Today's Date:

September 2007 – June 2008

Objectives :

Our hope is that the Year of Lafayette will allow the American public to better understand the importance of France’s participation in the Revolutionary War as a defining moment in Franco-American friendship, as well as to better understand the 18 th century as a fundamental period in the history of both of our nations, in the context of the American and French revolutions.

The Year of Lafayette equally presents the opportunity to jointly pursue, in keeping with the tradition of the 18 th century, this effort to reflect on the legacy and modern-day importance of the Enlightenment. Rather than merely offering a simple series of commemorative and timely events, the year of Lafayette aims to open up a space for reflection and for Franco-American exchange through an annual seminar and conference series in the heart of the nation’s capital. And what better occasion than the 250 th anniversary of Lafayette’s birth to open up this exchange and remind us that we are, as American and French citizens, the sons of the Enlightenment.

Program of Events :

The Year of Lafayette will consist of a series of events structured around several major events that will take place between September 2007 and June 2008. The majority of these events will occur in Washington, D.C.

Lafayette Award Ceremony

The Year of Lafayette will mainly consist of (program subject to confirmation):

Each day will conclude with a reception or dinner.

For more information, please visit www.la-maison-francaise.org

Seminar on “A Symbol of Liberty: The Marquis de Lafayette”
Saturday, October 20 – Sunday, October 21, 2007

Organized in collaboration with the Tudor Place Historic House, this seminar’s objective is to explore relations between France and the United States over the course of the American Revolution, as well as the Marquis de Lafayette’s role in the War for Independence. For more information on the seminar, its schedule and its participants, please contact Tudor Place Historic House and Garden by phone at (202) 965-0400, ext. 110, or by e-mail at tmosconi@tudorplace.org.

• Concerts featuring 18 th century music at La Maison Française as well as many other venues in Washington, D.C.


• Concert featuring Café Zimmermann Ensemble

November 2, 2007 @ St John’s College, Annapolis, 8:15 pm
November 3, 2007@ the Library of Congress, 8 pm
• The screening of films related to Lafayette, the 18th century, and the Enlightenment, such as:
• Patrice Leconte’s Ridicule
• Edouard Molinaro’s Beaumarchais, L’insolent
• Jean Dreville’s Lafayette