Zimbabwean
By Ngoni Chanakira
15 September 2011
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Education, Sport and Culture, Senator David Coltart, will tonight join several diplomats to celebrate Alliance Francaise’s 60th Anniversary.
Coltart, a Senator from the Professor Welshman Ncube-led MDC political party, will be Guest of Honour at the event.
A spokesman for Alliance Francaise said: “Yes I can confirm that Education Minister, Mr David Coltart, will be Guest of Honour at the cocktail function here tonight.
The event will feature Ambassadors, corporate executives, senior journalists, and cultural figures based in Harare.
“This is among the many top events celebrating our 60 years operating in Zimbabwe and our presence to re-assert the strength of friendship between France and Zimbabwe after 60 years of collaboration,” the spokesman said.
Charles Houdart, the AF boss, will host the event.
The spokesman said in an interview that since 1951, AF had been hosting and organising pluri-disciplinary cultural events in Zimbabwe.
“The events include concerts, exhibitions, cinema showings, theatre performances, as well as the annual Francophone Week, usually held in March,” he said.
“We also take part in many local and cultural projects such as the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) and the Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF).
“During the 60 years, the Alliance Francaise of Harare has pursued three main missions according to its values, and we should not be ashamed to say that we have done well”.
The spokesman said Alliance Francaise offers French lessons, increased the awareness of French and Francophone culture, and provided a platform for enhancing the Zimbabwe/France cultural network.
He said during the 60th Anniversary celebrations the AF would host the cocktail party tonight for “invited VIPs only”.
On Friday it will host an international “DJ – Funkalicious”, while top group “Gargar” is expected to entertain guests later during the night.
Gargar is an all female group from Kenya.
The spokesman said the Friday night event would be hosted by the resident Master of Ceremonies (MC), “Comrade Fatso”.
“We are expecting more than 300 people to enjoy the music performed by our artists until dawn and celebrate as it has to be the 60th Anniversary of the Alliance de Harare with us,” the spokesman said in an interview.
The events are being sponsored by Harare’s Courtney Hotel (accommodation for artists), Spar (Zimbabwe) (Private) Limited (cocktail party including food and drinks), and I-Way Africa (Private) Limited, a leading regional internet service provider (Information Communication Technology (ICT) activities).