08 Mar 2010 Every year in March, as part of the international day of Francophonie, the French Embassy and its co-operation and cultural network invite all francophiles to celebrate the Francophone culture and the French language – a communication and social cohesion tool as well as a vector of personal expression and professional development. Many cultural activities take place throughout the South African network of Alliances Françaises, in universities, high schools and the diplomatic circle. This year’s celebration is about developing the evolution of French in parallel with ideas, technologies and new realities.

In Johannesburg, the International Day of Francophonie will be hosted at the Alliance Française in Parkview on Sunday 28 March 2010 from 1.00pm and will showcase local and Francophone talents in fields ranging from live music to dance, fashion and visual arts.

During the event, you can expect to be entertained by young bright things: the reggae tunes of City Kay, a band freshly brewed in Brittany; Swazi musician Bholoja with his soulful music; and Cameroonian singer Kareyce with a delightful voice.

Besides these compelling acts, you will soak up plenty of energy with the sparkling music of the Alexandra Brothers Band, move to the hot and energetic choreography of Kliptown gumboots dancers, discover the astounding Beatbox tracks of French world champion Under Kontrol, covet the glamorous outfits presented on the catwalk by young SA designer Black Pepper and reflect on Eric Miyeni’s black and white shots inspired by his trip to Paris. And if you’re wondering what to do with the little ones, they’ll be having their own fun in the kiddie’s corner! This fusion of entertainment will be orchestrated by the charismatic Lebo Mashile who will be your MC for the day.

One of the highlights of the Francophonie will be the Francophonie Competition (Concours de la francophonie). The theme of this year’s competition is “Oui je parle foot”. The competition consists of five categories for various age groups, and there are great prizes ranging from a weekends away in South Africa to trips in France and scholarships at a foreign university. For more info, visit www.ambafrance-rsa.org/Francophonie-competition-2010

LEBO MASHILE is a South African poet, performer, actress, presenter and producer, born in the U.S in 1979. Mashile began to achieve recognition as one of South Africa's most popular young artists in 2002 when she performed her hip-hop inspired poetry at the Urban Voices Spoken Word and Music Festival to a large audience. Since this young talented and award winning artist has been involved in various artistic projects such as presenting and producing television programmes, performing in movies (Hotel Rwanda), plays (K. Sello Duiker’s The Quiet Violence of Dreams, 2008) and dance collaboration (Threads, 2009), writing poetry (A Ribbon of Rhythm, 2005, Flying Above the Sky, 2008), producing her own album (Lebo Mashile Live!) and presenting a radio show (Soul Inspired on Kaya FM) amongst others.

Bholoja’s music is an intriguing blend of afro-pop, traditional music and afro-blues. Inspired by his passion for his country, Swaziland, he created a unique style - Swazi-Soul. The uniqueness of his music, his amazingly rich vocal range and the themes of his songs established him as a rising star in southern Africa within a few months. His music talks about society, and touches the conscience of his listeners. Bholoja took part in a residency in France from September to November 2009 as part of the programme “visas for creation”.

KAREYCE was born in Bamikele, Cameroon, and raised among Beti people. Following successful studies, she dedicated herself to her passion: singing. She started in clubs in Yaounde and became a chorister. She was noticed while performing with Eric Aliana’s band, Korongo Jam and represented Cameroon at the Francophone Games in Beyrut, September 2009, where she won the silver medal in the song category. She was also one of the 3 finalists in the competition Prix Découvertes RFI [RFI New Talents Competition] in Lomé, November 2009. In France, she performed in November 2009 as support for Malian singer Habib Koite. Her inspiration and the essence of her artistic approach lie in the Bamileke traditions and music from West Cameroon creating a blend of musical genre including folklore, blues, jazz and soul...

CITY KAY was created in Rennes (Brittany, France) on the initiative of London-born French singer/MC Jay Ree. The band is made of 6 young professional musicians who gathered around a common passion for authentic and inspired reggae music. Influenced by the sheer groove of the legendary 1970-80’s Jamaican and English productions, City Kay’s sound remains in the tradition of the Golden Age Reggae, carried to the higher grounds by original modern arrangements. Their spirit is poetic, positive, realistic and militant, with enlightened horn-like voices and riddims. On the phonographic production side (City Kay has self-released a first album called Preoccupations), City Kay’s vibe is heavy and moist, like a tropical night in Kingston, with a strong hint of dub.

ERIC MIYENI is an accomplished writer and actor as well as a radio and television presenter who spent 15 years working in advertising, starting as a copywriter and finishing as Managing Creative Director of ChilliBush Communications in 2006. His acting career has spanned the stage, television and the big screen, working with the likes of James Earl Jones (Cry, the Beloved Country), Danny Glover (Bopha) and Elizabeth Hurley (Dangerous Grounds). A Letter from Paris is his fourth book.

Thokozani Mbatha AKA BLACK PEPPER hails from KwaZulu Natal where he completed his National Diploma in Fashion Design at the Durban Institute of Technology in 2000. After graduation he continued his training with well known South African designers such as Amanda Laird Cherry and Dennis Manthata. On 31 October 2009, he won the Gold String (Ibrahim Loutou Prize) at the 3rd edition of Culturesfrance competition “Africa is in Fashion” wich took place within the framework of the International Festival of African Fashion in Niamey, Niger.

Under Kontrol is a French Beatbox quartet. Bringing out their tracks as turntablists, the four beat boxers of the project articulate their work around mastery of time. When they get on stage, they use nothing but their voices – no machines or technology. Each track depicts multiple atmospheres and genres all tightly interconnected and accompanied with incredible stage acting and lighting effects.

Alexandra Brothers Band was started by individuals with a passion for homebrewed brass band sounds, the Alexandra Brothers Band has turned into a bona fide success story on the South African music scene. Over the past four years, the group has released four albums and all have sold either gold or platinum.

Kliptown Gumboot dancers form part of a group of young enthusiastic people from Kliptown, Soweto, who are using the gumboots dance to make a difference in their lives. Some of the members of this group have performed nationally and internationally and are still making waves all over the globe. The group, originally started by an organization called Kliptown Youth Program, aims to entertain and give workshops to young and old, professional and semi-professional people all over the world.