Tesi Johnson, Gleaner Writer
EACH YEAR the Ministry of Culture in France organises an event that promotes reading and book culture, which takes place concurrently across the world. This event is titled 'Lire en fete' and is aimed at promoting the book production process from publication to reader, and encouraging literacy. This year, Alliance Française de la Jamaïque (of Jamaica), under the patronage of the French Ambassador, His Excellency Francis Hurtut, held the famous international 'Lire en fete' event from Monday, October 10, to Saturday, October 15.
As a part of the week's activities a workshop was organised for the final year student French teachers at Shortwood Teachers' College. This was to help them enhance their writing, reading, understanding and speaking skills in French. It also emphasised the importance of tales in the process of learning and teaching a foreign language.
For this 17th edition of 'Lire en fete', Alliance Française de la Jamaïque brought to Jamaica for the festival two persons who are versed in the French storytelling field: Suzie Ronel and Serge Tamas, both from Guadeloupe. Ms. Ronel, who now lives in France, has been telling stories for the past seven years.
THE BEGINING
At the Tuesday's reception Ms. Ronel, through Fanny Thery-Buchot, the Cultural Attaché at the French Embassy, who acted as a translator, told how she began storytelling as a profession. This practice, she says, grew out of telling her nephews in France stories about home (Guadeloupe) until eventually her audience grew as more persons became interested in her tales. Her counterpart, Serge Tamas, who provides the mood music and background vocals for Ms. Ronel's tales, also finds joy in spreading Caribbean culture.
Mr. Tamas is trained in Classic Formation and Jazz music, and is also a part of musical project 'Guitar du monde' (guitar of the world), where he plays along with other guitarists from all over the world. Together, Ms. Ronel and Mr. Tamas travel all over France and other countries across Europe and the rest of the world telling cultural and contemporary stories to willing ears.
At the reception, they treated the guests to a performance of a story about a bird who brought wealth to his owner who took good care of him, and misfortune to another who mistreated him. In relaying the anecdote, Ms. Ronel used her whole body to convey emotions and had the crowd in stitches with some of her animated facial expressions. They also gave a performance at the workshop at Alliance Française on Saturday.
The president of Alliance Francaise, Mr. Pierre Lemaire (left), chats with student teachers of the Shortwood Teachers College (from left to right) Shawna McKenzie, Tanika Hannam, Kaydian Matthews and Clarke Kent at the French ambassador's reception, at his Hillcrest Avenue residence, on Tuesday.
