Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,
I am tremendously honoured to speak to you from this tribune of world folklore. Today we are witnessing a historical moment for worldwide folklore. The General Assembly has decided the coordination of the cultural-folk life for the next four years. Today we have witnessed the consecration of the I.G.F. World Folklore Union. 65 years elapsed from the creation of I.G.F. by the two great Folklore Federations : from France and Italy. Little by little, the number of federations increased. We are now glad to have more than 50 federations all over the world. Not all of them fully deploy activities, it’s true. That is why it is up to us to mobilise them and to make them aware that being part of the large I.G.F. family is a real pride. No one may be kept by force, but once accepted within I.G.F. they ought to comply with our Charter and activities. Each country has its own problems and we experience the financial crisis almost everywhere. Nonetheless I think that we should not go round or hide behind the crisis. What we do by our music and dancing may precisely mean an extraction from the empire of money. Good humour, friendship, hope are elements that each and every federation furthers one way or another. That is why I think that the new management team has got an important part in the years to come. That is the reason why I wish that the positions obtained today should not remain only some names put down on a sheet of paper. It is mandatory for all our colleagues to get involved in I.G.F.’s activity. The Board will have additional tasks, that is to arrange the two business meetings on a yearly basis. As of now we decide that each Board member has to arrange at least one meeting in the country that he or she represents. In order to work as openly and broadly as possible, I’d like to specify that any colleague that is an I.G.F. member may take part in the Board meetings.
In the years to come we will have to pay greater attention to our events. We live in a superior stage of life, therefore the conditions offered to the artists must be at the same level. We must not organise an international meeting for the mere sake of ticking it. Each federation chairman and much more the I.G.F. Board members must check up how the Festivals in his or her country are prepared and take place and if the conditions are not compliant, he or she must inform his or her colleagues thereupon or rectify them. In fact, we will appoint a colleague at each event of ours, who will inform the Board in writing about each and every festival. I very much wish to have at our seat a clear account as to the events of each country. That is why I kindly ask all our colleagues to advise the secretary general and the deputy secretary general on the ample events that they intend to organise in 2016.
Dear colleagues, we will carry on bringing out the I.G.F. Magazine on a yearly basis, so I invite you to send me as many informative deliverables as possible. It is a way to render us better known.
Furthermore, our website, www.igfunion.eu, is active, so is the Facebook page – I.G.F. Folklore Mondiale. I invite you all to refer to them at least every week and to create yourselves a Facebook account, in order to be able to communicate the fastest.
We will continue our event entitled ‘I.G.F. Folk Caravan’, which had a tremendous success, and I am persuaded that it will be appreciated in the future, too. I take this opportunity to ask all our colleagues to make efforts to arrange these shows in central towns or cities, not on mountain peaks, which are very difficult to reach even by couch. In the previous editions we had both excellent towns or cities and also places where we don’t wish to get anymore. That is why I request involvement from the part of all the colleagues, in order to check up our events in due time.
The proposition of the deputy chairman, Nicolas Charléty, to create an International Music and Dancing Academy and an I.G.F. tourism-folklore map seems to me extremely interesting and useful. I therefore ask all our colleagues to get involved in putting into practice these goals.
A crucial task, both for the Board members and for each I.G.F. member, will be the development of European projects. I therefore invite you and ask you to get involved therein. I think that at the moment we are the most powerful folk organisation and the European cultural funds are multiple. I will therefore be expecting a specific measure scheme, directly from the deputy chairmen and from the scientific commission, in order to develop such projects.
Each I.G.F. vice-chairman will draw up a list of the national Federations that will become directly subordinated to them, which will enable him or her to have a clear account of the in-house and external activities that they deploy. At each Board meeting he or she will advise us on the on-site situations.
The secretary general and the deputy secretary general shall keep the record of all the meetings, the minutes being to be drawn up in the three languages : English, French and Italian.
The information shall be sent to the chairman’s counsellors each week or depending on the novelties, in order to be published.
The treasurer and his deputy shall draw up an updated list and shall proceed to checking the bank account once again. Each colleague that will have paid his or her contribution will be issued a justifying receipt. At the Board meetings they will provide us with an updated financial account. Any and all expenses shall only be made with the written consent of the chairman. The treasurer and his deputy shall advise the colleagues, in written form, on any outstanding payments, on a quarterly basis.
The legal and administrative expert counsellor shall supervise the legal deployment of the activity at the administrative seat from San Giovanni Rotondo and shall support the putting into practice of the European funded projects.
The Board members shall monitor the development of the artistic events under I.G.F.’s umbrella and they shall report their findings to the vice-chairmen and to the Board.
The Scientific Commission and the Artistic Commission shall draw up their own annual work schedule endorsed by the chairman and they shall collaborate with all the Board members for putting it into practice. Additionally, on a quarterly basis they shall inform the deputy chairmen on their activity (in written form).
The few aspects that I wished to set out above represent, as a whole, a work schedule for this legislature. As you must have noticed, I want us to get rid of chaotic enterprises and to work scientifically, according to plans, as it seems fit for a world organisation. I am persuaded that if we follow these goals and if everyone does their job where they carry out their activity, we will reach our targets.
Dear colleagues, you can rest assured that you will have the respect and the friendship of the one that you have elected I.G.F.’s chairman today. Our work and efficiency will be judged in time, but I am sure that today we have laid an important brick at the foundation of the beauty of world folk culture, for the hope to have peace, faith and love all over the world.
