Our Association

Quand tu descendras du ciel, was released that year. For several weeks, the filmmaker accompanied the artists – “from classrooms to youth centres, from neighbourhoods to homes” – as they ran the Caravane’s workshops at some fifteen venues across the Rhône-Alpes region. He produced four short films from this, compiled onto a VHS cassette (the DVD had not yet replaced it…) and – naturally – screened during the ‘Les dix mots font la fête!’ event. Speaking to Lyon Capitale, Éric Guirado said: “Initially, I worked on the ‘ten words’ out of friendship for Thierry Auzer and Thierry Renard [Espace Pandora]. They’d spoken to me specifically about the fight against illiteracy. That really struck a chord with me, as my grandmother was illiterate…”

which follows some of the Caravane’s workshops, but also features the singer Pierre Perret, the theatre director Bruno Boëglin and the Olympic ice-dancing champion Gwendal Peyzerat. The same DVD also features footage of the event ‘Les dix mots font la fête!’, which the Théâtre des Asphodèles hosted once again on 20 March 2004, as well as five two-minute ‘clips’ devoted to the Caravane’s workshops. It also includes two short films dedicated to two French-speaking figures who contributed to the selection of the ten words: Mimi Barthélemy, the Haitian storyteller – who suggested ‘bouline’ – and Ahmadou Kourouma, the great Ivorian writer who lived in Lyon, who chose the word ‘lumière’ and to whom, following his death (11 December 2003), a beautiful tribute was paid at the Théâtre des Asphodèles on International Francophonie Day (20 March).

including one filmed at the Alliance Française in Lyon by Géraldine Boudot – footage from the three overseas territories where a Caravane was launched. From now on, every year, a box set will bring together the films shot in the various territories.

continents and all races, which are reawakened by their complementary warmth’ Whilst in the Rhône-Alpes region the Caravane continues to grow (120 workshop days), abroad the project is spreading to nine other territories. Around fifty Caravaniers from three continents gathered for the 1st International Forum of Francophone Caravanes, first in Lyon (5–8 October), then in Bucharest (9–12 October). It was there, on the very day Senghor would have turned 100 (9 October), that they launched the Bucharest Appeal in support of the Francophonie of peoples (see pp. 48–49). Also making an appearance at the Forum was a camel destined to become the project’s mascot… In addition, a box set contains ten DVDs – one for each associated territory – along with two further DVDs: a ‘Florilège’ – which also includes the film *Senghor, je me rappelle…* by the Senegalese filmmaker Gora Seck – and *Filmer la parole*, a record of the round-table discussion held during the stopover in Lyon.

“to show that a language is shaped through constant dialogue with all other languages”. In the Rhône-Alpes region, the Caravane continues to grow: two hundred workshops, totalling one thousand two hundred hours of activities led by around thirty artists! To support this growth, the Théâtre des Asphodèles has set up an association simply called “la Caravane des dix mots”. Internationally, new regions – China, Spain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Vietnam – are joining the project, and on 4 and 5 May, a meeting in Kraków will bring together Caravaniers already active in the project, as well as cultural figures and artists from other regions – Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Furthermore, the project is spreading to several regions across France, whilst at an international level, twenty-five Caravans are represented at the 2nd International Forum, which is being held in Lyon (2–5 October) and then in Québec (8–12 October). To mark the occasion, the book *La parole est au(x) peuple(s) !* is being published, bringing together reflections and personal accounts from the Caravan network.

The initiative also continues to inspire others in other regions of France – both on the mainland and in the overseas territories – and is now expanding into eighteen other countries across four continents. From 14 to 16 May, during the 2nd International Meeting of Francophone Caravans, around thirty caravan members and ‘supporting’ figures will gather in the Aosta Valley (Italy) to reflect on the future of the project.

Highlight: in Montreux, on 22 October, the presentation to the authorities attending the 13th Francophonie Summit of a cheerful ‘contribution to the Francophonie of the peoples’ (see pp. 102–103).

The aim remains to develop artistic and cultural practices, but the initiatives undertaken with around a hundred organisations – many of which work in the social sector – have led the association to prioritise ‘participants’ self-expression and the building of self-confidence with a view to social and professional integration’, as well as ‘working in partnership’. This echoes the theme of this year’s edition: ‘ten words… that connect us’. On the international stage, whilst some Caravans that have been active for several years continue on their journey – Bulgaria, Quebec, Senegal… – and others set sail for new adventures – Benin, Colombia, Romania, Switzerland… – brand-new Caravans are emerging in countries not yet visited, such as Brazil and São Tomé and Príncipe.

‘From the Rhône to the Congo’, some forty Caravaniers. The Caravan is also behind the publication of the Manifesto for Linguistic Hospitality (see p. 69)… quite a programme!

‘Collaborators from Les Caravanes and independent filmmakers have shared their perspectives on their river.’ This provides an opportunity to see that, beyond local differences, many people share the same river culture.

project methodology), art workshops, outdoor screenings and ‘Le réveil des énergies dormantes’ (The Awakening of Dormant Energies), a performance paying tribute to Senghor featuring Gaël Faye and the rapper Matador… Not to mention the drafting of an ‘Appeal for the Francophonie of Peoples’ (see pp. 136–137).

Aim: to explore the ‘development of training and communication tools’ in order to ‘raise awareness amongst social and cultural stakeholders of the link between language learning and cultural activities’.

the 6th Forum […], a key event for advocating cultural and linguistic diversity, showcasing the diverse cultures of the Francophonie’.

Artistic events (four hundred participants!) are on the programme… not to mention the parade of giant puppets!

‘Learning and Multilingualism’: an inter-professional conference is being held on 28 March in Narbonne (Aude) at the invitation of the Caravane Occitanie, followed by a meeting of the French network.

but replaced, from 30 November to 2 December, by a ‘Digital Forum’: broadcast live from a studio in Lyon, with nearly twenty hours of live coverage watched in forty-three countries!

and, over four days (27–30 May), will be offering forty hours of live coverage streamed online.

Three thousand six hundred participants, thirty-six hours of live coverage… And, across the world, forty-six Caravans are carrying out their projects.

in addition to sharing the creative works, the presentation of the study on the ‘linguistic and educational perspectives’ of projects carried out in the region (see pp. 98–101).

The programme includes workshops, games, walking tours, open-stage performances, concerts, film screenings and, above all – beyond roles, professions, positions and social status – discussions and encounters centred on this quality shared by all human beings: being a ‘speaking animal’ and therefore, according to Aristotle, a ‘political animal’.

At an international level, the European Caravane Meetings will be hosted at the Institut français in Bucharest (Romania, 2 and 3 June), after which the Caravane will be in Besançon (10–17 July) for the 16th World Congress of the International Federation of Teachers of French (FIPF). From 6 to 8 October, the Caravane will run a participatory workshop on the theme ‘Am I a Francophone?’ during the symposium on Francophone youth that it is co-organising in Lyon, as part of the Entretiens Jacques-Cartier (France-Québec), in collaboration with the University of Lyon 3 and the University of Ottawa.

In total, across four continents, no fewer than 117 projects have been carried out in 60 different countries! Whilst Africa (twenty-six countries) and Europe (twenty-one) account for the lion’s share, Caravans have also been launched in five countries in the Americas – including the United States! – and the same number in Asia; for two years running, a project has also been carried out in the Palestinian territories.

ALUNIR ( ALUNIR )
ANTICIPATION ( FORECASTING )
CONTINUUM ( CONTINUUM )
DYSTOPIQUE ( DYSTOPIAN )
HUMANOÏDE ( HUMANOID )
PARTICULE ( PARTICLE )
PROGRAMMER ( SCHEDULE )
SIDÉRAL ( ASTROPHYSICAL )
THÉORIE ( THEORY )
TRANSMUTER ( TRANSMUTE )