Llama Tales
Folklorama Named Official CIOFF Festival
Vol. 12, Issue 1 January/February/March 2011
This past November, Folklorama Executive Director Ron Gauthier and Agency Producer Christian Hidalgo-Mazzei visited Papeete, Tahiti to attend the annual International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Art (CIOFF) conference. CIOFF, an international, cultural, nongovernmental organization (NGO) was created in 1970 with an objective to safeguard, Traditional Tahitian performance promote and disseminate traditional culture and folklore. Folklorama has been involved with CIOFF International for the past five years, which has opened the doors to international performing groups coming to our festival, as well as our member performing groups performing abroad.
Gauthier and Hidalgo-Mazzei with Tahitian dancers
At this year’s conference Folklorama was named an official CIOFF festival. “Being recognized as a CIOFF festival gives Folklorama a stronger international identity, which allows us to further pursue our mission of celebrating diversity and promoting cultural understanding,” says Gauthier.
Last year, Gauthier was given a seat on the CIOFF Legal Commission. He remains one of the five members of this commission, which looks at membership, governance structure, voting and fees among other responsibilities.
“Being recognized as a CIOFF festival gives Folklorama a stronger international identity”
Hidalgo-Mazzei is the secretary for the CIOFF Folkloriada working group, an international committee tasked with planning the CIOFF World Folkloriada, a worldwide festival that aims to bring together representatives of intangible cultural heritage through the performing of folk arts like dancing and singing. Folkloriada 2012 will be held in Anseong, Korea. For more information about CIOFF and Folkloriada, please visit www.cioff.org and www.2012folkloriada.com.