Living French in Uganda
Canadian (Quebec) artist Monk-E (with white cap) carried in the air by fans during the Francophone Week celebrations at the National Theatre Kampala last week. PHOTO by michael kakumirizi.
What you need to know:
Francophone. French stakeholders last week organised a series of activities to ensure the language and culture takes root in the country.
French delicacy, Galette bretonnes, traditional Congolese Pondu and other culinary from Belguim and Guinea brought a taste of aromatic dishes to the gardens at the National Theatre in Kampala. A show of crafts, music, dance, poetry performances, football tournament awards and a walk through Nakasero, gathered a multicultural audience united by ability to communicate in French.
Canadian (Quebec) artist Monk-E dissolved the crowd in hard beats off his 10th self-made album and was joined on stage by St Nelly Sade and Ruyonga for an energetic performance. Their massive Hip-hop display of hitching impeccable lyrics in French, Luganda and English respectively, was proof that the Francophone week had created a marriage of arts and culture beyond France.
“The language no longer belongs to us, but to the thousands all over the world, who want to discover it, especially to Uganda who are English speakers.” said French Ambassador, Sophie Makame, reflecting on the language’s ability to open windows to a set of knowledge and creativity. This creativity was manifest in the inter-French school poetry slam contest between students of Ecole Francaise des Grands, Gayaza High School, The Pearl of Africa Secondary School and Umoja International French School.
The students showed such mastery of the language, playing around with the words to create interesting rhythmic sounds and messages. Gayaza’s Gatete Teta Vanessa spoke about being thankful for the beauty of life and serendipity. This artistic fusion is a result of student workshops where Monk-E visited different schools that teach French; to share their authenticity, curiosity and help them discover how ably to create a poetic piece with ease on paper.
Ms Makame, who is grateful to the contribution and sincerity of Ugandan Schools in teaching French despite its conceived complexity, retorted that “Alliance Francaise is creating a place for exchange of ideas, culture; promoting artists whose creations mirror the world and echo expression, literature and human feelings.”
Urumuri Rw’abatimbo, a Burundi dance troupe marveled the party with their spirited drums and high jump dance skill. Congolese Lingala sounds reverberated through the night, marking an end to the Francophone month, also celebrated in Czech Republic and Djibouti, from March 5 to 21.
