A few words from the President of the festival

After 150 years . . . an historic Feufliazhe . . . we rejoin Sardinia !

2010 is the 150^th anniversary of the treaty which annexed Savoy to France, which was signed by Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, King of Piedmont-Sardinia, and Napoleon III, Emperor of France.  The loss of Savoy, the birthplace of his dynasty, and the loss also of the County of Nice, was the price paid by Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy in order to obtain the help of Napoleon III in uniting Italy and creating an alliance against Austria.  The treaty, conducted in secret, was followed by an official plebiscite achieved by somewhat undemocratic strategems which I shan’t go into here.

Numerous events are planned this year in order to mark what the Conseils Généraux (Regional Councils) of Haute Savoie and Savoie have called “150 years of French history in the Savoy region”.  Many of these events are lighthearted while others are more serious, enabling people to learn about this period of history.

Feufliâzhe has chosen to mark this anniversary in an original way, by inviting a very special artist from the region with which we have had links since 1720, interrupted for 23 years between 1792 and 1815, and then restored until the treaty of 1860:  Sardinia.  The warm southern voice of Marina Pittau, accompanied by her two musicians, will take us across the sea to this wonderful island . . . and maybe to wonder whether Sardinia might not actually be the maritime continuation of the Alps . . .
And in the same historical vein, we shall enjoy the presence of representatives from other regions with whom we shared our destiny up to 1860.  The group OccitaNiss brings to Feufliâzhe the sunshine of the County of Nice, Laura Conti brings the verve of Piedmont, and Chemin de Fer the liveliness of the Aosta Valley; the group Les Pieds Croisés (The Crossed Feet) express the depth of our Savoyard roots.

Thus it will be as a family that we shall mark this 150^th anniversary.  We have also invited performers from those regions with whom we have always had warm contact: Vaud, Fribourg, the Dauphiné.

And so, in patois:  S’i fâ biau, veni pi danfi defur avoué nos, s’i plu veni pi shantâ dzo nutres tentes, veni pi écutâ u dyouèyi. Bouna fêta a tu, bouna rioula et bon feufliâzhe 2010 !!!

(And so if it is fine, come and dance in the open air with us; if it rains, come and sing in our marquees, come to listen or to play along.  A happy festival to everyone, lots of fun, and an enjoyable Feufliazhe 2010!!!)

Marc BRON
President of Feufliâzhe