The Alliance Française is one of Cape Town's best open secrets. Their excellent, well-priced cultural events are a boon to those in the know.
The handsome three-storey building in Loop Street has been the home of the Alliance Française for 50 years now but has really leaped into the vanguard of city culture over the last year, since a new director, Ludmila Omundfenn, and her team have taken over.
"The whole team arrived last year," says Anne-Marie Bel, the cultural co-ordinator of the Cape branch of Alliance. "It was good because we were all fresh and committed to our goals. The main activity at the Alliance Française is and always will be the French classes, so we wanted to make sure to get as many students as possible. We also wanted to strengthen the cultural side."
Bel presides over the organisation of the art exhibitions, live music, dance, theatre and other cultural events.
"There were events held here before we started but on a smaller scale," she says. "I'm particularly passionate about live music so I wanted to push that. Performers have told me they like to play here because it is so intimate. It's not a pub. There is a restaurant and bar but people come here for the performance."
The venue hosts live music gigs. The most recent artists include jazz animals Babu, tango-electronica act Lorez and legendary local musos Steve Newman, Errol Dyers and Hilton Schneider.
The gallery features exhibitions on a three-week rotation which are open to the public. The cine-club offers screenings of rare and classic films. The Month of the Documentary Film is being celebrated in November.
The limited space is put to good use with intimate performances of theatrical work and dance, the most recent of which was iKapa Dance Theatre's Stadium.
A far-ranging media library contains French movies, magazines, books and music not easily found anywhere else.
And of course, there are the French lessons. They also offer English and Spanish classes.
"The cultural events to designed to facilitate cultural exchange between France, South Africa and the rest of the world," Bel says. "All of us here are passionate about what we do."
- Visit www.alliance.org.za to find out what's happening every week.