living authors: It aims to be a “pole of reference” for contemporary writing in francophone theatre.
Finally, we will support “La Chartreuse” in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, with a view to making it the “reference point” for francophone residences in France. This will include developing partnerships of cross-residences internationally, with our friends in Quebec, Wallonia, Africa and the Maghreb, among others. The idea of these “reference centres” is not to enclose Francophone creation in a handful of dedicated spaces, on the contrary: they are intended to serve as platforms for the promotion of young talent and emerging spaces for Francophone artists, They were then to circulate on the stages of the whole of France.
This is the vocation always carried by this festival. It is enough to recall the memory of the immense Sony Labou Tansi, to quote Dieudonné Nangouna, Alaxandra Badea, Annick Lefebvre, Robert Lepage , Wajdi Mouawad , Guy Régis Junior, Koffi Kwaoulé, Leonora Miano , Mohamed kacimi or Gao Xingjian: most of these authors, Now recognized worldwide, were able to make their debut in France thanks to this festival. They are unanimous in saying that spaces like this are important.
They also talk about the need to expand the reach of francophone artists in France, and to develop the welcome and support of young artists from elsewhere.
Beyond these reference centres, we will rely on the institutions and networks of creation, production and dissemination to enhance the work and visibility of francophone artists. The report by Xavier NORTH and Paul de SINETY highlights the need to build a truly articulated strategy, mobilizing different partners, to promote the diversity of francophone voices on the French scene.
We will build a global action, which is based on a territorial network and which accompanies from beginning to end the life of the works, on the three phases: creation; production; and dissemination.
We will rely on proven mechanisms and institutions, by coordinating their action. First, we will rely more on ONDA, the Office national de la diffusion artistique.
It will be entrusted with a new mission of identifying and disseminating French-speaking artists, through two specific programs: One for ultra-marine authors and creators: it will strengthen the circulation of works and artists within the Overseas TerritoriesSea, and between the Overseas and the metropolis.
Another on the identification and dissemination of the French-language show outside France. Its purpose is to connect French and French-speaking professionals from other countries and to support French-language performances.
ONDA will set up a fund for broadcast venues to promote the dissemination of Francophone creations on the national territory.
We will also rely more on the Institut français to strengthen support for francophone creation around the world.
In accordance with the wishes of the President of the Republic, he will be entrusted with the implementation of a «fund for the production and dissemination of French-language creation abroad», with a particular focus on theatrical creation. The purpose of this fund is to support the visibility of francophone creation on the international scene. A first call for projects will be launched before the end of the year for actions in the first half of 2019.
The French Institute will also redesign and renew its “Africa and the Caribbean in Creation” programme, to make it a tool for cooperation with local actors in the countries concerned.
The idea is to give more resources to locally identified structures to support the training and professionalization of francophone creators. The report mentions for example the Recreationals in Ouagadougou, Mantsina on stage in Brazzaville, or the Universe of Words in Conakry...
The “season of African cultures” that will take place in France in 2020, of which the French Institute is the operator, will also be a highlight for the recognition of francophone artistic creation from elsewhere.
Finally, we will strengthen support for stages that are involved in the production of francophone works and artists. In total, these measures together represent nearly two million euros, for the strengthening of support for the creation, production and dissemination of French-language works and artists.
Within the Ministry of Culture, I hope that this issue will be taken into account in a transversal way by all our public policies. I asked the Delegate General for the French Language and the Languages of France to make me proposals in this regard. I also hope that the missions of the Delegation will be amplified, to integrate the coordination of major cultural events: festivals, exhibitions, fairs, etc. , in close liaison with other departments of the Ministry, its operators and partners.
Of course, my department will continue to work alongside the other member countries of the Commission internationale du théâtre francophone - the CITF - and the Organisation internationale de la francophonie. I greet the French co-chair of the CITF, Benoît BRADEL, who is here in Limoges.
Since its creation, the Commission has financially supported more than 300 creation, production and dissemination projects. To support the circulation in France of artists from elsewhere, we must also lift administrative barriers.
The report highlights the difficulty of some French-speaking artists to circulate fluently in France. He points out that the "Talent Passport" multi-year residence cards are too little known and that their issuance remains below expectations.
I know this is a strong expectation from the industry. Please know this is a clear concern for me as well. France has a long tradition of welcoming foreign artists who have helped make our culture what it is. We must be faithful to it.
My Ministry works in close cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, to raise awareness of this device and thus improve the conditions of mobility of artists in France.
Ladies and gentlemen, these are the first steps we will take, based on the recommendations of Mr. NORTH and Mr. SINETY. It is a matter of laying the foundation for a new policy in favour of francophone creation in France, in the field of performing arts.
These measures are not the last. And they are not isolated, as you know. They resonate with initiatives taken for the Francophonie in all artistic disciplines. I am thinking of our policy in favour of translation in the field of books. I am also thinking of the castle of Villers-Cotterêts, in the Hauts-de-France region, where the President of the Republic wants to make a laboratory of the Francophonie. My department will contribute to its restoration, making it a place of creation, of meeting, of exhibition, starting in 2022.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Francophonie is an opportunity for France: it is a chance for cultural diversity. It is a chance for openness to the world. The chance of encounter, dialogue and fraternity. Thank you for helping us to make it live and grow, as you are doing here.