In this crisis that’s far from over, we’re still going through it. It’s getting better thanks to the vaccines, a real government that tackled the problem as it should have been doing for a much longer time and also, your efforts, ladies and gents - you’re doing your job. But it’s not over yet. We have to keep the pace. It really looks we’re down to the last stretch, but let’s not forget that it’s not over.

In this crisis, there were several silver linings.

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Let’s never forget that it was a dramatic disaster that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. alone. But there were some good things that came out of this crisis: we were able to spend more times with our kids, to take care a little better of ourselves, to cook (I bet my banana bread is better than yours), and to speak French much better.

In the next Rendez-vous d’Amérique, we have a short story announcing Jean-Louis Aubert’s next virtual concert. A concert we’ll have access to from everywhere, and it’s not at all the only concert with a French artist to which we have access. It seems that during the crisis, thanks to the virtual tools, cultural barriers have exploded.

It’s pretty easy to watch on your computer a French play, an opera in French, a concert with a singer from Quebec, a popular Belgian TV show, a one-man (or woman)-show in French (I did spend hours watching Blanche Gardin’s show on the net. She’s crazy funny), a ballet from a Swiss company or a film from the Ivory Coast (I’m talking here of the incredible Night of The Kings by Philippe Lacôte. It’s on Virtual Cinema here, don’t miss it).

There was the radio too. With the Alexa or Google Home that appeared in a lot of our homes, we could listen to French radio all day long.

Add that to our daily dose of TV5MONDE (yeah, don’t forget about us, we’ve been doing the job for years and years now), and you could have a home that speaks French all day long…

I’m pretty sure that when all this craziness is over, some people will speak a much better French in America. What was I saying at the beginning, oh, yeah; “À quelque chose, malheur est bon”…

To learn more about Jean-Louis Aubert’s next virtual concert and other cultural events both virtual and in-person, tune in to Rendez-vous d’Amérique on TV5MONDE USA. Click here for more information.

Exploring cultural diversity through music, travel, and beyond, Rendez-vous d'Amérique invites you on a journey to discover Francophone culture in America. Your host on this cultural experience is Didier Allouch - reporter, cinephile, and a familiar face on the red carpet. Click here to learn how you can subscribe to TV5MONDE USA and never miss an episode!