[music]

Alison Stewart: This is All of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. Happy Bastille Day to you, mes amis. On this day, in 1789, a mob of angry Parisians took over La Bastille, a military fortress and political prison that symbolised the authority of the king. Now, France marks the occasion with its Fête Nationale, or National Party, on a holiday akin to our 4th of July. While the holiday is usually jubilant in France, this year it's marked by tension as it comes on the heels of some volatile protesting after a police officer killed a 17-year-old French citizen of Algerian and Moroccan descent.

Though the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower will go on, French authorities have banned the sale of fireworks in anticipation. We will have more on that in our next segment with New York Times international correspondent Catherine Porter. Right now, we're going to stay a little closer to home and look at some of the ways that you can celebrate Bastille Day right here in New York and in our broader listening area. Listeners, do you have a Bastille Day tradition or any Bastille Day memories? Are you planning to go to any Bastille Day events in our area? We want to hear about it. Our phone lines are open to you. 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. You can give us a call and chat with us on air.

You can also text to us at that number, 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC, or you can DM us on our socials @AllOfItWNYC. In addition to what we hear from you on the phones, we have two organizers behind one of the biggest Bastille Day celebrations going on in the city on Sunday on Madison Avenue. It's hosted by the French Institute Alliance Française and whose president Tatyana Franck joins us now. Hi, Tatyana.

Tatyana Franck: Hi everyone.

Alison Stewart: Catherine Baumann, FIAF's Director of Development. She oversees the Bastille Day celebration. Thank you for making time on what is a very busy day for you, I am sure, Catherine.

Catherine Baumann: Very glad to be here. Hi.

Alison Stewart: Tatyana, for folks who might not remember their French history, their European history and the story of the Bastille, why did it become a national symbol of pride?

Tatyana Franck: A week after the 4th of July, it's really time to discover the French way to celebrate core values that were shared between the American Revolution and the French Revolution. The fight for freedom, liberty for all, human rights and power by the people for the people. At the French Institute Alliance Française we're very proud to organize a free event that is open to all and it's really one of the major and the only biggest event that brings the best of French culture to New Yorker, the food, music, the sounds, and we really gather to bring the best of France to you.

Alison Stewart: It is this Sunday from noon to 5:00 on Madison Avenue. Catherine, Tatyana mentioned food. What can people expect to be able to enjoy?

Catherine Baumann: Yes, in addition to the live entertainment on the mainstage, we have a Madison Avenue full of delicacies to be discovered. We have some of New York's best local French bakeries and restaurants where you can taste sweet foods like pastries and macaroons and croissant, savory foods from crêpe to French-style sandwiches. Then you can also discover some fashion and other areas from French and Francophone vendors who line the streets and are eager to meet New Yorkers.

Alison Stewart: You also have some music coming to the festival. We pulled a few clips of some of the artists you've invited, so let me play a few of those. This is Cosmic Gardens Touching the Moon.

[MUSIC- Cosmic Gardens: Touching the Moon]

Alison Stewart: There's an artist who will be performing, Naomi Greene.

[MUSIC - Naomi Greene: Cœur Solaire]

Alison Stewart: Tatyana, when you were thinking about the kind of musical artists you wanted at the event, what did you want? Who did you want to bring? What did you want to represent? What did you want people to get to hear?

Tatyana Franck: Our festival is really accessible for everyone. We really wanted to represent the diversity of francophone culture. Last year, we had invited Haitian musician Paul Beaubrun, and this year we're also very proud to have invited French Moroccan singer and producer Malika Zarra will follow and perform songs in Berber, Moroccan Arabic music and English. The idea is really to represent all the diversity and to have very diverse performers and singers. We also have the Moulin Rouge Broadway festival who will perform from their new adaptation of Baz Luhrmann iconic musical. It's going to be very, very exciting.

Alison Stewart: We have a little bit of Malika Zarra that you just mentioned. Let's take a listen.

[MUSIC - Malika Zarra]

Alison Stewart: My guests are Tatyana Franck and Catherine Baumann. We are talking about Bastille Day, and specifically about the FIAF's special afternoon planned on Sunday from noon to 5:00 on Madison Avenue. Catherine, What if you want to bring the kids?

Catherine Baumann: Absolutely, we encourage it. While parents are enjoying French cheeses and fresh oysters, their kids have a lot of activities that they can do. There's going to be cornhole and a huge tic-tac-toe, a chess game and an arts and crafts studio specially designed for our younger audience. Asphalt Green, a famous New York institution, also is going to be providing families with exciting entertainment. We invite the whole family to join in in a friendly competition of pétanque, which is a famous summer game especially from the south of France.

Alison Stewart: Something not for the kids, wine.

Catherine Baumann: Yes, we have that too. In our building on 60th Street, we have a couple of tastings happening and in particular a Rosé and Bubbly tasting party. There are going to be two times for that. One is 1:00 PM and the other is 3:30 PM. That is a ticketed event. You come and try and discover French Rosé and champagnes. There's going to be live music there too from St Maarten's Jolly Boys, which is a steel drum band, and there'll be food. Again, French food, madeleine, quiche, chocolates to accompany the wines. You really have a chance to discover these exceptional French Rosé and champagnes.

Alison Stewart: We've got a call, Gregory calling from Harlem, who has a spectacular Bastille Day story. Gregory, thank you for calling in, sir.

Gregory: You're very welcome.

Alison Stewart: You're on the air.

Gregory: On my bucket list was to visit Paris for the Bastille Day festivities and I fulfilled that in 1989 for their bicentenaire. That night, at midnight, I got to see Jessye Norman dressed in the French flag singing the French national anthem and it was the greatest thrill I have ever had since then, all these years later.

Alison Stewart: What a wonderful memory. Thank you so much for sharing that. Catherine, there's this film screening as well. How does this fit into the day?

Catherine Baumann: Yes, it's a nice chance to cool off at the end of the day. FIAF is lucky to have a beautiful theater as part of our building. We will be screening at the end of the day a film called The Innocent, which is a new Cesar Award-winning comedic heist film directed by Louis Garrel, who has starred in quite a few American movies as well. Listeners may be familiar with his work. I encourage people to come and join us for that at the end of the day.

Alison Stewart: Tatyana, when you talk about the French community here in New York. It sounds like you're not just talking about expats from France, but also people who speak the French language. Why is it more appropriate to think about the community in terms of making it broad, not just specifically as a nationality?

Tatyana Franck: For us, the objective is really to share our culture with American francophiles, with as many people as interested in the French culture. We're very, very excited to receive and we're expecting to have 30,000 attendees on Sunday. It's really, really a very popular event and we're looking forward to share this culture with as many people as possible.

Alison Stewart: Catherine, is there anything else about the celebration of the event that you'd like people to know?

Catherine Baumann: As Tatyana said, there's really something for everyone. We encourage everyone to come out and join us and discover all that there is to offer. If you would like more information about the program or if you want to purchase tickets for some of the ticketed events, please go to our website, which is bastilleday.fiaf.org.

Alison Stewart: My guests have been Catherine Baumann and Tatyana Franck. Happy Bastille Day.

Tatyana Franck: Happy Bastille Day.

Catherine Baumann: Merci

Tatyana Franck: Merci.

 

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