The Wake

With the current economic slowdown, and the exchange rate at about 1.5 dollars per euro, the closest most University of Minnesota students will come to something French this fall can be found
on the dollar menu alongside le rodeo cheeseburger.

Paris remains the greatest recipient of tourism worldwide; however, an increasing number of students are opting out of the classic study abroad in Europe experience in favor of countries with a lower exchange rate, the National Student Exchange program, or just remaining at home. Paris, the city of love and light, is looking a little less lovely under the shadow of student loans and debt.

Don’t worry, all of you Sabrinas stuck in Minnesota—the dream of a sophisticated French immersion experience is not lost. For $1.50 I satisfied my craving for culture by taking the ever-elegant 6U to First Street North and Hennepin Avenue, home of the Twin Cities’ French cultural center, the Alliance Française.

Although the building is just a small physical representation of a vast and colorful culture, Executive Director Christina Selander Bouzouina believes the center it contains offers something indispensable to Minnesota: a look into the country that formed this state. She points out what is written on the Minnesota state flag, “L’etoile du Nord,” which means “star of the north.” French culture, she says, is “something that is undeniable in our community, so it would be a tremendous loss if we didn’t have a cultural center to deal with those origins.”

Founded by French fur traders, Minnesota’s historical background is steeped in French culture, evident in names such as Hennepin County, Mille Lacs, Duluth and St. Croix. These names are a part of the Minnesotan heritage as much as hot dishes and hockey, yet their origin is often taken for granted. The Alliance seeks to educate the 150-year-old state of Minnesota on an old-world history (France was settled in 600 B.C.) that is irrevocably linked to our own.

The first organization in Minnesota to focus on French studies was founded in 1917 by a University of Minnesota professor, Jacques Fermand. It started as a weekly conversation circle, taking place in coffee shops and homes around the U of M. During meetings students studied the culture and chatted with native speakers of French.

Under the direction of Professor Fermand, the conversation circle evolved into one of the 1,100 chapters of the Alliance Française, which span 135 countries. By the 1950s, the organization expanded to 100 members, and in 1975 the chapter became a non-profit organization of Minnesota. Today, the Alliance Française de Minneapolis/St. Paul boasts over 3,000 current and former members.

The rapidly growing center now consists of far more than a weekly language circle. It has made its niche in the Twin Cities through language training courses, programs, and social events hosting politicians, authors, and academics from the United States and France. Language courses range from a
basic French for Travelers course to the five-week Study of Mediterranean Cultures.

Through formal events featuring French politicians, journalists, and other high-profile guests, the Alliance cultivates an international dialogue on current issues. During the Republican National Convention, the Alliance held a welcome cocktail event for French journalists in an effort to introduce them to Minnesotans, so they could connect and hear what Minnesotans think about the election and the convention.

This past April, the Alliance, in association with academic centers at the U of M, offered two events with the former French Minister of Equal Opportunity and well-known author, Dr. Azouz Begag. And on October 11, they are hosting a luncheon at the University of St. Thomas with the former French Ambassador to the United States, Jacques Andréani, who will speak on how current economic struggles will affect globalization and trade.

Through these events members of the Alliance Française de Minneapolis/ St. Paul hope to create global ties, receive recognition in the academic community, and designate the Twin Cities as a prominent location for cultural relations.

Ambassadors and authors—sure, that’s important stuff, but after a full week of University classes, more academic programs and extra language courses are not most student’s ideal choice for Friday night. The Alliance’s informal programs draw a broader audience and introduce a younger crowd to French culture.

The Friday night Ciné Club offers biweekly French film screenings that are free and open to the public. And the upcoming Dîner Cajun, at $5 for a four-course dinner, should be a serious draw for those on the third night of a mac’n’cheese binge. A unique event on November 1 featuring the poems of Jacques Prévert translated into musical numbers and the wine tasting event at Jetset Bar on November 20 promise entertaining and slightly more refined alternatives to an evening on frat row.

The Alliance hopes to further assimilate French culture into the Twin Cities through the creation of a French Quarter surrounding its location on the edge of the warehouse district. Home of the historic Orpheum and Pantages theaters, five art galleries, and numerous bars and restaurants, the warehouse district is already a hub of cultural activity.

“It has come a long way already. Ten years ago, when we purchased the building, it was kind of a ghost town. And now it’s coming alive,” says Selander Bouzouina, who hopes that a French quarter will further animate the area. “So it doesn’t feel like you’re the only one walking down the street, so it’s a destination.”

However, plans for a French Quarter received a serious setback when the next-door Theatre de la Jeune Lune closed on July 31. The Jeune Lune and the Alliance collaborated on various events, including a Bastille Day celebration that included live music, games of Pétanque, French cuisine, an outdoor market and a display of classic French automobiles.

The loss of the Jeune Lune, although crippling, did not devastate the Alliance’s hope for a French Quarter. The idea was sustained by the addition of a new neighbor with a French name, Janine’s Coffeehouse, and the adjoining male accessory store that, according to the man working the counter, purveys items of a French style. Nearby French-themed businesses such as the Hotel Sofitel and Monte Carlo restaurant still host various events with the center, including an annual Christmas celebration featuring a Yule Log cake, or Bûche de Noël, created specially for the Alliance by the Hotel Sofitel. Now Selander Bouzouina just hopes that the Jeune Lune will be converted to something very similar, and that a French bakery or restaurant will move into the area.

When I asked residents of the neighborhood their opinions on opening a French Quarter in the area, relatively few knew that was the Alliance’s intention. The baristas at Janine’s Coffeehouse, a few feet from the center, told me they hadn’t even thought about it, but it would be a nice idea. The manager at Origami Restaurant said he felt strongly that he could care less. The general response ranged from
indifferent to positive; no one disapproved of the idea.

The initiative could prove very popular, but first it needs to be recognized on a larger scale. An increased public relations effort is necessary to boost the struggling idea. Perhaps one day the First Street North and Hennepin area will be considered the northern equivalent of New Orleans’ French Quarter.

As I left the Alliance Française, many others were entering; we squeezed past each other on the narrow staircase and I was greeted warmly with smiles and “bonjours.” A bell rang as I stepped into the sun, and I could smell the coffee brewing next door. I was converted—I kept picturing a French bakery in place of the dusty parking lot across the street. A Minneapolis French Quarter… where else could you wear your raspberry beret and sing it too?