Hyderabad, November 02: Jean-Manuel Duhaut has big plans for the Alliance Française de Hyderabad. At an event welcoming him at the Kalakriti art gallery, he announced the organisations plans for the coming months.
“It will be Alliance Française de Hyderabad’s thirtieth anniversary on November 15, and we will be celebrating this hallmark for one whole year. In fact, the festivities will begin a few days prior to the anniversary — we are organising a jazz concert, featuring Parisian quarter Yapa, at the Park hotel on November 12”, announched Duhat.
The Alliance Française also plans to expand the reach of it many qualified teachers. According to Duhat, “We plan to begin French for children at several school. Nothing is concrete, but we are in talks with several schools. We are also planning to have French classes at more locations in the city.”
But the most exciting news of the evening was the Alliance Française, Goethe Zentrum and the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’s plans to join forces under one roof at a new premises at Masab Tank.
“Currently there are twelve other locations where the Alliance Française and Goethe Zentrum share a roof, but this will be the first such affiliation in India.” said Duhat, adding, “And we will have the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation there as well — it will be one on the most culturally active locations in the city!” The three organisations have plans to make the move into their new premises in March 2011.
Duhaut arrived from Madrid four weeks ago, where he held the post of General Director of the Alliance Française network in Spain, heading and coordinating the works of 22 Alliances Françaises.
This will not be Duhat’s first time in India — His last post in India was as Director of Alliance Française de Goa from 1994 to 1998.
Previously he was visiting lecturer at Delhi University for two years, and worked at the French Embassy in Delhi for six years.
–Agencies