Bienvenue en France: Karachi Accueil keeps the French tradition alive

Third French Bazaar to take place on Saturday.

KARACHI: To experience the French culture, one no longer needs to travel overseas — the Karachi Accueil (French Speaking Women’s Association) is holding a French Bazaar at the Alliance Francaise de Karachi on January 25 for all those who want to get lost in the world of ‘amour, la passion et l’altruisme [love, passion and altruism]’.

Karachi Accueil, which means “Welcome Karachi”, was established in 1981 by a group of women who had one thing in common — they could all speak French.

Seemi Khan, the president of the organisation, told The Express Tribune that the concept behind Karachi Accueil was to keep the beautiful French language and culture alive. The organisation came into being at a time when there were quite a few expatriates and people from different nationalities who could speak French fluently, including Swiss and South Americans, in the city.

Even though the number of French-speaking women has decreased over time, the members of this organisation try to make sure that the French language keeps on blossoming. Currently, it has 30 to 35 active members.

French Bazaars

The Karachi Accueil decided to hold a French Bazaar for the first time in 2012. “The idea behind it was to serve as a platform for small entrepreneurs to display their products and promote their goods. In addition, families and ‘les amants du français [lovers of French]’ can experience the joy of appreciating the French food and atmosphere,” she said. Such markets, she explained, are held in France and other parts of Europe, and Karachi Accueil brings them to Pakistan in the form of French Bazaars.

The bazaar turned out to be a huge success in terms of the turnout and visitors loved the food and culture, making it into an annual tradition.

The third bazaar is set to take place on January 25, in the form of a surreal and peaceful garden party with stalls from different organisations and entrepreneurs to showcase their products. The event, which has an entry ticket of Rs300, will last for four hours, from 4pm to 8pm.

The proceeds of the bazaar will go to charity, according to the organisers. In the past, it has helped a number of educational institutes, including mobile school, Behbud Association, school of Gharo, The Deaf Reach School, and The Garage School.

“The backbone of these bazaars is the help and encouragement of Alliance Francaise de Karachi that has always given generous support to all our projects,” Khan told The Express Tribune, expressing her gratitude to the autonomous non-profit institution that promotes French and Franchophone culture.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2014.