World Music Day
Campus monde en musiques [Vidéo]

Campus Monde en Musiques

World Music in harmony

 "Make all musics meet, without hierarchy of style or origin". In 1982, this was the vision of Jack Lang and his director of Music Maurice Fleuret during the first World Music Day. On the 21^st of June, the event Campus monde en musiques (Campus world in music) celebrated in eight French cities also answered this call.

Campus monde en musiques is part of the Le Grand Tour programme, which is a promotional programme launched in January held throughout France until July 2016. The action got this name as a reference to young travellers from the 18^th century who did the "Grand Tour" of Europe to improve their skill. A highly symbolic name!

In Paris, where the headquarters of Campus France (one of the main hosts of the event) are located, pop, jazz, world and classical music was everywhere, played by foreign students of seven different nationalities who were professional or amateurs.

"Most of all, we are here to meet each other. If we only wanted to listen to music, we would go to a gig", said Yerzhan Kushanov, a flute player from Kazakhstan. I like this French tradition, the World Music Day, because it is a very strong and unifying message."

Yerzhan came with his friend from the Conservatoire de Paris, Marina Saiki, who is from Japan. They played a sonata from French composer Francis Poulenc and a concerto by German Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. "I will also play 'Romance for six hands' by Sergei Rachmaninov with Russian students", added Marina. "It is a good opportunity to meet players of a same instrument".

As to popular music, Chilean player Nicolás Miranda played Violeta Parra on his guitar, a symbol of Chilean traditional music. The trio made of Ghulam Murtza, Qurat ul ain Talpur and Rizwan Mustaq put the stage of fire with popular Pakistanese songs. Maïté Mion-Sini and Natacha Gervais gathered the audience around classics from British pop music.

Meetings and reunions for alumni

This musical mix made of various cultures and styles struck a special chord among the alumni. Among them, Peter Wirthumer, a young Austrian entrepreneur and former Erasmus student in the University of Nice Sophie Antipolis almost came by chance.

"I came to Paris to watch the game Austria-Iceland during the Euro 2016. When I found out that Campus France was scheduling this event, I took the chance to meet other former students. I don't remember who said it, but there are three things that join different people: music, sport and smile. I experienced it this week!"

Various alumni who often come to Campus France meetings gathered around canapes and caipirinha drinks. And new bonds were formed. In the room, two young men are enthusiastically talking: "I am the coordinator of an association in Burkina Faso and I just met Komlan" says Augustin Kientega. He is speaking to Komlan Assilatahoun, from Togo, who has studied in Burkina Faso before landing a job as engineering consultant in France. They are part of the France Alumni network and make the most of these events to meet new people.

Music as a symbol

Two high profile guests joined the alumni to talk about their commitment to the action of cultural promotion led by France: Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, ambassador in charge of Cultural attractiveness of France and of the Grand Tour programme, and Brigitte Ayrault, spouse of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault.

"We are living in troubled time, where we can see xenophobia and intolerance surge everywhere in the world. We are gathered here today to say how strong the message of music is, to tell the values of universalness it bears", said Brigitte Ayrault in a speech to alumni. "We are here to resist hate and repression."

"Never forget that the reputation of French culture from the 20^th century was also built through the view of foreign personalities such as Mark Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and others", said Olivier Poivre d’Arvor. "If French culture is still healthy, it's because it is not focused on its own productions and continues to open to other horizons".

Photos © Samuel Cortès/Animal pensant