Francophonie Week was an awesome fun-filled social event of culture, language and arts, by local Bruneian, French and Canadian talents ranging from musicians, artists and extraordinary chefs – all to celebrate the good, long cultural relations between France and Brunei, with the aim of showcasing Brunei’s local creative talents, events and the arts.
Being their inaugural year, the festival, which was organised by Alliance Française was beautifully orchestrated with the help of The Collective’s creative team, and was held at multiple locations from open space venues to indoor settings – like Taman Jubilee Park, The Royal Wharf Waterfront, Alliance Française and The Colonnade Jerudong Park.
If you’re wondering, Alliance Française is a non-profit organisation established almost 30 years ago in Brunei as part of a global network of The French Foundation and other Alliance Française branches around the world. Their mission here in Brunei is to promote the different cultures of French speaking countries and the language within the local community, mainly through social events, which gives Bruneians the opportunity to connect with different people, and nurture local talents’ interest towards education and cultural entertainment (and oui, they even have classes where you can learn French).
Here at Progresif, we value education, entrepreneurship, environment, culture and arts, as well as technology. Our main goal is to connect with the community and reframe conversations on a personal level to add a fresh point of view. This is just one of the many ways we do our part for the nation and work toward fulfilling the mission of Vision 2035, and in this case by supporting our awesome French connection.
Here’s a few of the highlights:
- French romantic comedy ‘Les Emotifs Anonymes’ by Director, Jean-Pierre Ameris
- Cecile Castilla’s Art Exhibition, ‘Dis Moi Dix Mots’ (Tell Me Ten Words)
- Special ‘Choux A La Creme’ demonstration by Chef Partrice
- Pop-up Dinner, a French 3-course meal by local food personalities
- Music performances by Canadian singer Melanie Gall and talented local Artists
Wanna learn French?
Give Alliance Française de Brunei a call: 265 4245
Or come visit them: Unit 1, Simpang 68, Jalan Batu Bersurat, Gadong
(where you can also relax with a nice cup of coffee from their ‘Le Petite Parisian Caffé’: Caffé Verve).