a festival for dialogue and peace in Saint-Maixent

NR Partnership

As every year for the past thirty-seven years, Saint-Maixent-l’École dons its multicoloured and festive costume for the Festival des enfants du monde. From Thursday 11 to Tuesday 16 July 2024, the town will live to the rhythm of the shows organised by the Rife association (International Children’s Folklore Meetings).

“It’s a highly anticipated moment here, which brings people together, brings businesses to life and signals the start of summer.”presents Stéphane Baudry, the mayor, who chaired the structure between 2015 and 2019 before handing over to Carine Bris.

The event features traditional dance and music performances featuring children from all over the world. “Given the current context, the festival is a glimmer of hope that we light to tell ourselves that the other can be considered a partner rather than an adversary. It is all the more powerful because the message is carried by children who spontaneously go towards each other, without the mental barriers that adults create for themselves. It is refreshing.”

The incredible richness of folklore

There are two children’s festivals like this in France (with Cauargi in Espelette). “But we are the only one labeled Cioff, International Council of Folklore Festival Organizations. An NGO linked to UNESCO which gives Rife a guarantee of quality in the reception of groups and the quality of the servicesunderlines Adeline Rocher, communications manager of the festival, a volunteer for fourteen years. When we hear children’s show we think of school fairs or fairs. We are not in this register, our shows are for professional purposes, our audience is adults.

One of the objectives pursued by the festival is the safeguarding of intangible heritage through the defense of popular arts and traditions of dance and music. “In France, folklore has a somewhat old-fashioned image and the historical legacy of the Vichy period has given it a negative imprint.regrets the young woman for whom French folklore is of incredible richness and that it deserves to have its place on the national stages. I dream of seeing a set on that of the Moulin du Roc for example.

Bring people together

The other great ambition of the Rife is to provoke meetings between young people and to promote a culture of peace and dialogue. “We are constantly trying to bring people together. Friendships are created here and last for years.”assures Adeline, who herself has formed unbreakable bonds with the group of Irish people she escorted and guided in 2010. These guides are the volunteers who dedicate themselves all week to the well-being of the groups.

“They are their intermediary with the organization of the festival, they provide the translations.” The delegations are made up of a maximum of 33 people, at least two thirds of whom are children aged between six and fourteen. “This is the minimum number to have quality choreographic shows.”

All these people are hosted at the Haut-Val-de-Sèvre high school and in the homes of locals. This year, the streets of Saint-Maixent will resonate with the accents of Costa Rica, Indonesia, Slovakia, the Spanish Basque Country, Limousin, Auvergne and Poitou.