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ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DE BRUNEI (AF Brunei) is proud to announce the celebration of their annual event – Francophonie Week 2015 - from the 21st until 28th March 2015.

This year, the Francophonie Week 2015 is supported by The French Embassy as well as with the support of The Canadian High Commission and several established and prestigious companies such as, Baiduri Bank Bhd, Mabohai Shopping Complex, The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong International School Art Centre, Badiah Hotel, Syensai Design, Institut Francais, Fleur de Lyss, Bruneions.com and Total E&P Borneo B.V.

Internationally, this event aims to celebrate the French language and culture, and create more awareness on the different regions of the Francophone organization. It also serves to create dialogue among these various regions that shared the French language and culture.
 
The Francophonie Week is a week full of entertainment and activities such as the art exhibiiton which showcases the collection of Bill Reid works, Syaifuddin Badaruddin “The Soil Artist” and Armacester Arsad, which is open to the public from the 22nd – 28th of March at the Empire Hotel, Alif Naaba Music Performance.

The 10 words of Francophonie this year are: Wiki, Inuit, Bravo, Cibler, Grigri, Kitch, Amalgame, Kermesse, Serendipite, Zenitude. Alliance Française de Brunei utilizes Francophonie Week with the hope of providing a platform and support for cultural endeavors between Bruneians and Francophones alike.

Alliance Française de Brunei is a non-profit organization founded in 1986. It is dedicated to promoting the French language and culture as well as to develop the historical friendship between countries - Brunei and France, Bruneians and Francophones.

Today, Alliance Française is the leading cultural network worldwide, with 1,040 establishments in 136 countries on all 5 continents. Each year, 450,000 people, of all ages, attend Alliances Françaises to learn French and more than 6 million people participate in their French cultural activities.  The network is coordinated by the Alliance Française Foundation (Foundation Alliance Française). We are proud to say that Brunei is a part of this cultural network and this proves as evidence that Friendship is the key word to the relationship between Alliance Française and Bruneians alike.



ART EXHIBITION . EXPOSITION D’ART
THE EMPIRE HOTEL. JERUDONG
Showcasing works from the personal collection of the High Commissioner of Canada to Brunei Darussalam which are artworks by Bill Reid (1920-1998),was a Canadian artist whose works include jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and paintings where some of his major creations were featured on the Canadian $20 banknote of the Canadian Journey series (2004–2012),  he is also known as "Haida Artist", working in the traditional forms and modern media (usually gold, silver and argillite), he began by making jewelry before branching into larger sculptures in bronze, red cedar and Nootka Cypress (yellow cedar) usually portraying figures, animals, and scenes from folklore, which were meant to bring his ancestors' visual traditions into a contemporary form.

Syaifuddin Badaruddin " The Soil Artist" a resident artist from Sulawesi, Indonesia, who after 15 years of painting developed his own technique using soil in Brunei, at first glance, the paintings seem to have a distinct sepia tone, a calming difference from vibrant colours or classic black and white pieces but when the artist, Syaifuddin Badaruddin, tells you that the uniqueness of the media used in his paintings were done in soil, the audience's curiosity expands further and dwells into his fine detailing and brush works.

Armacester Arsad, local Bruneian visual artist with the knowledge of the intricate geometric works of the traditional Kain Tenunan Brunei, where she brings it to life by painting close up views of certain patterns onto large canvases with a contemporary approach just like having them under a microscope and becomes a cross section diagram of a Kain Tenunan,  graduated with a MA Fine Arts at the Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton.



ALIF NAABA . AFRO POP, BURKINA FASO
JERUDONG INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ART CENTRE
Alif Naaba (the “Barefoot Prince”) is steeped in the musical traditions of Burkina Faso, West Africa.

In his quest for originality, Alif Naaba has combined jazz , pop-folk and traditional Moagha music to create a style that is unique, meditative and ambient that is present in the melodies, moods, and emotions of his music.Combining the sounds of his guitar with djembe drums and gourds with other modern musical instruments, Alif Naaba brings on stage his interpretation of the beautiful pages of contemporary music of Burkina Faso.

Atop pulsating polyrhythmic percussion, harp-like kora textures, and funky bass and guitar riffs, Naaba’s majestic voice invites an audience to become citizens of his colorful acoustic Afro-pop kingdom.

Dense yet danceable, his vibrant music penetrates the body, mind and soul, as his socially conscious lyrics, sung in Mooré and French, tell of the hardships that his country and continent face, while offering a hopeful and positive message for the future.

As a composer, Alif Naaba has participated in the Sundance Institute’s East Africa initiative, collaborating with playwright Odile Gakire Katese (Rwanda) and choreographer Flora Théfaine (Togo). He made a spectacular American debut at globalFEST 2010, New York.

SHOWCASE FRANCOPHONIE
MABOHAI SHOPPING COMPLEX BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Enjoy the Saturday Afternoon with a cooking Demonstration by a resident chef residing in Brunei, Chef Frederic Gosselin. Where he takes you to a journey into french cuisine and culinary arts in one afternoon. Other than the cooking demonstration we have a display of an array of visual works by some young francophones participating in this year's competition. So come and have a relaxing afternoon to our closing ceremony of Francophonie Week 2015 and meet the team of Alliance Francaise de Brunei.

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