The fifth edition of the Liberté Métisse festival will begin on Friday 19 December 2014 on the beach in L’Étang-Salé-les-Bains for three days of events to celebrate the island’s pride and gratitude for its melting pot of cultures. As a Vanilla Islands event for Réunion, launched by the Réunion Region and organised in partnership with Réunion Island Tourism and the Vanilla Islands, this cultural event is part of the celebrations held on 20 December, a bank holiday in Réunion.

ARTICLE-Le festival Liberté Métisse, un festival où la fierté Réunionnaise s'exprime dans toute sa diversité

The Liberté Métisse Festival will be held from 19 to 21 December in L’Étang Salé in the west of Réunion. As part of the celebrations for 20 December, a major event which marks the abolition of slavery in Réunion, Liberté Métisse is the perfect opportunity for remembrance and to encourage younger generations to look back on the past. As a festival which brings people together, in true Réunionnais style, it focuses on our society’s fundamental values and pays tribute to all those who fought for their freedom.

This fifth edition is resolutely focused on Réunion’s diverse culture: music, dance, literature, language, gastronomy, history and more. The island of Réunion is incredibly multi-faceted. This mixture of cultures can be explained by the country’s four centuries of history which saw the arrival of people from all over the world (Africa, Asia, Europe, Madagascar). Its cultural and ethnic melting pot make it a unique destination: an island where different traditions and religions exist in harmony and where differences are treasured.

A VANILLA ISLANDS EVENT

As a Vanilla Islands event, Liberté Métisse aims to share the common values of Réunion and the Indian Ocean islands. This event focuses on respect, tolerance, cultural crossover and social integration. The Vanilla Islands of Mayotte, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles and the Comoros will all be present in the Liberté Métisse village: come and meet them.

ASK FOR THE PROGRAMME!

The event will include thirty concerts with some of Réunion’s biggest artists including Ziskakan, Meddy Gerville, Lo Grio, Pix’L, Dominique Barret, Oussanoussava, Benjam, Pat’ Jaunes and more. There’ll also be plenty of other artistic events for all: guided tours, dance demonstrations, culinary tasting sessions, urban art workshops, plays, conferences, stories, moraingy martial arts, exhibitions, children’s events, an artists’ market, screenings of short films on the history of Réunion and more.

For more information : www.libertemetisse.re

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