The French Way

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

My dears, can I get an amen? The year 2014 is off to a simply fabulous start, and pumpkin pies, how!

Not sure if you all have noticed, but about half of all the countries which have ambassadors in Jamaica are headed by women. Luvs, it's all about 'girl power'. Remember the saying 'The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world'?

So, for the many voices out there calling on government(s) to do this and that, let us all redirect the focus to where it belongs - on our women. It is the role they play in managing and shaping the lives of our young that will make them productive and engaging young adults, worthy of creating the change needed in attitude and culture to make for a better Jamaica!

And so it is, my dears, that while some travelled far and wide and at great expense to attend functions that promote hate and the abuse and disrespect of our women (sadly, some of our women are too gullible to recognise that some of our music and practices surrounding the dancehall genre are debasing to them), there was a host of other more wholesome events across the length and breadth of this here fabulously fierce island - events which were respectful of a woman, her rights and the right to a wholesome environment in which to grow her family and be a more fulsome and wholesome player in the continuing effort of fashioning a Jamaica in which there are more opportunities for all.

QUIET FORCE

Well, my dears, on the books, she really is not Jamaican, but since her arrival here, French Ambassador to Jamaica Ginette de Matha has been a quiet force, helping in many ways to provide a helping hand through her direct engagement and interaction with the Jamaican people. And perhaps equally interesting is Ambassador de Matha's armament of choice - Things Cultural!

And so it was that her first official do in 2014 was a rather charming 'swelleganza' of a reception and movie at her official residence on Hillcrest Avenue.

Dears, it was an evening of haute culture and nothing but as she treated guests to a reception that boasted nothing but the very best of French wines, petit fours, bon-bons and naturally some bon mots; and then a classic French film - Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. The storyline of this most charming film documents the indomitable travails and eventual triumph of love, hope and perseverance, especially in the face of seemingly implacable odds. But that, my dears, is another story, for another time.

Suffice it to say that, on January 17, a shortlist of critically hand-picked guests were on hand at the official residence for this movie screening, and it made for a most charming outing!

My dears, this was not an outing for those who view their smartphones, iPads and other such devices as a life-support machine! Nope, it was not that kind of a party. It was, however, a fabulous outing punctuated by a spirit of internationalism, as this was easily one of the most multinational dos and naturally multilingual outings Kingston has ever seen.

Guests were drawn not necessarily from the French diaspora and nationals resident here, but also from across Europe, the Caribbean, and the far and near east, and it made for a fabulous sense of the continental!

TAPESTRY OF LANGUAGE

My dears, clearly, French was the first language, but as could be expected of such a gathering, English, Spanish, Danish, German, Swedish and, naturally, Creole, were all part of the tapestry of languages that dominated the cocktail hour, and pumpkins, fabulously so!

It made for quite a smasheroni, as the occasion was hosted to coincide with the international start of the online French Film Festival, so you know we are talking about the Jamaican celebration and commemoration of an international event here.

Truly a fabulous outing, not only are we talking about fab society and an engaging film, we are talking about grand style as the hostess was flawless with her props and witticisms as she officially welcomed guests and introduced the featured film - Umbrellas of Cherbourg - the award-winning 1964 classic that still plays to full houses, with her own umbrella, despite it being a cloudless night!

FUN AND EDUCATIONAL

Dears, it was like that, light-hearted fun and educational at the same time, and thus made for a beautiful evening.

Among those out were Senator Kamina Johnson-Smith; Public Defender Earl Witter; Dennis Lalor; Diane Bean; Spanish Ambassador Celsa Nuño and husband, Alex Crowther; Jorge Constantino Gonzalez, ambassador of Panama; Venezuelan Ambassador Jacqueline Mendoza; Russian Ambassador Vladimir Polenov; Chinese Ambassador Dong Xiaojun; Elizabeth Lee-Martinez, chargé d'affaires, US Embassy; US Embassy official Gary Rex and his stunning wife, Ingrid.

Also out were Alfonso Nery of the Brazilian Embassy; Helene Hagen Larsen, wife of the Argentinian Ambassador; Gwénaëlle Le Gurun of the International Seabed Authority; Dr Arun Kashyap, UNDP rep; Janice Miller, undersecretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Etienne Andre, country manager, Vinci Construction Grands Projets - Jamaica; Michael Faulkner, managing director, Total Jamaica Ltd.

We also spotted the talented Dr Jean Small; Seretse Small; Father Samuel Allogia and Father Roland Dessine from Port Antonio; Pierre and Karlene Lemaire; Sylvia Collister; the lovely Tamara Hill; and Elizabeth McLeod-Taylor and Rusheyne Ferguson from the Jamaican Association of French Teachers; plus a number of others.

But, my dears, what a simply charming mode in which to open the social calendar for the new year!