Toulouse Lesbo... folle (i.e mad) ! oh sorry !
Lesbopole !
Two series of events livened up Toulouse, the so-called pink town, during Lesbian Spring: the in-town festival for four evenings from April 7th to 10th followed by the women-only symposium on the theme « Laughing as weapon » for three intensive days from April 11th to 13th. Lesbians invested in numbers the auditorium of the Contemporary and Modern Art Museum Les Abattoirs, the Ombres Blanches bookshop, the Utopia cinema, the Center for Choregraphic Development, the Henri Desbals Cultural Center, and the City Hall's "Salle des Illustres" to attend screenings, meetings, choregraphic performances, discussions, and official speeches.
In the "Ombres Blanches" bookstore
At the Capitole (popular name of Toulouse Town Hall) we have been warmly welcomed with the speech of Saliha Minar, in charge of diversity representation, followed by a presentation of the coming events by Jacqueline Julien. Mayor Pierre Cohen answered with a passionate speech which ended in a lyrical flight: « Toulouse Lesbo… folle !… Sorry Lesbopole. ! » A huge roar of laughter made the frescos' bare nymphs shudder, and then in all good humour the council team clincked glasses with all assembled around Bagdam Espace Lesbien.
"Salle des Illustres" at City Hall
The in-town festival offered 5 meetings of great artistic and militant quality, just before the week-end's main dish : 300 lesbians got together in the Saint Agne area, at the new Associations' House kindly put to disposal for Bagdam by the town council (but the wind was not with us and the tent where the cafeteria should be installed could not be erected). Three fully packed days from 8.30 am for Qi Gong addicts until the end of the debates around 7 pm. And then the nights went on in music with the rock band Anatomie Bousculaire's concert and two leisure evenings organised with loving care by Folles Seasons and The Luna Loca.
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Coming from all horizons: Montreal, Barcelona, Bologna, Firenze, London, New York, Madrid, Toulouse, Paris, Berlin, Caen, Sydney, Brussels, Rennes, Limoges, Marseille, Amiens, Geneva... 25 contributors took turns to present and share their reflections from different points of view around the general theme of laughing, humour and the lesbians. Out of all those interventions in so many various fields, politically grounded and clever, full of humour and emotion, finally what comes out is that lesbians, by their actions and visibility, contribute in the making of a less violent society, that they show the path to follow to all women, but also to men who yet believe that their way to govern the world is right... and is the only one.
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By the way, the 20th anniversary of the festival Quand les lesbiennes se font du cinéma was also celebrated by the screening of a documentary by the local video group VidéObstinées, already screened during last Paris festival to respond to another anniversary: Bagdam's 20th year (originally Bagdam Cafée, then Bagdam Espace Lesbien after the historical place's closing). With lots of emotion we saw a documentary film relating the association history before acclaiming the team -- some 30 voluntaries who built and lighted up this Lesbian Spring, an extraordinary success.
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Bagdam Espace Lesbien Team
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« Or laugh together, as a rewritting of the world? » as they affirm in their program. We wish to give them the means for laughing widely, over this event in Toulouse, and for numerous other meetings.
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To conclude this brief record, let the last word be Bagdam's: « The essential that comes out of this new adventure shared in all directions is that lesbian globalization in the column "talented fools" is in a perfect working status. » |
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Contract completed after these « crazy » days in Toulouse... in Lesbopole!