Alliance Française de Bridgetown is offering an evening of free entertainment to celebrate the Fête de la Musique on June 21, 2011. The concert will feature a band from Martinique called ‘Madniss’, which will perform Zouk and other French Caribbean Rhythms. They will be joined by INDRANi, Tabitha and Fusion 5 (Barbados Community College Band).

The Fête de la Musique was initiated by the then French Minister of Culture in 1982 as free concerts of amateur and professional musicians. In only a few years, with the media’s help, support from territorial municipalities and participation of an ever increasing share of the population, the free concerts became one of the major events in France.

It began to be “exported” in 1985 (the European Year of Music). In fifteen years, the Fête de la Musique would be taken up in over one hundred countries throughout the five continents.

Its purpose is to promote music in two ways:

• Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets. The slogan Faites de la musique (Make music), a homophone of Fête de la Musique, is used to promote this goal.
• Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and that all performers donate their time for free.

The concert organized by Alliance Française de Bridgetown to celebrate Fête de la Musique in Barbados will be held at the Bump’n’Wine Café, Cavans Lane, Bridgetown, starting from 6:00 p.m. on June 21.