8-10 April 2022

TABOO

WELCOME

Bienvenue / Fáilte

Taboo: Commonly accepted as « a cultural and/or religious prohibition affecting behaviour, language, morals […] adhered to by a community »
Dictionary Trésor de la Langue Française.

Dear Public, Dear Friends,

These last two years have taken a major toll on Culture and on all the artists that contribute to it. Thanks to your enthusiastic support, the Franco-Irish literary festival overcame this crisis with a remarkable digital edition in 2021. And now we are delighted at long last to be able to welcome you back again in person to Dublin Castle this April

What are the links between taboos and writing? Over the course of these short few festival days, we are going to discuss a wide range of taboos which are expressed, endured and described, page after page in Francophone and Irish writing. Despite a progressive liberation in certain societies, taboos remain pervasive in our daily lives.
Our festival guests will give us their opinions, and tell us about their own experiences and feelings in relation to the subject. This year’s discussions will touch upon family, racial discrimination, health, sexuality, gender, as well as themes such as collective identity, culture and values. The role of literature, history, language and words will be at the heart of all these conversations. How do we determine what is ‘taboo’, and what is not? What can we say, what should be silenced? Must everything be said at any cost? Nineteen writers and historians from diverse languages and cultures will share with you their experiences and invite you to explore these ideas with them.

Ever since the establishment of our festival, the Alliance Française and the French Embassy in Ireland have joined forces in order to achieve the same goal: to develop and reinforce contemporary Irish and French literature, and to create an exciting showcase for all the writers who take part in this special gathering. The festival also aims to build connections between the key elements of the literary world: authors, publishers and translators.

This festival owes its success and longevity to our precious partners and sponsors who have trusted us repeatedly, and we wish to thank them for their great generosity. We very sincerely thank The Arts Council, Foras na Gaeilge, Literature Ireland, Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Trinity College, University College Dublin, University of Limerick and several Irish and French companies, in particular the French laboratories Servier Monde for their faithful support over the years, ever since the festival’s establishment. A special word of thanks to Dublin Castle which has been the festival’s home for over a decade now. We are also very grateful to the media, who never fail to cover this wonderful event and have helped it to become a cultural landmark in Dublin, Unesco City of Literature, ensuring its reach both at home and beyond these shores.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the writers and the moderators for joining us here. You are the cornerstone of this festival. We are certain that you will make this event an exceptional one again this year, as you always do!

Finally, to all the book lovers attending this event, we are incredibly grateful for your loyalty and constant enthusiasm, which has made this festival possible for twenty-two years.

We look forward to seeing you all on the 8th, 9th and 10th of April, and to sharing these literary encounters and unmissable moments in the vibrant Dublin cultural scene.

Mariam Diallo, Cultural Counsellor, French Embassy in Ireland
Fabienne Clérot, Director, Alliance Française Dublin