Print |
May 28 and 29, 2011: the Guiana Wayãpi at the Paris Maison des Cultures du Monde
2011 has been declared “Year of the Overseas Territories” by the French government and should enable “the 12 oversea regions and their riches to become better known through several events on the cultural, tourism, economic, environmental and sports front.”
It’s also a chance for the Paris Maison des Cultures du Monde (World Culture Institute) to welcome a group of Wayãpi musicians and dancers for two exceptional shows during the 15th edition of the Festival de l’Imaginaire.
The Wayãpi, or Wayampi, live between French Guiana and Brazil along the Oyapock and Amapari rivers. Their language belongs to the Tupi family and includes approximately 1,250 speakers. Wayampi language has the highest rate of monolinguals among the Amerindian languages of Guiana. The transmittal of the language is therefore considered as good.
Nevertheless, certain threats still hang over the population and the Unesco has included the oral and graphic expressions of the Wayampi from Brazil on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Visitors will thus be able to appreciate a sample of the rich Wayampi culture on May 28th and 29th at the Paris Maison des Cultures du Monde. These dances and music testify to the bond uniting the people to the Amazon forest and the world surrounding it. “From seduction to international diplomacy, not to mention the political games within the village, the Wayampi music and its large repertoire, which may be defined as exchange actions.”
Also note that these musicians and dancers are authentic members of the Wayampi community who agreed to come to Paris in order to introduce their culture to the overseas public. They are not professionals used to show their dances and music outside of their villages on the stages of the world. The two shows presented are unique moments not to be missed.
And as a prior taste of immersion, documentary films will be shown before each show: “Les Gardiens de la forêt” by Michel Huet and Eric Pagès (52 minutes, 2010) and “Regards sur les Wayãpi” by Michel Huet (15 minutes, 2011).
Projection: Saturday, May 28th at 6.15 pm and Sunday, May 29th at 2.45 pm – Free entrance.
Wayampi dances and music: Saturday, May 28th at 8.30 pm and Sunday, May 29th at 5 pm – Online booking.
MAISON DES CULTURES DU MONDE
101 boulevard Raspail, Paris 6th
(M° Notre-Dame-des-Champs or Saint-Placide)
Information: +33(0)1 45 44 72 30