Newsletter Spring 2014 - Alliance Francaise Auckland

9A Kirk Street, Grey Lynn P.O. Box 78329 Grey Lynn, Auckland 1245 P: +64 9 376 0009 F: +64 9 376 0098. E: [email protected] ● www.alliance-francaise.co.nz
From the President
November already and another busy year at the
Alliance is drawing to a close. A year that has
seen an upgrading of our premises to provide a
more attractive environment, accompanied by
steady progress with our language classes and
cultural events. Heartfelt thanks to everyone
who has worked so hard to make it all possible.
Our partners in the community are a critical
factor underpinning the success of our cultural
events. Maison Vauron a valuable hospitality
partner at events such as the Ciné Club, and Café
Rendezvous, in Victoria Street, hosting our
French Pub Night and some of our Petits
Déjeuners, are doing a great job for us. Thank
you for your support and commitment to the
Alliance.
Looking ahead, our monthly ciné club
will continue to feature the best in French
cinema, at the Berkeley Takapuna, on the first
Monday of the month, and at the Monterey, in
Howick, on the second Monday. Then, after
Christmas, starting 19 February, we will be
hosting the cultural event of the year, the
Alliance Française French Film Festival,
at the Berkeley, Takapuna and the Rialto,
Newmarket. Three weeks of top French movies,
both new releases and classics, for your
enjoyment.
Watch out for further information on the
Film Festival, which we will be sending through
in the New Year. We’ll also have programmes
available including film reviews and the Festival
Timetable, available at the Alliance, for you to
take away, closer to the event.
Meanwhile, Christmas is coming to the
Alliance with our Annual Children’s
Christmas Party on Saturday 6 December.
The Alliance will then be closed for a well
deserved break between 19 December and 7
January.
Joyeux Noël !
John Martins
Fête d e la m usique
The Alliance Française puts on a Fête de la Musique
Si la musique est la pâture de l'amour, jouez encore ! - If music be the food of love, play on!
This year it was decided to mark mid-winter with a music festival. Modelled after the mid-summer Fête
de la musique that started in France, it's a popular celebration of music, in all its diversity. Explains
Alliance Française Director, Jean-Marc Dépierre: “It's a unique occasion to gather together a diversity of
people, to listen to different styles of music.”
There might have been some doubts about the transferability of a Northern summer event to the
Antipodean June, but the chilly weather didn't put people off coming. Says Jean-Marc: “Well it's true
that it's a little colder here in Auckland on the 21st June than it is in France. But where there's a will,
there's a way!”
If you've been in France on the day, you know you can't miss it, but the concept is new to most
Kiwis. Tui from Mamaku Project, one of the acts, commented: “There are lots of Kiwis today who don't
know the significance of 21st of June [in France] and it's nice to be able to share with them what it's all
about. It's wonderful to have a Fête de la musique Down Under.” She added that it would be great to
bring the music into the street – like they do in France.
Maybe! With the success this year, Jean-Marc is optimistic about the future of the event: “It went
way beyond what I imagined, so I think there is the possibility to have a bigger
event next year – and also to enlist the help of the Auckland City Council.”
Vive la Fête de la musique !
Inside: What’s on, p2; Great War commemorations, French TV, p3; Found in Translation, p4; A tale of Normandy, p7; M. Clarke and the Communards, p8
The Alliance Française d’Auckland — a not-for-profit language and cultural centre
Courses and Events
Beaujolais Nouveau
Thursday 20 November - from 5pm
Rendezvous Café, 137 Victoria St. West
Our Clubs
Alliance Française Ciné Club movie
@ The Berkeley Cinema, Takapuna
“Gouleyant is the French word for the way fine Beaujolais
slips ineffably down the throat.”- Jancis Robinson, wine
writer.
French For Travellers: A language and
culture immersion weekend.
From 6.30pm - movie screens at 7.00pm
$11.50, including French cheese or $14.50
with glass of wine
NOW ALSO IN HOWICK!
Monterey Cinema
Next movie:
1 December (Takapuna)
6 December (Howick)
21-23 November
Friday, 6pm-9pm, Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 4pm
15 hours of French language tuition $350. Includes two
French lunches, and one aperitif.
Bordeaux: A Virtual Visit
Saturday 22 November, 10am to 12pm
Members $25/Non-members $35
Let Nelly tell you about the history of the Bordeaux region, its
illustrious wines and gastronomy.
« Bordeaux est une ville curieuse, originale, peut-être
unique ». - Victor Hugo
New Course on the Menu: Café Causerie.
Term 2 this year saw the launch of a new course at the Alliance Française in Grey Lynn,
Auckland: the ‘Café Causerie’.
The focus is to perfect the skill of speaking French. Yes, it's a conversation course, but with a
twist. The idea is to reproduce the atmosphere of a cafe where friends meet at the end of the week
for a glass of wine, some nibbles and a chat about life, the universe and everything. At the Café
Causerie we enjoy crusty baguettes, imported European cheeses and wine from Maison Vauron
to wash it all down.
I have been enrolled in this course from the outset. People have questioned me about it at
the Saturday morning Petits Déjeuners. "Are you paying just to have a conversation?" Well, the
conversation is always great, but we are improving our French, too. At every session Marion
Garnier, our lovely Head of Pedagogy, does much more than just bring along the delicious wine
and cheese. As well as being a great ‘causeuse’ herself, she guides her students by suggesting
vocabulary and correcting errors in pronunciation, idioms and grammar, as they occur or later on
the whiteboard.
The class size is limited to a maximum of 8 to enable a more intimate setting. ‘Causeurs’ take
turns giving presentations about topics of their choice, ranging from French musicians to the
extinction of minority languages. This always sparks lively discussion.
Classes, or should I say rendezvous, are held every second Friday from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
The level of this course is C1, which calls for a reasonable degree of fluency.
- Lisa Jarvis
To find out about joining the Café Causerie, or any other of our extensive range of
French language courses, from beginners to advanced level, for toddlers to seniors, check
out our website: www.alliance-francaise.co.nz or phone us on 376 0009.
Wine and complementary cheese from our partners
and
Book Clu b
The group meets a Thursday, from 8 to
9:30pm.
Cost: $50 per half-year
For further details, see
http://www.alliance-francaise.co.nz
Les Trempeurs
Alliance
Tramping Club
Next outing, See:
www.lestrempeurs.blogspot.com
Children’s Christmas Party
Saturday, 6 December. 10am to midday.
The Alliance Française closes 19 December and reopens 7 January, 2015
2
The Alliance Française d’Auckland — a not-for-profit language and cultural centre
In the Shadow of War: BritishFrench-German Film Days
A Breeze Through the Library
Un max de
programmes tv en
français depuis
votre salon
Vous avez peut-être remarqué que depuis peu il
est de nouveau possible de
regarder la télévision en
français à l'Alliance. En
effet pendant quelque
temps nous n'avions plus
aucune réception, car le
satellite avait été détruit
par les tempêtes.
Audiences in the two main centres had a rare opportunity to
view a series of European films which commemorate the
Great War. Films selected for In the Shadow of War were
screened in Wellington and Auckland by the cultural relations
agencies of Germany, France and Britain as the world remembers the realities of WWI, 100 years from when the first
shots were fired.
“There is more to war than blood, sweat and tears. Each of
these movies is a testimony of how, in the most dreadful
context, the human spirit can reveal not only its darkest side
but also its most illuminating beauty.”- Jean-Marc Dépierre,
Alliance française Chief Representative in New Zealand.
The films:
Merry Christmas/Joyeux Noël ( 2005) France. Dir:
Christian Carion.
Odyssey of Heroes /Die Männer der Emden (2012)
Germany. Dir: Berengar Pfahl
A Very Long Engagement/ Un long dimanche de
fiançailles (2004) France. Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Oh! What a Lovely War (2005) UK. Dir: Richard Attenborough
The films were screened in Wellington between October 1
and 4 at Nga Taonga Sound and Vision, and in Auckland
between October 8 and 12 at various venues: the Auckland
Art Gallery, Auckland War Memorial Museum and The University of Auckland.
Special thanks to Associate Professor Simon Kitson
(University of Auckland Faculty of Arts: European Languages
& Literatures) for his excellent introduction to the Auckland
screening of A Very Long Engagement/ Un long dimanche
de fiançailles.
Shared Histories
The upcoming commemorations
for World War One are the
occasion for New Zealand students
to explore with their French
counterparts, the significance and
deep repercussions of this major
part of their shared history. That is
the reason why the Embassy of
France in New Zealand and the
New Zealand Association of French
teachers have initiated an important school exchange
programme called “Shared Histories” which will keep
building until 2018.
Learn more about this fantastic programme on the Embassy
of France in New Zealand's website and at the Shared
Histories website.
A book of spells was a feature of Alizé's previous employment: she spent three months as
production assistant for the filming of 'Le Grimoire d'Arkandias', in Belgium. Now, she has
joined us at the Auckland Alliance to work some
magic on our library.
Alizé is from Lyon, and it was there that she
studied for her Licence, in French History
(Université Lyon III Jean Moulin). Then she
moved to Paris, to undertake a two-year Masters
in audio-visual heritage - a newly established
degree run by the Institut national de l'audiovisuel. For her internship, she decided to go to
Chile – because she “always wanted to go to
South America” - where she worked at the Film
Centre at the University of Santiago. Another
reason for going to Chile was that their archive
system was less-developed than in France, thus
providing a more interesting training experience.
After graduating came the opportunity for
Alizé to work on the film set. The movie is based
on the first volume of a children's fantasy trilogy,
written by Eric Boisset. It is described as a
French Harry Potter. Alizé says she enjoyed the work, especially since she likes
the team environment.
Alizé's present task constitutes the
second part of our library upgrade - after
the physical reorganisation earlier this
year, bringing the books and DVDs into
the central area to make them more visible – by choosing key themes that bring
out the best in the collection. Alizé readily agrees
that the collection represents a valuable resource
- an extensive and accessible assemblage of
French text and film, including many attractive
and interesting works. But, she says, better presentation will greatly improve functionality. The
six themes chosen: Art and Culture, Life and
Hobbies, Children's Books, Literature, DVD
Movies and Music CDs, and Learning Resources.
Next, the plan is to further increase accessibility,
by enabling on-line consultation of the collection.
Although most of Alizé's time will be spent at
the Auckland branch, a couple of weeks attending to the library needs of Alliances in other centres have been scheduled. Then, in February next
year, it's back to the world of film, as she turns
her attentions to assisting with preparations for
our 2015 French Film Festival.
Mais aujourd'hui grâce à
la magie d'internet il nous
est possible de voir une
dizaine de chaînes francophones en direct
(France24, Euronews,…)
ou à la demande (Canal+,
France Télévisions, TV5
Monde,...) Tout cela gratuitement et légalement. Il
y a un truc vous allez me
dire ? Un petit truc oui, un
mini-ordinateur de la taille d'une carte de crédit qui
s'appelle le Raspberry Pi.
Combiné à un logiciel de
lecture media qui s'appelle
Kodi il permet de fonctionner comme un « box »
directement reliée à votre
téléviseur et permet ainsi
de regarder gratuitement
la télévision en français
depuis votre salon. Il n'y a
pas d'abonnement et donc
le seul coût que cela représente est l'achat du Raspberry Pi et de ses éventuels accessoires. En fonction de ce que vous disposez chez vous cela vous
coûtera entre $60 et $80
environ. C'est peanuts
comme on dit en bon franglais. Pour retrouver plus
de détails sur comment
cela fonctionne, rendezvous sur notre site à la
page www.alliancefrancaise.co.nz/culture/tv
Alizé’s mission is sponsored by the Délégation
Générale de l'Alliance Française en NouvelleZélande et aux Îles Cook, with funding from the
Institut français.
[email protected]
— www.alliance-francaise.co.nz
- Marc Sautelet
Communications,
Alliance Française d’Auckland
3
Interview: Dr Deborah Walker-Morrison
AWARD OF THE JOHN DUNMORE MEDAL
Dr Deborah Walker-Morrison, Senior Lecturer in French in the
School of European Languages and Literatures at the University of
Auckland, is the 2014 recipient of the John Dunmore Medal. The
John Dunmore Medal is awarded annually by the Federation of Alliances Françaises of New Zealand, in recognition of major contributions to knowledge and better understanding of the part played by
the French people and French culture in the scientific, economic,
historical and cultural development of the Pacific.
Dr Walker-Morrison's research and publications focus particularly on the cultural history of New Caledonia. Her translations of
literary works allow Anglophone readers to appreciate the diversity
of the literature of this region and the interplay of French and local
cultural traditions.
end of the first year of the Masters, “well,
you'll need at least a doctorate, and your
chances of getting a job are slim”! But I
didn't have a plan B, so I just continued on
with the doctorate, and decided that there
would be a job at the end, and there was!
LN: But what brought you to French
in the first place?
DW: Love of languages. It so happened at
the secondary school that I went to, Nelson
College for Girls, that we had French and
Latin - German from 6th form – we didn't
have Maori – but I did all the languages
that were to be had at that school.
LN: Can you remember why French,
in particular?
DW: I loved the sound of the language,
from the very first day. The phrase I
remember was “je vais très bien, merci”
and I remember at playtime, we ran around
the playground, practising “je vais très
bien”. I was hooked! But I think I have a
thing for languages.
LN: You did your PhD at Université
Paris VIII.
DW: It was a joint thesis between that
university and University of Auckland. My
supervisor at Auckland was [Professor]
Raylene Ramsay, who has since been my
Fairy Godmother. My thesis was nothing to
do with the Pacific – it was on French
cinema, [the film director] Alain Resnais.
LN: Why that choice?
Les Nouvelles: Congratulations on
receiving the John Dunmore Medal.
This award is given in recognition of
the major contribution you have
made to the understanding of the
part played by the French people and
French culture in the Pacific. But
didn't you begin your career teaching
English?
Deborah Walker-Morrison: Yes, I did start
out teaching English, in New Caledonia in
fact. That is where my interest in the
Pacific comes from. I lived there for 11
years, from 1979 to 1990, and I was
married there, to a New Caledonian.
LN: Going from an English-speaking
environment to a French one could
be a double shock in a way, and New
Zealand seems to belong to a
different world from the rest of the
Pacific. How was it for you?
4
DW: When I came to do my doctoral thesis,
I was hesitating between applied linguistics
and language teaching because I'd been a
language teacher and I still love language
teaching. So I was tossing up between
applied linguistics and film, because I love
film, like everybody, and I did film in my
Masters, and I recognised when I arrived at
the University of Auckland that there was
not a single course on French cinema. It
could have gone either way, but because of
that gap in terms of courses, I chose film.
DW: I wouldn't say a double shock – it was
doubly interesting, doubly fascinating.
There was the French side, and there was
the Pacific side. I related quite easily to the
Kanak people, because my Dad's whanau is LN: Why Resnais in particular?
Maori
DW: Resnais because I got interested in
LN: So you were teaching English as self-reflexivity, the relationship between
innovative form and meaning.
a second language?
DW: Yes, from the second year there. I had
a contract to teach at Lycée Laperouse in
Noumea, as an assistante d'Anglais, for
two years. Following from teaching private
lessons, I set up a private school, called
Speakeasy, which still exists. I came back to
New Zealand in 1990, after having lived
through the 'Evénements': the Troubles in
New Caledonia. I continued to teach
English, and I felt I was losing my French,
so went back to university to do a Masters,
naïvely thinking “I'll do this and then
they'll give me a job”. And I was told at the
LN: Self-reflexivity?
DW: Self-reflexivity is art that looks at
itself. So it's film that looks at film, that
doesn't just tell a story. It talks about film
as film, it often foregrounds film as a
medium, rather than just giving you the
illusion that the fictional story that you are
watching is some kind of window on the
world. Self-reflexive film breaks that
illusion – it reminds you that you are
watching a construction. There is often a
reflection on the nature of film, the nature
The Alliance Française d’Auckland — a not-for-profit language and cultural centre
Dr Deborah Walker-Morrison (from p4)
last New Zealand film that we've done this
year is one based on Witi Ihimaera's short
of narrative, the relationship of
as include other works of Gorodé that had story, The Medicine Woman. The film
representation to the real.
not been translated previously. I'd just
adaptation (directed by Dana Rothberg and
finished my PhD at this point and she knew produced by John Barnett) is White Lies,
LN: The courses on French cinema
I had an interest in translation, and that I
for which my students have produced
that you set up at University of
knew New Caledonia. She asked me if I
French subtitles.
Auckland continue to be popular?
wanted to work with her on translating that
The audio-visual translation of New
DW: Yes, they are. I set up two courses on poetry, and I did, and really loved it. I
Zealand films – I'm particularly interested
found it reasonably easy.
French cinema, so have supervised
in Maori films and films with Maori
graduates in film.
LN: You had a facility?
content – was one of the things mentioned
in the nomination [for the Dunmore
LN: With the passing away now of
DW: Yes. Raylene is the person who
Medal], because it's strengthening the links
Resnais and many of that generation
actually brought me to this work, through
between New Zealand and the French
of French directors, is the world
involving me in the translation of Déwé's
Pacific, particularly from an indigenous
poorer for it?
poetry. Raylene was also writing a cultural
perspective, in terms of making them
history of New Caledonia [La nuit des
DW: Yes, there's only Godard left, and
better-known - which is important to me contes], which is made up of a selection of
Godard in my opinion has been pretty
in both directions.
texts, that start from the Kanak oral
much out to lunch since 1990.
tradition, through the European explorers, LN: That leads on to your work on
LN: You didn't see his latest film at
colonial writers, right through to the
the French translation of the
the NZ International Film Festival?
present day. Déwé was one of the major
landmark Maori film, Once Were
contemporary writers to figure in that
Warriors.
DW: Oh no! I don't bother any more. No,
cultural
history,
along
with
a
couple
of
laisse tomber ! When I started my doctoral
DW: This came out of a Masters project by
younger Kanak writers. Nicholas
thesis, it was going to be either Godard or
one of my students, who was looking at the
Kurtovitch figures in it, and Claudine
Resnais. I was already more fond of
reception of Once Were Warriors in France
Jacques. So that book is based on a series
Resnais, and in 1997 – November - On
and Germany. I subsequently extended her
connaît la chanson came out, and that just of extracts, linked together by an academic work on the French reception, and wrote
commentary. My role was as translation
sealed it: it was Resnais.
an article on it.
editor, with final responsibility for the
LN: Coming back to the Award, one
translations, which were done by a group of One thing we both noticed when we looked
of the areas you have been involved
graduate students, including Mary
at the subtitled and dubbed versions – if
in is Kanak writing, translating from McKendrick.
you're looking at the reception of such a
the French.
film in France, of course it's potentially
LN: What was involved in the making
influenced by the translation – and we
DW: Yes, and translation is actually what
of the DVD that goes with La nuit des
were both appalled to discover in particular
brought me to looking at the Pacific. I'd
contes?
one problem in the subtitling of Once Were
gotten interested in translation a couple of
Warriors that caused a whole swathe of the
years after I went to live in New Caledonia. DW: That was a mission! We subtitled it,
which was an amazing experience for me,
French critical establishment to
I didn't want to be a language teacher at
that point - I wanted to be a translator and because I had to teach myself subtitling. A misinterpret the film.
interpreter. There just wasn't enough work. group of grad students who were interested
It wasn't even a translation error – it was a
in translation asked if they could do a
But I did do translating and interpreting,
phrase that was translated literally, but the
course on audio-visual translation and
off and on, all through the time I spent in
literal translation led to an interpretive
subtitling whilst I was still involved with
New Caledonia. I started to translate a
error. In about half of the press reviews,
that DVD, which led to my setting up a
novel, which I never finished, but which I
Jake became the descendent of Black
course. In that course, I make sure that I
really enjoyed doing.
African slaves. Incroyable, hein ? And they
always give my students real projects. They
put that on the DVD cover. Et parmi ceux
So when Raylene Ramsay set up the
have to actually subtitle a film – they do
qui ont fait l’erreur, il y avait notamment,
translation course [at the University of
English to French and French to English.
des universitaires. Et qui parlaient
Auckland], I did the course one year, and
Every year, I've managed to find them real
Anglais !
taught it subsequently. Raylene was
projects in the sense that they're films that
involved in projects translating the poetry
haven't yet been subtitled – always with the My particular interest in the translation of
of Déwé Gorodé. She'd done a first
agreement of the film maker. So for the
Maori films is from realising the dreadful
anthology, a bilingual anthology of poetry
English to French, obviously, I work on
cultural errors that arise because the
by Déwé Gorodé and another New
New Zealand films. They're not always
subtitlers may have good linguistic
Caledonian writer, Nicholas Kurtovitch,
commercial films – they might be
knowledge, but they don't have the cultural
called 'Dire le vrai' – 'To tell the truth', in
documentaries, they might be shorts. The
knowledge. Equally, in terms of the Pacific,
English – where they each wrote 20 poems.
Each poem was written on a separate day,
and on a separate theme. There's a poem
'Racines'. There's another on writing –
'Ecrire'. It's a lovely anthology. Raylene
wasn't happy with some of the translations,
La radio francophone d'Auckland
Tous les dimanche soirs de 18hr05 à 19hr05
and later, when she had a big research
Télécharger : www.planetaudio.org.nz/amusegueule
project involving New Caledonian
Nous parler sur le blog : www.amusegueule.co.nz
literature, she wanted to include some of
Partenaire
Gorodé's poetry from Dire le vrai. But she
wanted to review the translations, as well
[email protected]
— www.alliance-francaise.co.nz
5
Dr Deborah Walker-Morrison (from p5)
these kinds of errors are probably
happening in both directions.
LN: How crucial do you think your
position as a teacher, at a university,
with your having lived in different
cultures, your Maori roots and living
in New Caledonia and France, has
been to your earning this award?
DW: I think that my personal cultural
background definitely feeds into my work. I
think it gives me, may I say, a privileged
position. I think that, to be a good
translator, you need, not just linguistic
knowledge, you need the cultural
knowledge. You don't necessarily have to
have it first hand, but you need to have in
depth cultural knowledge. Having
knowledge of French French is not going to
give you knowledge of New Caledonia, or
Tahiti, or Africa, Réunion, Martinique.
These are specific cultures. Anyone who
wants to do a good job of translating those
literatures needs to have a level of
knowledge/understanding - not only of the
source language culture. Let's say you were
translating Déwé Gorodé – you've got to
have some knowledge of Kanak culture. I
don't claim to be an expert on Kanak
culture, but you have to have a language in
English to convey that culture. That's
where I think my Maori background is an
advantage, because I have a sense of how
Déwé's characters would speak, if they
were speaking in English – a lot of her
characters speak like my whanau!
Let's say if a Fijian English speaker were
translating Déwé, it would be slightly
different - the characters would have more
a Fijian-Pacific English. Then again,
sometimes, I have to pull back and not
make the characters too Maori - otherwise,
it becomes a bit weird! You've got to be
sensitive to the source language and
culture, but you've also got to have a
corresponding target language to use
integrity.
LN: The problem now is everything
going through English. Sometimes
you might be translating Maori into
English, then English into French,
and at each step, you inevitably lose
something of the meaning.
DW: With White Lies, a historical drama,
set just after WWI, the main character is
Tuhoe, played by Whirimako Black, so a lot
of the dialogue is in Maori in the original
film version, with English subtitles. The
script of the film has been published –
there's a book about the film, which
includes the short story it was based on,
commentary about the film, and the full
scenario. And because I know a bit of
Maori, enough to see how the English
subtitles correspond to the Maori, there
were little bits I could put back in. But it's
true, if you're always going through
English, or in the case of Kanak languages,
via French, then there's always a degree of
loss. But most translation theorists
nowadays work from the position that
there is no such thing as the perfect
translation, and there is always loss,
because your target audience can't be
sitting in the same 'place', in relation to the
text.
LN: Another of your research
interests is the multi-media
materials development for secondlanguage learning.
DW: Yes, I'm still a language teacher, and
teaching language, culture, teaching
translation, and teaching film - they're all
part of a constellation. It's all about
building bridges, between people, between
cultures. My latest project in regards to
language teaching is developing 'blended
learning', where you use a combination of
on-line materials, and face-to-face
teaching. I've done a lot of multi-media
resource development for language
teaching over the last 15 years, using
computer programmes to create video/
audio interactive activities – developing
those resources as complementary to faceto-face teaching. Yes, I'm really interested
in that, as well.
LN: And there are words, feeling,
expressions you just can't translate?
LN: Dr Deborah Walker-Morrison,
thank you very much!
DW: Yes. Even if you can translate them,
you might have to use circumlocution, so
something of the feel of text might be lost.
That's considered as a given nowadays, but
it doesn't mean that you can't produce
translations that are better, or not so good.
Bibliography
LN: Never-the-less, it seems Once
Were Warriors did pretty well in
France.
DW: It did pretty well, yes, for a small
budget, art-house film, which didn't have a
big distribution. It got huge critical
LN: Do you think there is also some
attention there - there were over 20 review
onus on the film producers/directors articles.
to try to ensure their films are wellLN: How do you account for that?
translated?
Would you agree there's, if not a
DW: That's a good question, because it
fascination, at least an attraction of
would appear that New Zealand films are
the French to Maori culture?
subtitled by the distributor. One of my
DW: Definitely, it's exoticism, and the
missions at the moment is to try and
French like that hard-hitting social realism.
convince the New Zealand Film
Once Were Warriors was compared to La
Commission that they need to have a
Heine, which came out about the same
translation fund.
time. I think that the French audiences and
I don't think that New Zealand producers
particularly the critical establishment like
are sufficiently aware of these issues - I
that uncompromising style. Whale Rider
brought this up with Witi [Ihimaera]. I
for example, didn't do as well – critically, in
think this is really important for the
particular. It did much better in Italy - and
exportability of our films, not just in
Germany of course, because it was a
commercial terms, but for their cultural
German co-production and got better
6
distribution. Yes, Once Were Warriors did
do well in France. The French didn't seem
to mind, were even intrigued that Jake
appeared to be a descendent of African
slaves! So, the translation didn't make the
film unwatchable, but French audiences
could have seen more than what they did. I
would assume and hope that, with a better
translation, you would get a more informed
reception. And a better translation should
result in better sales.
Dire le vrai / To Tell the Truth, édition
bilingue de 18 poèmes. Déwé Gorodé en
collaboration avec Nicolas Kurtovitch,
traduits en anglais par Raylene Ramsay et
Brian Mackay. Éditions Grain de Sable,
Nouméa, 1999.
Nights of Storytelling: a Cultural History
of Kanaky-New Caledonia Ramsay, R., ed.
and
Walker-Morrison, D & N. Morrison. La
Nuit des Contes, an accompanying DVD
containing visual materials from the New
Caledonian historical archives,
reproductions of Kanak art work, and
contemporary photographs. University of
Hawaii Press, 2011.
2011 Walker-Morrison, D. A. '‘Souls of
Warriors’: Once were Warriors in France'.
Te Kaharoa Vol. 1:1 Special Edition, pp 1833. . http://tekaharoa.com/index.php/
tekaharoa/article/view/88/55
The Alliance Française d’Auckland — a not-for-profit language and cultural centre
Un beau mariage franco-kiwi
Une conteuse normande
Valerie Lecoq has a very special talent for telling
stories. It's a talent that she has crafted, through
her interactions with her audience, training and
professional influences she has sought. In 2007,
she was a finalist for the Grand prix international
des conteurs de Chevilly la rue, and she received
the lauréate du concours « A l’asso des idées ».
She has performed at numerous festivals in
France – including the Festival d’Avignon, as well
as in Quebec, for the ‘Fête des chants de marins à St Jean Port Joli’. Her
performance here, at the Auckland Alliance Française in September is her latest.
Valerie began theatrical training at age fifteen, when she enrolled at the Ecole de Théâtre, then at
the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique du Havre. She was employed by various theatre companies,
using story-telling as a way of helping disadvantaged people:
« J'ai d’abord utilisé l’art du conte et du récit lors de formations auprès de personnes en
difficulté : personnes d’origines étrangères, toxicomanes, détenus, femmes seules avec
enfants, jeunes déscolarisés, et handicapés. »
This work made her aware of the often challenging nature of communication:
« Neuf ans d’expérience auprès de ces publics ont permis de mieux connaître les
méandres d’une communication souvent difficile d’y pallier. »
That's when Valérie decided to study with dancer and choreographer, Pascale Houbin. Houbin's
point of departure was her involvement of deaf actors, with sign language incorporated into the
performances, exploring the resonances between the spoken word, and movement, the visual.
She extended that to work with deaf actor, Levent Beskardes.
Une volonté : partager le savoir et la culture :Motivated by a desire that culture should be
accessible to everyone, Valérie trained in communication methods adapted to those with visual or
auditory impairment, which included learning French Sign Language. She developed
« une approche différente du monde que j'utilise également auprès du très jeune public
et des personnes en grande difficulté. »
In 2002, Valérie set up her own theatre company, La Compagnie du Piano à Pouces. Her
performances are intimate and local, a mixture of story-telling and street theatre:
« Spectacles de proximité, hors les murs, « In situ », mixant spectacle de rue, conte
d’intervention et théâtre font la part belle à l’échange et au contact avec les spectateurs. Ils
sont présentés dans des lieux atypiques : restaurants collectifs, cours, halles. Le plus original
étant sans conteste 'La locomobile à histoires' qui s'est d'abord déroulé en bus dans les
quartiers périphériques (Caucriauville, Sanvic, Graville, quartier de l’Eure) puis en 2013, en
train entre Le Havre et Rolleville. »
Une spécificité : Histoires de vies, Histoires de femmes : Such close encounters with her
audience got her to thinking about their lives: the everyday stories.
« Naîtrons alors des spectacles directement inspirés et écrits à partir de témoignages :
La vie quotidienne pendant la seconde guerre mondiale (au Havre et à Rouen), et
depuis 2005 « Femmes de marins compagnes de pêche » sur les Fécampoises ».
She also developed ‘Pièces de Vies’, which uses as a set one of the original show apartments of
Auguste Perret’s reconstruction of Le Havre, after WWII. It evokes life in that town during the
fifties
« où il suscite une plongée dans le temps tout à fait troublante. ». « [Cette] dernière création
parle des grandes lessives d’antan et de l’évolution de la condition des femmes. »
Une spécialité : Le très jeune public et les publics en difficulté : Another of her
specialties is performing to infants. She has training in child psychology.
« J’ai une approche artistique spécifique pour toucher ce public qui sera celui de demain :
stimulations sensorielles, écoute, complicité… La proximité avec l’auditoire est très
importante. Cette approche est également très importante pour des personnes fragilisées. »
Valerie Lecoq regaled her audience of all ages at the Petit Déjeuner of Saturday 27 September.
Félicitations à Nelly et Greg, qui
se sont mariés le 12 juillet !
Pour cette noce, Nelly, prof ici à l'Alliance d'Auckland, a emmené son futur
mari kiwi dans sa petite ville natale au
Gond-Pontouvre, près d'Angoulême,
en France (Charente). Le mariage a eu
lieu, selon la coutume, à la Mairie, bâtiment situé dans un joli parc, bordant
la rivière Touvre, juste en aval d'où elle
se jette dans la Charente. Après la cérémonie, place aux célébrations qui
ont eu lieue à la Salle des fêtes de Maine-de-Boixe. Parmi les 30 invités,
quelques proches anglophones de
Greg, son père inclus. Nelly nous a
confié qu'avant le mariage, elle s'inquiétait des possibles problèmes de
communication. Mais à son grand soulagement « les deux pères sont devenus les meilleurs amis du Monde, au
delà de la barrière des langues ! Ils
s'envoient des mails régulièrement (ils
comptent un peu sur Google Translate)
pour planifier la venue de son père en
Nouvelle-Zélande. »
Coffee+croissant+French=
Le Petit Déjeuner
SaturdaymorningattheAllianceFrançaise
10am to midday
Members/Non-members: $4/$5
Femmes au lavoir
[email protected]
— www.alliance-francaise.co.nz
7
Continuing our series on the story of the Auckland Alliance Française
Samuel 'S.I.' Clarke had a remarkable
40-year association with French clubs
in Auckland, right from the beginning
with the French Literary Club, in 1881.
He was also involved in local and
national politics, and left a lasting
legacy with the building industry in
his adopted country. Previously, we
saw how a young Mr Clarke's French
sojourn was cut short by the FrancoPrussian war and how instead, in
1873, he began a new life in New
Zealand. Even though he only once
returned to Europe, he was not to
forget his time in France. It had an
influence that seems to have taken him
far beyond an interest in the French
language. In this concluding episode,
we speculate on his possible role
linking the Communard ideals and the
social advancements of the Seddon
Government.
Secretary of the French Club, towards the end
of WWI, in July 1918, that Clarke proposed
that Auckland follow the example of other
New Zealand cities
...in paying a tribute to the French nation, in
the form of a public collection and sale of
articles on the occasion of the French
National Fete Day, July 14. It [was] also
proposed to form active committees to bring
success to the celebration. The funds [were] to
be devoted, half to the French Red Cross and
half to the French patriotic purposes at the
discretion of the Government of France. The
movement [was said to be] being
enthusiastically taken up in other places, and
it [was] confidently expected Auckland will
not be slow to show its regard for our gallant
ally by helping in such a noble cause. (NZ
Herald).
At the AGM of the French Club on 2
November 1920, Clarke was finally compelled
fforestation was another of Clarke's
passions. He vigorously argued the
imperative for replacing the New
Zealand forests which were being destroyed
at a high rate, and authored a booklet on the
subject1. It was he who eventually persuaded
the city council to replace the logged area
around Cornwallis on Auckland's Manukau
Harbour. His efforts earned him a place on
both Royal Commissions (alongside, in 1913,
the eminent botanist, Leonard Cockayne)
that enquired into the timber industry and
reforestation in the Dominion, and later he
was a member of the honorary advisory
committee set up to assist the Minister of
Forests.
Adieu to Europe
Returning to Auckland from Wellington after
delivering the Commission's final report, we
find Clarke (two days later!) off on his next
adventure: a journey back to England and the
Continent. This time it was by steamer –
The Ville de la Ciotat
W.E. Tibbutt
A
“The Most Needed Body In New Zealand: The
First Appointed Forestry Commission.”
BACK ROW W. H. Russell, shorthand reporter; John Strauchon,
Under-Secretary for Lands; E. Phillips Turner, Secretary
Forestry Commission. MIDDLLE ROW: T.W. Adams, S.I Clarke,
C.P. Murdoch, F.Y. Lethbridge, Members of Forestry Commission. SITTING: H.D.M. Haszard; Hon. W.F. Massey, Premier
and Minister for Lands; Dr. L. Cockayne, F.R.S., Ph.D.
across to Sydney on the Maheno2, there
changing to the Ville de la Ciotat.
The Star of 4 December 1913 records his
safe return. (The Ville de la Ciotat was
attacked and sunk by a German U-boat off
the island of Crete on 24 December, 1915,
with the loss of 80 lives). He resumed his
association with the French Club. It was as
8
by failing health to relinquish his post as
Secretary-Treasurer. He was “heartily
thanked by the meeting for [his] efforts in the
club's interest during the long term in which
[he] had held office”. He died two years later,
on 24 November, 1922.
An Exemplary Colonist
At the time when Clarke came to New
Zealand, it was not the most obvious
destination for starting a new life 3. Ongoing
conflict with Maori over land, and the
prospect of a long and difficult voyage
dissuaded many from coming. A sense of
adventure was clearly one prerequisite. He
seems to have imparted this to at least one of
his daughters, Edith, who studied with
Rudolph Steiner in Vienna, moved to Sydney,
and travelled in Java and the Northern
Territory.
Despite, or perhaps because he had
moved to such a remote corner of the Globe,
he retained an international perspective.
Through his involvement with the NZ
Builders' Association, he was in touch with the
equivalent bodies in South Africa and Britain
and the object of his journey to 'the Continent'
in 1913 might have been to follow up on
aspects of the German building industry that
he was aware of.
During his long involvement with the
French Club, Clarke would have shared
thoughts with many interesting individuals,
during the formal debates and presentations,
perhaps rather earnest compared to these
Used with permission, A Darlington, Building Today
Monsieur Clarke, Artisan Habile (part 3)
Samuel Isaac Clarke (1850-1922)
days. Notable among these individuals were
the likes of Ferdinand Peltzer and Albin
Villeval, both of them touched by the events in
Paris in 1870-71. Villeval, especially, was
affected by the heady days of the Commune.
As a young man, Clarke had witnessed for
himself the build-up to the Franco-Prussian
war, so would have had a particular insight,
and perhaps sympathy with these two men.
And de Montalk, proud participant in
Garibaldi's campaign to unite Italy, would
surely have been an influence. It was in the
French Club, also, that he encountered the
Liberal MP, William Joseph Napier, and the
partnership forms the connection between
the Club and national politics. It is interesting
to speculate whether the socialist ideas, too
radical for their time, which flowered so
briefly during the Commune, might have
swayed the course of New Zealand social
legislation.
Clarke once said that buildings were the
most permanent legacy of civilisations. He
took pride in his work, and was successful at
it, to become “one of the best known builders
in the Dominion”. But he went much further:
the champion of the 'Artisan habile' came to
greatly influence the whole building trade,
and, more broadly, to have an active
involvement in the socialist experiment that
the country underwent at the turn of last
century. His name has been left out of the
history books, yet his influence endures,
rather more, finally, through the ideals he
successfully promoted than the
acknowledged soundness of his bricks and
mortar.
- David Elliott
1. Afforestation in New Zealand. SI Clarke. 1917. Harry
H. Tombs, Wellington.
2. In 1915 the Maheno was converted to a hospital ship
and used for treating wounded soldiers during WWI.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Maheno
3. A policy was in place to boost immigration from 1870,
but with limited success until the labour situation in
Britain deteriorated, and the introduction of free passage
to New Zealand, in 1874. The Farthest Promised Land –
English Villagers, New Zealand Immigrants of the
1870s. Rollo Arnold. 1981. Victoria University Press. The
year 1874 saw a peak in net immigration to New Zealand,
a record not exceeded until 2002. Jock Phillips. 'History
of immigration - The great migration: 1871 to 1885', Te
Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 21-Aug13. URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/history-ofimmigration/page-8
The Alliance Française d’Auckland — a not-for-profit language and cultural centre
Be speaking French in less than 3 hours!
Visit New Caledonia
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Get Ready For The Alliance
Française French Film Festival
2015!
Auckland Dates:
Rialto Cinemas Newmarket: 19 February - 8 March 2015
Berkeley Cinemas Takapuna: 20 February - 8 March 2015
Les Nouvelles de l’Alliance Française d’Auckland
Contributors: Lisa Jarvis, Marc Sautelet. Translations: , Rosemary Arnoux. Editor: David Elliott.
[email protected]
— www.alliance-francaise.co.nz
9