"My dearest dream is for an internationality of poems and poets binding the lands of the earth closer than all treaties and diplomacy" Walt Whitman

Les Voix de la Méditerranée 17 – 25 July 2010

Steeped in balmy, sun drenched July in the Languedoc, the 13th festival of “Les Voix de la Méditerranée” transformed Lodève into a vast stage where music and poetry reading resounded all day long. For 10 whole days this little medieval town, nestled at the feet of the Massif Central, hosted a mix of 80; poets, musicians, dancers, mimes and publishers from over 20 countries from around the Mediterranean Sea.

The shade of its narrow streets offered coolness at cafés terraces, by the cloister of the medieval cathedral or near a disused 'Four à pain'. More respite from the heat was to be found in the shallow waters of the Soulondre River, as well as in deckchairs and hammocks under the scented trees of La Mégisserie Garden. Wherever one turned, hundreds of visitors sat dreaming, dozing, picnicking, all transported into another world by the voices of poets, actors & the sound of musical instruments.

Musicians, dancers, mimes and jugglers adorned every street corner, while streets were lined with stalls where local publishers sold books. Poems written by famous poets and ordinary people alike were used to decorate doors. Some were even written by local children. The town’s museum ‘Musée Fleury’, launched a stunning exhibition of paintings by the group of Post-Impressionist avant-garde artists known as “Les Nabis”... who set the pace for fine arts and graphic arts in France in the 1890s.

Poetry readings were interpreted by their authors in their mother tongue: Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Occitan, Maltese or French to name but a few. Then, actors would read the translation into French either before or afterward the original version. At the end of each performance, the public was invited to ask questions or share their feelings with the performers.

With the programme in hand and the help of a map, we could choose day after day to attend a series of events while ambling slowly from one spot to the other. Each day followed a similar pattern. The first event in the day took place outside a café with “Petit-déjeuner au café” at 10am. We listened to two or three poets being interviewed and questioned by a presenter and the public in between the readings.

Later in the morning people gathered in the cloister to listen to Bernard Noël the renowned 80 years-old French poet. The latter read different extracts of his works every day. The place was always full and the public sat everywhere in the stairs or on the floor. Many even stood for the whole hour.

Around lunch time there was another presentation in the stunning building of O Marches du Palais exhibiting the works of local artists. The readings accompanied by music were followed by tastings of local wines and specialties in a very convivial atmosphere. We would then walk back to the main square to enjoy a salad or a sandwich at the “Saveurs du Sud”, a little restaurant under the trees, while watching the pigeons bathe in the fountain and listening to the soft familiar noise of the cicadas.

The afternoon offered a well attended “Sieste musicale” where the participants relaxed in a deckchair or a hammock in the shade to the sounds of soothing music; an ideal opportunity to gather a little energy away from the scorching heat, ready for more activities into the night.

The next popular venue was the river for a “Lecture au gré de l’onde” where rows of chairs were aligned and people could listen to the poets sitting on the bank, while wriggling their toes blissfully in the clear cold water… The rest of the day went on in a similar fashion until the evening.

After a couple of days, people’s faces became familiar and there were easy, friendly exchanges between the participants. We began to feel close to some poets that we had met several times and listening to them became an amazing insightful experience. Hearing so many languages and discovering so many cultures in such a gentle, enjoyable fashion, brought us all together.

The fact that all this was available to all ages and for free, with such generosity and human warmth, was quite simply overwhelming.

Our thanks and gratitude go to the people of Lodève who supported the festival with such kindness and simplicity.