By Roy Lie A Tjam. For the ninth consecutive year, the Residentie Orkest organized the Hofvijverconcert – Festival Classique. The objective of the Festival Classique is to present classical music on a mayor scale in The Hague. The performances were on a floating stage and the program was a mélange of classical music, dance and theatre.   For a photo-album of the Festival Classique, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157654652627558 On Saturday June 20, 2015, the climax of the four day long programme of music and dance took place on the Hofvijver, adjacent to the Binnenhof Parliament complex. Approximately, 2,700 individuals attended the event, with the show broadcasted live on TV channel NPO 3.   The title for the 2015 edition of the Festival Classique was ‘Sparks, the inspiration being that classical music will hopefully spark an interest and touch the hearts of those yet not familiar with it. The festival was a complete musical and theatrical experience with romantic music performed by the Residentie Orkest, conducted by Joshua Weilerstein The concert featured a dance from Igor Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’, the Overture-Fantasy from Tchaikovsky’s ‘ Romeo and Juliet’, and ‘Dances from Galanta’ by Zoltan Kadaly,  all performed by the renowned international dance company Club Guy & Roni. Henceforth, the Residentie Orkest has a new home on the beach of Scheveningen. It is said  to be the best auditorium in the country.     As Mayor Jozias van Aarten of Den Haag observed, Den Haag is bubbling with activities. Hosting Vlaggetjesdag, Festival Classique, the Volvo Ocean Race, Veteranenegad and the World Volleyball tournament, Parkpop. Den Haag is truly a city bustling with life. Coming soon is the  anniversary and celebration of the arrival of Mozart in Den Haag some 200 years ago.        

Photography, courtesy of L’Academie francaise. L’Académie française has welcomed its newest “immortal” member, the Quebecer Dany Laferrière.   By Roy Lie A Tjam. On Thursday 28^th May 2015, the novelist Dany Laferrière was received in a solemn ceremony under the Dome of L’Académie française by Mr. Amin Maalouf, becoming the first Canadian of Haitian origin to be admitted to the prestigious hemicycle of L’Academie française. It was a great personal honour to have attended the session under the Dome of L’Académie française, an exclusive gathering in the presence of many international dignitaries. As one of Caribbean origin, it was indeed momentous to witness a son of the Caribbean with the calibre of Dany Laferrière being inducted into such a prestigious institution.   For a full photo-album on this memorable occasion, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157652673829803     L’Académie Française was established by Cardinal Richelieu in 1635 during the reign of Louis XIII. The mandate of this exclusive institution is to maintain the purity and integrity of the French language. The members of L’Académie française are known as the Immortals, referring to the immortality of the language rather than the individual. Laferrière will occupy chair no. F2 in the 40-seat body. L’Académie française is an institution which holds true to its customs. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Dany Laferrière delivered his oration of acceptance and subsequently paid homage to his predecessor of chair F2, Mr. Hector Bianciotti. In line with tradition, Mr. Amin Maalouf who presided over the ceremony then responded to Dany Laferrière’s acceptance speech.     Sublimely outfitted, Dany sported a magnificent green coat created by Quebec designer Jean-Claude Poitras which required 650 hours of work to complete – including 500hrs dedicated solely to embroidery. At his side hung a sword fashioned in Haiti by sculptor Patrick Vilaire, Dany the man: Dany Laferrière, né Windsor Klébert Laferrière after his father, was born in Port-au-Prince in Haïti 62 years ago. His father was the mayor of Port au-Prince and a staunch opponent of President Duvalier. Laferrière Sr. eventually fled into exile, an act which adversely affected his family. Upon his father’s departure, the then-five year old Dany and his siblings grew up under the care of their grandmother in the southern city of Petit-Goâve. It was his grandmother Da, a well-educated woman, who inculcated in Dany his love of literature and poetry. In L’Odeur du café (1991) he pays a fond tribute to her. Seven of his books have been translated into English, and some also have been translated into Spanish, Korean, and Swedish. He is one of the few writers of his generation to be as well known in English as he is in French.     What more could be said of Dany Laferrière? He is elegant, reserved, approachable and courteous. Always himself and always modest, he is thoughtful, sincere and playful. He will be comfortable among his peers at the Academy where he occupies the second seat, that of the illustrious Montesquieu but also that of the giant, the mulatto from Haiti: Alexandre Dumas (son) grandson of a black slave woman, Dumas.   In 1976, after the assassination of his journalist friend Gasner Raymond, Dany Laferrière did as his father did before him and went into exile. For almost a decade he did odd jobs and worked as a journalist in Montreal, while writing at night to exorcise his pain. In 1985, Dany published his first novel: “How to make love to a Negro without getting tired.” It was an immediate success, translated into eleven languages. To date, Dany has written 23 books, the first of which will be made into a film. Another, “The Enigma of the Return” (2009), received the Prix Médicis. Membership of L’Académie française is considered the highest honour in French literature, as it is the oldest institution to bring French writers together to support and preserve the French language. Dany Laferrière joins the ranks of literary greats such Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Montesquieu, Dumas and Lafontaine. Dany Laferrièe is also the second black person to be admitted to L’Académie française, the first being Senegalese President and writer Mr. Leopold Sédar Senghor. The following French distinctions have been bestowed upon Dany Laferrière: Commandeur de la Légion d’honneur Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres Commandeur de l’ordre de la Pléiade   Various dignitaries attended Dany Laferriere’s induction, including French President François Hollande, Fleur Pellerin, Ministre de la Culture, and Annick Girardin, Secrétaire d’état à la Francophonie & Développement. They were joined by Philippe Couillard, Premier Ministre of Québec, Hélène David, Ministre de la Culture Québec, H.E. Dithny Joan Raton, Ministre de Culture République d’Haïti, and Madame Joëlle Milquet, Ministre de la Culture de la Confédération Francophone de Belgique. Also in attendance were Monsieur Pierre Karl Pélandeau, Chef de l’opposition du Québec, H. E. Ambassador Lawrence Canonn of Canada to France, S.E Madame Vanessa Matignon, Ambassadeur de la République d’Haïti to France, Madame Michaèle Jean, Secrétaire Générale de L’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Françoise David, Michèle Pierre-Louis, Lorraine Mangonès, The Minister of Patrimoine Canadien et des Langues officielles, Shelly Glover. Moreover, many distinguished writers from Haiti, Québec, Guadeloupe, France and Africa were present for the ceremony. Haiti and Canada are rightly proud of Dany, a Canadian citizen born in Haiti in 1953 whose achievements were so aptly celebrated on 28^th May. His induction into French literature’s greatest institution is a reason to rejoice. “I was born in Haïti but born a writer in Québec,” declared Dany Laferrière.    

On the picture ICC Judges in the historic Courtroom 600 of Nuremberg, Germany during a retreat held on 19 – 20 June 2015 ©ICC-CPI.   ICC Judges agree on measures to improve efficiency of criminal process.   The Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have held a private retreat to consider ways of improving the efficiency of the Court’s judicial work.  Following intensive discussions, the Judges agreed on concrete measures aimed at harmonizing working methods and implementing best practices. “I am delighted that we achieved so much progress in discussing questions of common concern in a collegial manner”, said ICC President, Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi. “Expediting proceedings is a top priority for the Court, and the retreat was a great success as it allowed Judges to agree on measures to harmonize practices and improve efficiency.” The retreat was held on Friday 19 June and Saturday 20 June 2015 in the historic Courtroom 600 of Nuremberg, Germany, with the generous support of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and the City of Nuremberg. A large part of the retreat program was based on the extensive work conducted over the last two and a half years in the context of the Lessons Learned Working Group of the ICC Judges, particularly in relation to issues arising from pre-trial and trial proceedings. The Judges also held a working session devoted to the Court’s relationship with external stakeholders with the participation of Mr Adama Dieng, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide and former Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. A summary of the results of the retreat will be provided to States Parties in the near future.