Letter to the Editor-More backing for appeal to boost reading culture in our society |01 December 2012

This is and was an issue of great importance to a group of us and on July 21, 2010 the ‘Club Maupassant’ was launched at the Alliance Française in the presence of the then Minister for Culture Bernard Shamlaye, the former Ambassador of France Philippe Delacroix and other high dignitaries and members of the public.

The idea was born after a meeting between Magie Faure-Vidot and Paolo Pezzaglia, Italian friend/poet of the Revue SIPAY (Paolo being a passionate of the Seychelles islands since 1981).
Our first reading took place on July 28, 2010 from 1600 to 1700h and the first book was of Guy de Maupassant ‘Une Vie’  published in 1883.

This was followed by others such as ‘Paille en Queue’ by Antoine Abel in 1969 and ‘Le Voile de Draupadi’ by Adanda Devi in 1993.

‘Club Maupassant’ went as far as visiting and reading with A-Level students at the Anse Royale Polytechnic. Also present there was M. Kanté, professor of A-Level French Literature.  Students from NIE were also invited to one of our lectures at Alliance Française.

The aim of ‘Club Maupassant’ was to have a forum for learning and exchanges to be held two Wednesdays per month from 1600h to 1700h (during school holidays) and 1700h to 1800h (non school holidays).  Once a month, a writer/poet was invited to discuss his/her personal work and among those were Terence Madeleine (poet), Jimmy Savy (poet), Flora Ben David Nourrice (poet).

The committee of ‘Club Maupassant’ comprised Magie Faure-Vidot (Director Révue SIPAY), Claude Colin (committee member of Alliance Franéaise), Laurence Hoarau (chargée de développement culturel à l’Alliance Française), Fatima Madeleine (enseignante retraitée, présidente de L’ASEF, Daouda Traoré (professeur à l’Alliance et l’Ecole Française).

However, it is to be noted that the ‘Club Maupassant’s’ reading activity has quietened since a while in view of shortage of reading material, work schedule of interested people, and tight timing for students.

I therefore feel (in the same line as Mr Adam) that what can be done is to have a programme starting from Primary One onwards, whereby reading becomes an integral part of the curriculum, part of the learning process, and this to include all our three national languages.

Thanking Mr Adam for raising this point and I thank you for publishing my letter.

Magie Faure-Vidot Vijay-Kumar
President of ‘Club Maupassant’
President of Revue SIPAY