If Paris had a 21st arrondissement, you might find it right here in the UK, in a small pocket of West London where passers-by chat away in French and a closer look reveals a cave à fromage, a librairie, and a choux shop all within touching distance of each other. South Kensington is probably the closest you can get to authentic brioche this side of the Channel, and on a quiet side road across from the Natural History Museum, an unmistakeable red-brick building flies the tricolore: this is the home of the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, an art-deco haven with its beautiful Ciné Lumière, Médiatheque, Salons and sweeping staircase, where a friendly cardboard cutout of Agnès Varda stands watch. Here, hundreds of cultural events take place every month, from film screenings to ‘music rendezvous’, craft workshops to reading groups and classical concerts, and, for one evening only in January, the Night of Ideas.
The Night of Ideas was launched by the Institut français in 2016 with the aim of promoting free cross-Channel conversation between members of the public and cultural, political and scientific figures. This year in London, it played host to over 100 guest speakers across an evening of talks, debates, art and music celebrating the strength in diversity and humanity, on topics ranging from plastic pollution to multiculturalism, biodiversity to Brexit. Reporting to the director of the Institute, my job as coordinator was to run the event from start to finish, from putting together the programme and arranging travel and accommodation for guests to taking minutes, writing and translating copy, technical installations and even tweeting at times—all in French. (In those first days at the Institute I approached all of these tasks with my own brand of franglais, lacking the proper terminology and often, time, to pen the perfect phrase. I am now happy to report a significant improvement in both my professional and conversational registers, and perhaps even some more regional slang.)
I must admit that, after months of hard work, the Night itself did pass by in a blur, with me spending most of it trying not to appear openly starstruck. On stage, leading experts, thinkers and young activists and audience members debated the possibilities of a zero-carbon future, the importance of addressing structural prejudice, and the real-world power of the ordinary citizen, while in the foyer, the same leading experts, thinkers, young activists and audience members chatted Blue Peter and the weather, inviting each other out to their respective countries for tea, or to collaborate on exciting projects. This is where I really understood the significance of these events, of bringing together as many people as possible to talk and raise awareness about issues that can seem so abstract and distant—but I am also under no illusions about how privileged we are to host or attend such an event.
The lasting memories I have of the Institute are of getting to work with a diverse group of passionate, creative people in a political environment at such a critical time for international relations. A great thing about the Night of Ideas is that it is one of the few events in which all departments of the French Cultural and Scientific Embassies are involved, which meant I was lucky enough to understand the project, as well as London and France, from the perspective of a whole team of professional ex-pats. It would be an understatement to call this a rewarding experience: rarely does one get the opportunity to bear witness to the direct influence of global foreign policy on local culture and get free weekly cinema tickets!
Having not used French in a professional environment since my year abroad in 2015, this was certainly one of the more intimidating first days on the job, with the fear of misunderstanding or not understanding quickly enough a constant weight on my mind. But I needn’t have worried so much. From my first day at the Institut to my leaving drinks at the local pub, I had the wonderful experience of working within an enriching cultural setting alongside the most welcoming, hard-working and interesting group of French people this side of the Channel, an experience for which, in addition to my languages degree of course, I am very thankful.