Vol. 12.06 / August-September 2012
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Vol. 12.06 News From France August-September 2012 A free monthly review of French news & trends Bastille Day Celebrated Throughout United States © Randy H. Goodman © Sylvain de Gelder © MAE © © Consulat de France à Chicago à France de Consulat © © Sylvain de Gelder de Sylvain © © Tom Antos Tom © Clockwise from top left: Baguettes and smiles on hand in Chicago; a Miami girl and her brother do the Bastille Bop; friends savor the moment in Boston; IMF director Christine Lagarde with Amb. François Delattre in Washington; a couple shows off their tee-shirts in Chicago; and a DJ spins tunes at the Maison Française. On July 14, Francophiles from around the world A History of the Bastille inside celebrated Bastille Day, known in France simply as “Le Quatorze Juillet,” commemorating the 1789 popular The Bastille prison occupies a singular place in the Current Events 2 uprising that sparked the French Revolution and would minds of the French and Francophiles. A centuries-old London Speaks French at the Olympics usher in the country’s modern period. prison before being famously stormed in 1789, the site France & America 3 The United States hosted a number of Bastille Day had become, in the upheaval of 18th-century France, a Finance Minister Visits Washington celebrations. French organizations throughout the symbol for royal despotism. Many of its prisoners were country such as the Alliance Française played key roles in held there for political reasons, as suggested by the In Depth 4 organizing events ranging from lively parties to low-key notorious lettres de cachet, royal warrants issued by the Inside the Paris Opéra Ballet School picnics and sports competitions. crown that could not be appealed. Business & Tech 5 Ambassador François Delattre hosted a reception for As the Estates-General met through the late spring Au Revoir to Minitel 450 guests at his Washington, D.C., residence, which and summer of 1789, crowds of common Parisians, fear- was followed by a “Flowers and Fragrance” themed ful of a violent suppression by royal guards, flocked to Society 6 reception at the Embassy, attended by over 2,000 guests. the Bastille site, where a stockpile of arms and ammuni- Eco-Friendly Rental Cars in Paris Elsewhere, the Alliance Française of Dallas hosted a tion was known to be kept. The fact that the prison held Culture 7 mussel-cooking competition featuring some of the political prisoners only spurred the popular movement A Look at the Avignon Theater Fest city’s best chefs, while café waiters in Sacramento, CA, to overtake it. After a fight to enter the prison’s gates, the and Cambridge, MA, ran races while balancing glasses mob was quite surprised to find only seven prisoners France in America 8 and bottles on trays. Tulsa, OK, hosted a popular French there, none of whom bore much political importance. Pulp Fashion: Haute Couture in Paper wine-tasting, while Fortville, IN, delighted crowds with Irony aside, the storming of the Bastille prison an open-air picnic, featuring live French music and a helped lay the groundwork for a long and tumultuous pétanque tournament (a form of lawn bowling). march toward democracy in France’s modern era. When News From France The festivities throughout the country served to the event was commemorated a year later—by King A free monthly review of French news & trends highlight the lasting relationship between France and Louis XVI, who established a short-lived constitutional the United States in a spirit of joint celebration. “We are monarchy—celebrations were planned for July 14. That NFF is also available online at: www.ambafrance-us.org celebrating the values that our two countries share [...] date would see greater longevity than the king or the www.facebook.com/FranceInTheUS from the French and American revolutions, which are at feudal system of rule, and that’s why the French still cel- @franceintheus the core of our identity,” said Amb. Delattre. ebrate the Bastille’s legacy every Quatorze Juillet. NFF current events en bref New Representative for Even in London, French Is Mandatory at the Olympics French Citizens Abroad If you watched the official ceremonies at this year’s later in Athens, Greece, with French as one of the official On June 17, the French National Olympic Games in London, some of the announce- languages of the event. To Coubertin, this was a way to Assembly (equivalent to the United ments might have surprised you. promote openness and dialogue, notably by guarantee- States House of Representatives) wel- “Why are they speaking French?,” you may have ing linguistic and cultural diversity. comed 11 new members to represent wondered. “The Games are in London, not Paris!” Since then, however, the equal use of French and citizens abroad. Corinne Narassiguin, You would not be alone. Few people know that French English during the Olympics has not always been strictly a French national and 13-year resi- is, along with English, an official language of the Olympic observed. In order to ensure that Rule 24 is respected, the dent of New York City, was elected by Games. As Rule 24 of the Olympic Charter stipulates, “The Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la French expatriates in North America to official languages of the International Olympic Commit- Francophonie, the pre-eminent body of the French-speak- be their first-ever representative to the tee are French and English.” Theoretically, every sign, ing world which includes 75 states and governments, National Assembly. A member of Presi- announcement and official document of the Olympics appoints a special representative during each edition of dent François Hollande’s party, she will should be available both in English and French. the Olympics to ensure that French is effectively used. serve the more than 186,000 French At the origin of this rule is Baron Pierre de Coubertin, For this year’s games in London, the grand témoin citizens living in the U.S. and Canada. a Frenchman considered the founder of the modern de la Francophonie, or the Francophone world’s “Grand Ms. Narassiguin first successfully Olympic Games. Born in 1863, Coubertin believed that Witness,” was Michaëlle Jean, UNESCO Special Envoy for campaigned in 2009 for a seat in the “organized sport can create moral and social strength.” Haiti and former Governor General of Canada. Assembly of French Citizens Abroad, He was deeply inspired by ancient Greece and the “We are not here as policemen, we’re here in a spirit later serving as the organization’s vice- importance of physical education in Greek civilization, and of partnership,” she told French radio station RTL. president of the Laws and Regulations advocated creating an international forum for sports, Seventy-two delegations represented French- Committee. After her electoral victory, which would promote peace between peoples. speaking countries at the Olympic Games this year, she said she was “very excited about Coubertin founded the International Olympic and many journalists were on the ground, updat- everything that’s happening.” Committee (IOC) in Switzerland on June 23, 1894. The ing the world’s 220 million French speakers on the Ms. Narassiguin will conduct her first Summer Olympic Games took place two years Olympic tradition that Baron Coubertin first began. first tour of the U.S. in her new role from September 9 through 17. In Pyrénées Tourism, A Shepherding Holiday © Sum_of_Marc Forget bustling cafés and glitzy shops— French tourism is thinking outside the Paris, and promoting “transhumance” tourism—which is centered on livestock driving—in the country’s southwestern region, deep in the Pyrénées Mountains. © Plashing Vole In an effort to diversify their income, farmers are now promoting a new way to see the striking French paysage, allowing tourists the experience of tak- ing care of livestock and herding sheep. Excursions can last anywhere from a © CNOSF few hours to a few days. Short moun- Ossola © Morgan tain walks are under $20 and include basic instruction on keeping livestock, a chance to practice shepherding and a lakeside picnic, complete with local produce and a sheepdog show. While the trips are charming for tourists, the day-to-day work of a shep- © Patrick Mayon herd is far from leisurely. “Everybody thinks of shepherds wandering through wildflowers, play- ing the pan pipes, but life really isn’t like that,” said Jean-Pierre Pommies, a seasoned shepherd and mountain guide. © Library of Congress © CNOSF Clockwise from lower left: Baron Coubertin, Muriel Hurtis, fencer Astrid Guyart (L), kayaker Tony Estanguet, Teddy Riner (judo), canoers Marie Delattre-Demory, Sarah Guyot, Joanne Mayer and Gabrielle Tuleu, and a “Club France” organizer. © Applemark 2 france & america NFF en bref French Finance Minister Makes July Visit to Washington Tourism Grows Despite Stagnant Global Economy The French Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, France will have to take its own course to recovery. Pierre Moscovici, visited Washington, D.C., on July 18 and Mr. Moscovici highlighted the importance of a Somber economic trends and news 19. The visit, his second since assuming office in May, pan-European effort to remedy the current econom- reports may conjure images of “stay- included meetings with Christine Lagarde, Interna- ic troubles. “It’s a collective job that we’ve got to do cations” and domestic travel destina- tional Monetary Fund chief and former French Finance together in order to push Europe forward,” he said. The tions, but tourism to France is far from Minister, and World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim. Mr. Minister’s emphasis on international cooperation slowing. Some 80 million tourists Moscovici also met his American counterpart, U.S. reflects French President François Hollande’s focus on visited the country last year—over Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner, and Ben furthering France’s integration into the European Union.