Grand opening of the CFF

Program

6:30–6:35 p.m.: Cello Quartet: Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944): Valse-Ballet
6:35–6:40 p.m.: Prof. Dr. Roswitha Böhm: Welcome Remarks
Opening Remarks

6:40–6:50 p.m.: Vice-Rector Academic Affairs at TU Dresden, Prof. Dr. Hans Georg Krauthäuser

6:50–7:00 p.m.: H.E. the Ambassador of France, Ms. Anne-Marie Descôtes

7:00–7:10 p.m.: H.E. the Ambassador of Burkina Faso, Mr. Simplice Honoré Guibila

7:10–7:20 p.m.: Attaché for Politics, Public Affairs, and Cooperation of the Government of Québec, Dr. Benedikt Miklós

7:20–7:25 p.m.: Cello Quartet: Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924): Sicilienne, Op. 78
7:25–8:10 p.m.: Keynote address by Prof. Dr. Bénédicte Savoy: The Gestures of Appropriation. African Collections in European Museums and Their Consequences
8:10–8:15 p.m.: Cello Quartet: Yann Tiersen (b. 1970): Rue des Cascades
Starting at 8:15 p.m.: Reception (with the kind support of the French Embassy)

Keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Bénédicte Savoy (Berlin/Paris)

Press Release

African Cultural Heritage, European Museums, and Questions of Restitution Policy – French Art Historian Bénédicte Savoy to Speak at the Centrum Frankreich | Frankophonie at TU Dresden

On Thursday, May 16, 2019, the Centrum Frankreich | Frankophonie, recently established at TU Dresden, will be inaugurated with a keynote lecture by the renowned art historian Prof. Dr. Bénédicte Savoy (Technical University of Berlin / Collège de France, Paris). At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, the Leibniz Prize laureate, together with the Senegalese scholar Felwine Sarr, examined last year the possibility of returning cultural artifacts from French museums to African countries. She is internationally recognized as an expert on looted art and the issue of the transfer of cultural artifacts—particularly from former colonies—to museums. In her lecture *The Gestures of Appropriation: African Collections in European Museums and the Consequences,” she will trace the historical connections between European colonialism and the history of museum collections that led to the presence of cultural artifacts of African origin in European museums. This topic serves as an example that brings to light the diverse relationships through which France—and Germany as well—are connected to Francophone regions of Africa, both historically and in the present.

The Center for France | Francophonie promotes academic and cultural exchange between stakeholders at TU Dresden and partners in France and Francophone countries worldwide. It connects existing initiatives and supports new activities in the three core areas of research, teaching, and the “third mission.” The CFF thus sees itself as a hub for German-Francophone academic and cultural exchange, as well as a point of contact for international collaborations. In addition to its founding director, Prof. Dr. Roswitha Böhm (Institute of Romance Studies at TUD), the interdisciplinary Center—which has numerous regional, national, and international cooperation partners—includes fifteen other Chairs and staff members from TUD.

The opening ceremony will take place in the presence of H.E. the Ambassador of France, Ms. Anne-Marie Descôtes, H.E. the Ambassador of Burkina Faso, Mr. Honoré Simplice Guibila, and the Attaché for Politics, Public Affairs, and Cooperation of the Government of Québec, Dr. Benedikt Miklós.

For more information on the CFF and the event:
https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/slk/romanistik/das-institut/einrichtungen/cff
Grand Opening of the Center for France | Francophonie at TUD

Time: Thursday, May 16, 2019, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Location: Banquet Hall of the TUD University Executive Board, Mommsenstr. 11, 01069 Dresden

Information: Angelika Gleisberg: angelika.gleisberg@tu-dresden.de, +49 351 463 32038
Prof. Dr. Roswitha Böhm: roswitha.boehm@tu-dresden.de, +49 351 463 32194.

*****************************************************************************

Photo Gallery: Grand Opening of the Center France | Francophonie (CFF) May 16, 2019