Festival of Confolens

The Festival of Confolens is a festival of folklore which has a half century of existence. It takes place each August to Confolens, in Charente and one has crossed each summer the 5 continents for 50 years.

Presentation

Confolens has organized for 50 years the most famous festival of Traditional Art in the world and the festival of Confolens east to the folklore what Cannes is with the cinema and Avignon with the theater. This festival of folklore takes place the every years in August since 1958. Founded by Henri Dézaphie and prolonged in time by Henri Coursaget and Philippe Beaussant.

Confolens becomes each year, the high place of the world folk dance, international crossroads of the Dances and Musiques of the World: world reference in the field of Arts and Popular Traditions. Dancers, musicians and public find themselves there with passion. The town of Confolens sees breaking during ten spectators days, dancers and musicians of the World, in an environment of festival for 600 artists, more than 200000 tourists. In all the corners of the small town, the rates/rhythms of the world burst, the dancers are given in demonstration, the processions are organized, of the farandoles are improvised. The finished spectacle, it is the long one taken care of the late bedders, sauntering by small groups with the terraces of the coffees. Music, Dance, User-friendliness and Fraternity, are the annual program of Confolens.

In addition to the greatest International Folk Ballets, the Pygmies of Central Africa, the Zulus of Africa, the Eskimos of Kamtchaka, great names enamelled of their glory every last year of the festival: Touré Kunda, Kassav, Khaled, Manu Dibango, Tri Yann, Johnny Clegg, Faudel, Bernard Lavilliers, I Muvrini, Jimmy Cliff, Enrico Macias.

Confolens with the passing of years became one of the great artistic appointments of the summer in France and it dominates the world of Arts and Traditions Popular. Meet Peace and of Friendship between the people, the Marie festival, sometimes with audacity, the inheritance and modern technology. More than 250 voluntary take part each year in the organization of the festival, without them the festival could not survive. Confolens fondat the C.I.O.F.F on August 10th, 1970 (International counsel of the Organizations of Festivals of Folklore). Gathering more than 80 countries in the world and only ONG with the service of Traditional Arts to have obtained the statute of Formal Relation of Consultation at UNESCO.

In spite of the disengagement of the state through the DRAC (Ministry for the Culture) which removed any subsidy with the Festival pretexting a nonpriority mission in favor of a folk festival, this festival before very rural continuous.

Confolens " it is a lesson of humility and of humanity, it is a question of going in the middle of the danse" , of the music, to the essence and the meeting of the other, with the foreigner… and it goes!. The city is the turntable of all the festivals of folklore organized in the whole world.

The goal of the Festival of Confolens east to ensure the transition from a culture from violence and discrimination towards a culture from the dialog, tolerance and solidarity. 2007 >>>> 50 years of FESTIVAL , 15 country, 17 units and 5 continents were present: South Africa with “Farming Matsamo Group” Area of Mpumalanga, Bulgaria with the Folk theater " Naiden Kirov" of Russet-red, Colombia and Folk ballet of Antioquia, the National Whole of China, the " unit; Maraguan" from Cuba, the whole of State of Daghestan, Grupo " Tungurahua" of Ambato of Ecuador, Mexico, the " unit; Branko Krsmanovic" from Belgrade, the company of Polynesian Dances " Toa' Reva" , the unit Turkish " Hoy Tur" from Ankara, Sbandieratori di Cori (launchers of flags) Italian, the Pipe - Scottish Band, the " unit; Brigham Young University" of Provo (Utah) of the USA and the " unit; Lo Gerbo Baudo" from Confolens.

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