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The worldwide celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen in 2005 was presented at a press launch at La Maison du Danemark in Paris on Friday 11 march 2005 at 11 am.

At the event, Secretary General of the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation, Lars Seeberg, presented the French contribution to the bicentennial celebrations. The projects include a new French translation of the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen by Professor at Sorbonne Marc Auchet. In addition, the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation has sponsored Jan Fabre's performance L'histoire des Larmes, which will be featured at the Festival d'Avignon and staged at the illustrious Cour d'honneur in the Papal Palace. A large number of projects within theatre, music, education and visual arts will also be featured.

At the press launch, HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark appointed the French Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors, who are all to promote the wider awareness of the bicentennial celebrations in France as well as the rest of the world. The Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors will furthermore represent the HCA-abc Foundation, which is a humanitarian foundation created to address illiteracy worldwide.

V.Bruno, M.Auchet, R.Desforges, C.Gaymard, Prince Henrik, J-M. Jarre, S. Audran, G.Axel, S.Moon, L. Seeberg

The French Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors are: musician Jean Michel Jarre, Andersen scholar Marc Auchet, photographer Sarah Moon, actress Stéphane Audran, filmmaker Gabriel Axel, author Régine Déforges, ambassador Clara Gaymard, lawyer and politician Roland Dumas, architect Dominique Perrault and designer Vanessa Bruno. Furthermore, the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, who lives in France, was also appointed Andersen Ambassador at the press launch.

Actress Stéphane Audran performed a reading of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale at the event.

The press launch was hosted by the Royal Danish Embassy in Paris and the French public relations agency Heymann, Renoult Associées in close collaboration with the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation.

Presentation of the French Andersen projects

BALLET:
Jan Fabre/ "L'histoire des larmes,"/ "History of Tears"
The Belgian choreographer/visual artist/theatre director Jan Fabre will stage the second part of his major dance trilogy devoted to man and the human body. "History of Tears" is about the bodily fluids - our amazing and irrational tears of happiness, our pain, and our sweat as well as the tears of God falling from heaven. Drawing inspiration from the many tears represented in Andersen's world, including "The Little Mermaid", Fabre poses questions such as: "What right do lovers have to weep?" and "When were the tears of human sensitivity transformed into female sentimentality?"
The performance will be staged at the distinguished Cour d'Honneur at the Papal Palace in Avignon co-produced by DeSingle of Antwerp.
www.troubleyn.be

EXHIBITIONS:

Thorvaldsen's Museum / the UNESCO Building in Paris/ Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The exhibition "To Write is an Act of Love: Copenhagen, Paris, Alexandria" is an exhibition on how Hans Christian Andersen learnt to master the art of writing. The exhibition has been created to mark the establishment of the HCA-abc Foundation, which is to address illiteracy worldwide in the name of Hans Christian Andersen. The exhibition focuses on Andersen's diaries and how learnt to master the art of writing and thus become the storyteller of his dreams. The exhibition will open a couple of days before 8 May 2005 at the Thorvaldsen's Museum in Copenhagen and will then feature at the UNESCO Building in Paris in the run-up to the 33rd UNESCO General Conference before being moved to the new World Library, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Alexandria, Egypt.
Curator: Annesofie Becker
Exhibition architects: Damsbo & Ingemann Nielsen
Dialogue: authors Paul Auster, Jens Andersen and Joakim Garff.
www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk

The Odense City Museums
Touring exhibition/ Film production. A new generation of touring exhibitions has been developed to be featured in all the official languages of the 2005 Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary (Danish, Dutch, English, German, Spanish, French, Czech, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese). The Odense City Museums' touring exhibition is based on existing text and image material from the museums featured alongside display boards with information on the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen.
www.odmus.dk

La Maison du Danemark, Paris
A photo exhibition at La Maison du Danemark on Champs-Elyseés by the celebrated photographer Sarah Moon representing free interpretations of Andersen's fairytales "The Little Match Seller" and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier". Both exhibitions feature a catalogue. The exhibition was featured in January and February 2005.

An additional exhibition features original drawings by Danish cartoon artist Peter Madsen created for his version of Andersen's "The Story of a Mother", which was published in French in November 2004. Peter Madsen achieved fame in the 1970s with his humorous cartoon album series on Norse mythology entitled "Valhalla" of which No. 13 will be published in French this year. The exhibition will close 10 April 2005.
www.maisondudanemark.dk

LITERATURE:

Hachette/Le Livre de poche
"Hans Christian Andersen: Contes et histoires". Marc Auchet, the celebrated American scholar at Paris IV-Sorbonne, has for a number of years studied Danish language and literature, not least Hans Christian Andersen. Marc Auchet's new translation of Andersen, to be published in the Pochothèque series, reflects the highest attainable quality of translation and seeks to do justice to Andersen's stylistic and linguistic virtuosity. The book will without doubt reach a wide French-speaking audience. Andersen readings and other events will be staged coinciding with the publication of the book in March 2005.
www.livredepoche.com

CLASSICAL MUSIC:

The Society for the Publication of Danish Music/ The Kronos Quartet
In collaboration with the world-famous Kronos Quartet, conductor Paul Hillier and Danish composer Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen will create an entirely new 45-minute work for string instruments based on Andersen's fairytale "Thousands of Years from Now". The tour will include the USA, Japan, Denmark, England and France.
www.kronosquartet.org / www.samfundet.dk
Jakob Christian Zethner and Kristian Giver
The two Danish musicians, Jakob Christian Zethner and Krisitan Giver, will tour Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia as well as Germany, England and France performing concerts with music by Robert Schumann, Frederick Delius, Edward Grieg, E.W. Korngold and Ludwig Schytte among others. Further information:

THEATRE:

The Odin Theatre
"Andersens drøm" (Andersen's Dream). The artistic director of the Odin Theatre, Eugenio Barba, taps into what Andersen called "the anarchy of the fairytale" when presenting his performances as an "evil and immoral tour guide upsetting their (the audience's, ed.) sense of judgement and security". The touring performance will seek to relate some of Andersen's fairytales to events in his life. Partners: Le Théâtre du Soleil, France, Teatro Atalaya, Spain, Teatre Tascabile de Bergamo, Italy and the Centre for Studies of Jerzy Grotowski, Poland. The French premiere is scheduled for February 2006.
www.odinteatret.dk

Ex Machina / Robert Lepage (Canada)
One of the most celebrated directors of international theatre, Canadian Robert Lepage, is to create a solo performance inspired by Andersen's life (especially his visit to the World Fair in Paris in 1867) as well as his fairytale "The Dryad". The performance deals with the dawn of modernism and the technical inventions of the time, which are juxtaposed throughout the performance with Andersen's poetical realm.
 
What characterises Robert Lepage's work is that his performances centre on an encounter between a historical and a contemporary person. His Andersen performance also features a contemporary person, who visits Paris exactly 100 years after Andersen's visit and travels back in time. Robert Lepage is to play the solo part. The performance premiered in Quebec in February 2005 and will be followed by a world tour, including an appearance in France.
www.exmachina.qc.ca  / www.letrident.com

Volksbühne, Berlin (Germany)/ Festival Le standard idéal
"Meine Schneekönigin" (My Snow Queen). Play by Frank Castorf, who is currently one of Germany's most controversial names within drama, setting new standards for European theatre. His provocative and often very political performances are staged at the Volksbühne in Berlin, which he has headed since 1992. In 2005, Castorf will stage a performance drawing on Andersen's fairytale world, primarily "The Snow Queen", which will emphasise anxiety, eroticism, and death. The play, which lasts an uninterrupted 2 hours and 40 minutes, premiered at Volksbühne on 16 December 2004. It will be staged at MC93 Bobigny in Paris from 11 to 13 February under the title "Ma Reine des neiges" as part of the Festival Le Standard idéal 2005.
www.voksbuehne-berlin.de

ENTERTAINMENT:

Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe (China)
"The Beautiful Legend". Artistic Director Mr An Ning has created an acrobatic show inspired by famous as well as less familiar fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen. Over the span of more than 90 minutes, the world-famous Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe will perform novel renditions of eleven of Andersen's fairytales, including "Little Claus and Big Claus", "The Little Mermaid" and "The Emperor's New Clothes", employing classic acrobatics in innovative ways. The performance will premiere in China and will later tour Europe, including a performance in France.

Disneyland Resort Paris
The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation has forged collaboration with Disneyland Resort Paris on celebrating the Andersen bicentenary. The partnership will feature activities in the Disneyland Resort Paris as well as in Denmark. Disneyland Resort Paris will celebrate the life and work of Andersen at The Kids Carnival from 5 February to 13 March 2005. The carnival at Disneyland Resort Paris will feature characters from The Little Mermaid.

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:

The Centre for Children's Literature /Educational resources at the HCA portal
Children all over the world are familiar with Hans Christian Andersen, and schools use his fairytales worldwide, especially within primary school teaching. His fairytales are read, discussed, interpreted, illustrated and dramatised.
The Danish Centre for Children's Literature has launched a Hans Christian Andersen 2005 web portal, mainly aimed at educationalists at primary school level. The web portal is to feature as the official educational website in relation to the 2005 Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary. The inspirational educational resources offered at the website are targeted at teachers, educationalists, consultants and others planning an educational programme related to Andersen.

The web portal will be updated with new material in an ongoing process and will feature, among other things, a number of inspirational articles and bright ideas based on educational experience and a number of studies conducted on the subject.
The Danish University of Education has in collaboration with the Danish Centre for Children's Literature devised educational resources targeting elementary school teachers worldwide. The aim of the project is to inspire teachers to adopting new methods of teaching in relation to Hans Christian Andersen. The resources include articles on the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen, suggested educational approaches, background material and a virtual exhibition featured in 24 languages. The material was made available in full as of 1 February 2005 and can be downloaded free of charge at the official HCA2005 web portalwww.hca2005.com/ www.cfb.dk

Université Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV (France)
Marc Auchet, professor in Danish at the Sorbonne in Paris and translator of Hans Christian Andersen, has organised an international seminar on Hans Christian Andersen. The aim of the seminar is to stimulate the interest in Hans Christian Andersen in France where there is little tradition for Andersen research. 17 - 18 June 2005
www.paris4.sorbonne.fr

Marc Auchet visited Copenhagen University on 2 March 2005 where held a lecture on the challenges involved in translating Hans Christian Andersen into French.

FILM/TV:

Telescreen (Holland)
26 half-hour children's programmes entitled "Der var engang" (Once Upon a Time) will be screened by Danish national broadcaster DR1 during 2005. The series will be released on VHS and DVD: "Hans Christian Andersen - The Fairytaler". Each programme is based on one of Andersen's fairytales. An extensive merchandise programme has been developed for the series, which as of 1 December 2004 has been sold to broadcasters in the following countries: The Benelux countries, the Nordic countries, Germany, France, Austria, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Korea, Portugal, Greece and Italy.
www.telescreen.nl / www.fairytaler.com

French projects featured in Denmark

Groupe F (France)
Groupe F features some of the world's leading pyrotechnics. Their portfolio includes the opening of the Athens Olympics in 2004, the Millennium Bridge in London (2000), the Deutsche Statsoper in Berlin (2002), the inauguration of the Singapore Culture Centre (2002), the Millennium celebration in Paris (New Year 1999-2000), the closing festivities of Expo98, and the opening of the Gaudi Year in Barcelona (2002).  On Friday 1 April 2005, Groupe F will give the Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary a flying start with a firework display across the Odense Harbour. The show will draw on Andersen's many fairytales, illuminating the evening sky with his familiar characters.
www.groupef.com

NatFilm Festival (Denmark)
The NatFilm Festival in Copenhagen will feature "Le Rossignol" by French filmmaker Christian Chaudet. The film is an ambitious and innovative rendition of Igor Stravinsky's opera "The Nightingale". State-of-the-art digital technology will be employed.

French Andersen projects outside the official bicentennial programme

THEATRE:
Clair Obscur (rendition of "The Shadow"), marionettes
Contact person: Hélène Phillipe
4, rue du Bourg-Tibourg - 75004 Paris
Tel. +33 01 48 87 56 47 -

Jazzy Joe et le petit gentil pois, musical fairytale
Contact person: Gaby Théâtre II
3, Villa Dury Vasselon - 75020 Paris
Tel. +33 01 47 00 65 42

Lecture musicale et spectacle conte
Contact person: Margrethe Højlund
76, rue Neyret - 01600 Parcieux
Tel. +33 04 37 92 90 71 -

Si Andersen m'était conté
Contact person: Compagnie Luni
20, rue Rochebrune, 75011 Paris
Tel. +33 01 43 38 61 39

Dégage, petit, rendition of The Ugly Duckling
Contact person: Compagnie Gare Centrale
25, Chaussée de la Grande Espinette - B-1640 Rhode Saint Genèse
Tel. +32 2 358 47 17 -

La petite fille aux allumettes
Contact person: Compagnie Tendanse
La scène Watteau - 1, place du théâtre - 94130 Nogent-sur-Marne
Tel. +33 01 48 72 94 94 -

La Reine des neiges et Poucette
Contact person: none at this moment
148, rue de Charenton - 75012 Paris
Tel. +33 01 43 43 55 58 -

Les tiroirs d'Andersen
Contact person: Abricadabra Théâtre
94bis, quai de la Loire - 75019 Paris
Tel. +33 01 40 03 03 84 - http://abricadabra.nerim.net

L'Ombre 
Contact person: Thierry Collet, Fanny Mentré
Arc-en-ciel, Théâtre de Rungis - 1, place du Général de Gaulle - 94151 Rungis
Tel. +33 01 45 60 79 00
The H.C. Andersen Project - Tales and Costumes
As part of Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis
13 May - 5 June 2005
96 bis, rue Sadi-Carnot - 93177 Bagnolet Cedex 01
Tel. +33 01 55 82 08 08

PUBLICATIONS:

Circuss and L'Effraie by Sarah Moon. Sold at Galerie Camera Obscura, Paris
L'histoire d'une mère, by Hans Christian Andersen illustrated and narrated by Peter Madsen, Delcourt Publishing House.

Voyage à pied and Peer-la-Chance, translated by Michel Forget and Marc Auchet, introduction and notes by Michel Forget, Les Belles Lettres, Paris. Les Classiques du Nord

Contes d'Andersen, Hans Christian Andersens collected fairytales, illustrated, 3 volumes, Gründ Publishing House.

Livre d'images sans images, 33 fairytales, selected by E. Berg Gravensten, Esprit Ouvert Publishing House

Les plus beaux contes d'Andersen, Omnibus Publishing House

« Voyage en bleu », Stig Dalager, Actes Sud Publishing House. Published in November 2005

EXHIBITIONS

Sarah Moon - à propos d'Andersen
Photo exhibitions: "Circuss", rendition of "The Little Match Seller" and "L'Effraie", rendition of The Steadfast Tin Solderi. Short film/ Book. 
Contact person: Isabelle Dupuy Chavanat -

Affiches, paintings by Anja Kornerup-Bang inspired by Andersen
Contact person: Anja Kornerup-Bang - Tel. 01 43 55 69 75

Contes d'Andersen, paintings by Solange Guégeais
Contact person: Solange Guégeais - Tel. +33 01 42 53 51 08
EDUCATION:

TDC (Textes et Documents pour la Classe), educationist's magazine published twice monthly by SCÉREN-CNDP (publisher of educational resources) will feature an Andersen edition on 1 September 2005.

Every second week, the TDC (Textes et documents pour la classe) magazine is published as a feature magazine on a range of subjects (art, literature, history, geography, social studies, natural science, etc). Each issue features 25 pages with articles by experts within their field in conjunction with articles on the latest research. TDC also offers a 19-page version aimed at elementary and upper-secondary teachers. 56-pages, four-colour print, issued twice annually, 20 editions annually.

Summaries:
- Le Point. Andersen: l'homme, l'oeuvre, le contexte. By Marc Auchet.

- Décryptage. Images d'Andersen. Commentaire d'un choix de portraits et de caricatures. By Michel Forget.

- Andersen et son public. By Michel Forget.

- L'écriture d'Andersen. By Marc Auchet.

- Andersen témoin de son temps. By Torben Weinreich.

- Interview. Enseigner Andersen. Conversation with Claude Le Manchec and the literary team at INRP in Lyon.

- Educational resources for elementary and upper-secondary schools.

- Sources: biography and website.

OTHER PROJECTS:

May 2005, Médiathèque de Sélestat, an animation festival month in celebration of the Andersen bicentenary

Further information:
Philippe LUTZ
Directro for media text at Sélestat
Tel. +33 03 88 58 03 20

www.mediatheque-selestat.net

Hans Christian Andersen exhibition
Courtesy of the Odense City Museums in the hometown of Andersen
From Tuesday 17 May - 18 June 2005.
Free admission.
Guided group tours for schools on demand (Tel. +33 03 88 58 03 20).

La vie et l'oeuvre d'Andersen: public lecture by Marc Auchet, translator of the new edition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales.
Tuesday 17 May 2005 at 7 pm.
Free admission.

Clair obscur
Shadow play. A person playing the part of Andersen creates a paper cut of a small figure by candlelight. He then presents himself to the audience as a storyteller. He selects a story that he is especially fond of: "The Shadow".
Clair Obscur features several of Andersen's texts related to the doppelganger theme and the relationship between life/death and prose/poetry.
A beautiful shadow play and puppet show by "Par les villages".
For adults and children aged 10 upwards.

Wednesday 18 May 2005 at 3 pm.
4, rue du Bourg-Tibourg - 75004 Paris
Tel. +33 01 48 87 56 47 -

Evening fairytale reading of Andersen's "The Old Oak Tree's Last Dream" in the forest
Saturday 21 May 2005 at 10 pm. L'ARBRE ENCHANTÉ

An evening stroll in the mountainous Haut-Koenigsbourg where we will listen to the nocturnal forest sounds on an evening of almost full Moon. We will experience the animals of the night and during the intermission will watch the Moon and the stars. The reading will be conducted under a two-hundred-year-old oak tree to the accompaniment of the harp. The Mediateque and Maison de la Nature du Ried et de l'Alsace centrale will host the enchanted event where the night spirits of the forest will entertain our imagination.

Nature walk and Andersen reading at full Moon.
Featuring Jean LORRAIN, actor assigned to Maison de la Nature, who will perform a reading of "The Old Oak Tree's Last Dream" by Hans Christian Andersen to the accompaniment of music by harpist Carole DANIEL.
Saturday 21 May 2005 at 10 pm.
Departure at 10:30, return at 01:00 am.
Limited admission.
Free booking at the Mediateque (+33 03 88 58 03 20) or at Maison de la Nature (+33 03 88 85 11 30). Participants will be given directions.

Marathon reading of Andersen's fairytales.
The youth department librarians will perform readings of Andersen's most famous fairytales every half hour. A comprehensive programme will be publicised in early May by the Mediateque and at their website.
Wednesday 1 June from 10:30 - noon, and from 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm,
Readings performed every half hour.
Free admission.

Facts about the French Ambassadors

Jean Michel Jarre
Born 1948, musician. Jean Michel Jarre studied classical music at the Conservatoire de musique de Paris. However, he then changed direction and embraced rock and jazz. In the late 1960s, he turned towards more experimental acoustic/ electro music. Jean Michel Jarre has performed at several charitable concerts. In 2002, Jean-Michel Jarre performed in Aalborg with the Danish band Safro Duo, and on 2 April he will perform in Denmark again where is to feature at the grand opening show at the national soccer stadium marking the beginning of the Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary. The show will be televised worldwide where millions of viewers will experience Jean Michel Jarre's musical show.

Marc Auchet
Born 1945, professor. Marc Auchet has been professor of Scandinavian studies at Sorbonne since 2001. He has lectured in German and the Nordic languages for a number of years at the university in Nancy. Marc Auchet has re-translated Andersen's fairytales, which is an undertaking sponsored by the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation. Marc Auchet's interest in the Nordic countries was kindled in the 1960s during a travel to Norway. Since then his interest in Denmark and Hans Christian Andersen has merited a book on the storyteller. In 1990, he wrote his Ph.D. thesis on the subject of the Danish author Kaj Munk. Marc Auchet has organised a seminar on Andersen in relation to the Andersen bicentenary, which will take place in June 2005 at Sorbonne.

Sarah Moon
Born 1941, photographer. Sarah Moon has recently featured a photo exhibition entitled "À propos d'Andersen" at La Maison du Danemark in Paris from January - February 2005. The exhibition was inspired by two of Andersen's fairytales: "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" and "The Little Match Seller". Sarah Moon has formerly worked for l'Express and Cacharel, among others, and in 1979 she was awarded the prestigious Lion d'Or at Cannes for her Cacharel commercial. Sarah Moon has published several books, including "Coïncidences" in 2001 and "l'Effraie" in 2005. Sarah Moon has received a large number of awards, including the photographer's award Grand Prix de Photographie in 1995.

Stéphane Audran
Born 1932, actress. Stéphane Audran first appeared on the silver screen in 1957 in the movie "Le Jeu de la nuit" by Daniel Costelle and then in 1959 in the Claude Chabrol movie "Les Cousins". She worked extensively with Chabrol, whom she married in 1964. Stéphane Audran has stared in a great many films where she has featured as the fascinating and enchanting female lead role. She later developed her character following her break-up with Claude Chabrol in 1980. This change of screen character is apparent in the film "Barbette's Feast". In 1979, Stéphane Audran was awarded a César for the best female supporting role in the film ?Violette Nozière". 

Gabriel Axel
Born in 1918 in Aarhus, filmmaker and actor. Gabriel Axel spent the first 18 years of his life in Paris where his father owned a factory. As a bilingual actor, was often casted in roles related to his French background. He returned to Denmark in 1936 where he was trained at the Royal Danish Theatre. He returned to France in 1945 where he toured Parisian theatres. He returned to Denmark yet again in the 1950s where he performed in "Vi som går køkkenvejen". He directed his first film in 1950 entitled "Altid ballade". As an actor he is best known for his performance in "Jeg - en markis" from 1967 and as a director for "Babette's Feast", which earned him an Academy Award in 1987.

Régine Deforges
Born 1935, author and publisher. Régine Deforges was the first female publisher in France. After having managed several bookstores she opened her own publishing house in 1968, called L'Or du temps. She has been a staunch advocate of free speech throughout her publishing career. Régine Deforges in an author in her own right and her extensive work includes the romantic epic "La Bicyclette bleue", which earned her the Prix des Maisons de la Presse award in 1983. Régine Deforges established her third publishing house, Editions Régine-Deforges, in 1986, and in 1989 she was elected chairperson of the Société des Gens de Lettres for the duration of three years. In 2001, she published the eighth volume of "La Bicyclette bleue: Alger, ville blanche", which has been translated into 23 languages and has sold more than 10 million copies.

Dominique Perrault
Born 1953, architect. Dominique Perrault was trained at the Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris where he graduated in 1978. He has since specialised in urban architecture at Ecole supérieure des Ponts et Chaussées de Paris. Dominique Perrault has designed several grand projects in France and abroad. He has won several design competitions, including a competition in 1989 where he was awarded the tenure to build the new French National Library in Paris, which was inaugurated in 1995 by the late president of the French Republic, François Mitterrand. This design earned Dominique Perrault the Mies van der Rohe Award in 1997. Dominique Perrault is an internationally acclaimed architect and is currently working on designs in Germany, Austria, South Korea, Spain, Russia, Italy and Luxembourg.

Clara Gaymard
Born 1960, ambassador. Clara Gaymard has Danish roots. She graduated in law and history from France's prestigious university for public administration, ENA, and the Institute for Political Studies, IEP. In February 2003, Clara Gaymard was appointed special representative for France within international investments in addition to being appointed President of the Invest in France Agency. She has formerly held several prominent positions within the French Ministry of Finance. From 1991 - 93 she was assigned to the French commercial representation in Cairo.
 
Vanessa Bruno
Born 1967, designer. Vanessa Bruno is half Danish, half Italian. She started her career as a model but soon focused on fashion design. Vanessa Bruno has an innovative and experimental approach to design as well as fashion shows and draws on inspiration from other art forms, such as film, sketching and photography. Vanessa Bruno's design is available the world over. She opened her first store in Japan and has since opened several stores in Paris and is represented in the famous Parisian department stores Bon Marché and Printemps. In 2004, she launched her own lingerie brand and other new design projects are underway.

Roland Dumas
Born 1922, lawyer and politician. Roland Dumas has studied at universities such as the Ecole de Sciences Politiques and the London School of Economics. He has held a number of public offices and was Minister of European Affairs from 1983-84, spokesman for the French government in 1984, Minister of Foreign Relations from 1984-86, and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1988-93. Roland Dumas has published several books and has nurtured a great interest in Danish culture since his youth.

Paulo Coelho
Born 1947 in Brazil, author. Paulo Coelho's is a writer of international bestsellers such as "The Alchemist", which is considered one of his most influential works and is often compared to "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Paulo Coelho has founded a humanitarian foundation in support of the underprivileged in Brazil. The foundation works in close partnership with UNESCO.

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