Christiane Taubira, « On n’y échappera pas »
Taubira… Ce nom porte des consonances différentes pour chaque personne vivant en France, mais il est rarement inconnu. Il évoque souvent une loi, celle de 2013, qui a valu à son auteure les insultes les plus féroces d’une grande part de la population et du personnel politique mais aussi le sincère respect d’une autre part de la population, probablement plus nombreuse encore. Mais pourquoi une personnalité aussi importante dans le paysage politique français vient-elle ici, à Chicago, dans un pays dans lequel son nom ne suscite le plus souvent ni la colère ni le respect tant il n’est que rarement prononcé ?
Read more »Edith Piaf lives through "Piaf! Le Spectacle"
Edith Piaf. If you don’t know her name, you surely know her music. Her raspy yet smooth, inviting voice has captured the hearts of millions of people over the decades and all over the world. Her life, plagued with hardship and sorrow laid the foundation for her songs that tap into the hearts of millions world-wide. Songs like La vie en rose and Je ne regrette rien capture the love, happiness and sadness that all people feel. The passion and emotion embodied by her singing have been able to reach people of all generations and all cultures. So much so, that her songs remain relevant today.
Read more »Superfluous: An Architectural Project
J’ai rencontré dans la rue un jeune homme très pauvre qui aimait : son chapeau était vieux, son habit était usé ; il avait les coudes troués ; l’eau passait à travers ses souliers, et les astres à travers son âme. (I have met in the streets a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, the water passed through his shoes and the stars through his soul) -Victor Hugo ; Les Misérables (1862)
Read more »Immersion Day: A fun French day
Being a new intern at the Alliance Française, I am still learning about the many classes, workshops, and events that go on here, including Immersion Day. For weeks now, we have been gearing up for Immersion Day, and to learn more about what exactly that is, I set out and did a little research. Follow me as I learn more and as I implore you to participate this September 9th. Why not join in on the fun to be had?
Read more »FrogProv - Your time to shine?
Theater buff? Improv fan? Don’t pass this by, this post is for YOU! We recently learned about a fantastic project involving French AND English language… Forgprov! Since this kind of mix is what we love best, we thought you would be interested too!
Read more »Indulge in some French comfort food
Comfort food is an almost universally known concept. You have a hard day, you come home and you eat a gallon of mac and cheese and maybe you just feel a little bit better. Or maybe you had something a little more interesting to sate your hunger. If you identify with this, maybe it’s time you learned a little bit more about French comfort food!
Read more »How to plant your thyme seeds!
If you want instructions on how to grow your thym (thyme) seeds from Earth day, you’re in the right place! Thyme is excellent for container planting inside and outside. If you do plant outside, it is very attractive to bees which is great for the rest of your garden and the environment.
Read more »La francophonie behind the scenes
During the entire month of March, we at the Alliance Française de Chicago have hosted a variety of events as part of our Festival de Francophonie. By the end of the month you’ll have had the opportunity to learn about Russian and French cultures influencing each other, hear about books from around the world, eat amazing food, and see films that explore a variety of Francophonie experiences. While we have a lot of fun presenting you with these events and we hope you have fun attending, we thought it would be good to also give you a little bit of background on why exactly we celebrate Francophone cultures and International Francophone day beyond just the fun of experiencing new cultures.
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