Delhi turns into mini-France during 'Francophonie Week'

Rhythmic French beats dipped in the aroma of French delicacies filled the air of the national capital as the Francophonie week culminated with a grande Mela organised to give its visitors a glimpse of the universe of countries that have French as their first language.

The day-long event began with a swarm of Delhi school students gathering at the Alliance Française grounds here to participate in Mela's singing and skit competition followed by an open quiz about the French culture and its various aspects.

"As compared to the previous years, this is the first time we have witnessed such a huge footfall of Africans countries participating in the Mela activities. It is a good sign that the participation is coming from African countries as it gives the Indians and Africans a chance to get to know each other's cultures," Director of Alliance Française de Delhi Jean-Francois Ramon said.

The crowd also had a chance to witness the Congo culture first-hand as the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo gave out a group dance performance and a fashion show wearing their cultural attire.

Apart from the dance and fashion shows, what kept the visitors hooked to the Mela was the food offered by all the stalls. While the stall by the Democratic Republic of the Congo handed out freshly baked 'Beignets' or donuts, Côte d'Ivoire offered a full-fledged meal of Attiéké - a side dish made from cassava.

Towards the evening, students of Alliance Française took the center stage, enthralling the visitors of the Mela with their dance and musical performances on famous Bollywood songs. The celebration came to an end with an acrobatic performance titled Via, an event featuring music, dance, Chinese pole, and kalapariyattu – all blended together on one stage – by an Indo-French group followed by a French DJ night by DJ Roli.

Organised by Alliance Française de Delhi, 'Semaine de la Francophonie' or the Francophonie week began with a tête-à-tête with Canadian author Frédérick Lavoie on countering fake news through literary journalism.

French accordionist Noé Clerc along with an Indian Classical vocalist Ujwal Nagar and percussionist Zaheen Khan also presented a beautiful presentation of Indian and French music from Alliance Francaise's musical series.