The Paris « House of the World’s Cultures » and its « Festival de l’Imaginaire » celebrates the « elsewhere » for the 15th year in a row. Quoting French poet Victor Segalen (« Let us not pride ourselves in assimilating customs, races, nations, others; if anything, let us enjoy that we cannot ever; saving for ourselves the sustainable pleasure of feeling the Diverse ».), the organizers aim to bring more attention to cultural diversity and the wealth it carries, the kind of project Sorosoro is very involved in via questions of multilingualism.

Stretching from March 10 to June 15, the festival programme includes countless exhibitions, screenings, concerts, dances, conferences, etc. which will turn the light towards a large variety of cultures: traditional Mexican music, Manipur dance in India, Sufi chants, popular traditions of Bengal, voices of Uzbekistan, Tamil ball…

Worth noting: March 30, 8th Intangible Cultural Heritage Day organized jointly by the UNESCO on the theme: « Transmitting, yes, but how? », (Transmettre, oui, mais comment ?).

A round-table session presided by Cherif Khaznadar, director of the Maison des Cultures du Monde, will be addressing the question of heritage transmittal both in the light of formal (university, school) and non-formal education (family practices…).

Participants will include scholars and cultural structure representatives from all over the world (Japan, Turkey, Belgium, Senegal…). The entire event will be held in Rennes, with the collaboration of Rennes 2 University.

The rest of the programme also includes Wayãpi musicians/dancers, from the higher Oyapock area of French Guiana. Decimated by disease during the 19th century, the Wayãpi population dropped from 6,000 to 600 in less than a hundred years, yet the 1970s witnessed a demographic and cultural revitalization: the Wayãpi population nowadays counts around 2,000 souls (who speak the language of the same name) settled along the Amapari river in Brazil and the Oyapock river in French Guiana. Chants and dances once believed extinct flower back, and their presence at the festival will undoubtedly be one of the event’s highlights.

15ème Festival de l’Imaginaire

from March 10 to June 15, 2011

Maison des Cultures du Monde (MCM)

101 boulevard Raspail

75006 Paris

www.festivaldelimaginaire.com

8ème Journée du patrimoine culturel immatériel (« Intangible Cultural Heritage Day »)

Round table on March 30 from 6pm to 9pm at the « Maison des Cultures du Monde »

Free admission

Contact: 01 45 44 41 42