We’re recruiting! FILAA is looking for people for this year and next: literature, social media, graphic design, volunteering.

Join the team
Back to home 2026 guests

Their faces, their words

Writers, artists, musicians, slam poets, researchers: photographer Giorgia portrayed the guests of the first edition. Each of them then wrote a sentence by hand on their photo. Here is the series, along with the biographies of those who spoke at Montbenon.

Portraits: Giorgia (@giorgigigigia). The sentences are transcribed exactly as they were written.

Portrait of Mama Anne by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “« Ce sont des artistes du quotidien, des faiseurs de mémoire. » — Mama Anne, « Zigzag à Ziguinchor »”
Curator, filmmaker and producer

Mama Anne

« Ce sont des artistes du quotidien, des faiseurs de mémoire. » — Mama Anne, « Zigzag à Ziguinchor »

Translation: “They are everyday artists, makers of memory.” — Mama Anne, “Zigzag à Ziguinchor”

Read the biography
Portrait of Ivonne González by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Noircir Wikipédia pour une vision pluriverselle de l’humanité.”
Lawyer, artist and anti-racist activist

Ivonne González

Noircir Wikipédia pour une vision pluriverselle de l’humanité.

Translation: Blackening Wikipedia for a pluriversal vision of humanity.

Read the biography
Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Le partage de la connaissance est l’affaire de chacun.”

Le partage de la connaissance est l’affaire de chacun.

Translation: Sharing knowledge is everyone’s business.

Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “« Look at me, do I look good in the picture? »”
Bass player

« Look at me, do I look good in the picture? »

Portrait of Marie-Virginie Diop by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Afrique, sama Afrique… Berceau de l’Humanité qui nous rassemble…”
Performance “Le Mortier”

Marie-Virginie Diop

Afrique, sama Afrique… Berceau de l’Humanité qui nous rassemble…

Translation: Africa, my Africa… Cradle of Humanity that brings us together…

Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “La communauté, l’humain, l’art… voici ce que nous rappelle le festival.”
AEA

La communauté, l’humain, l’art… voici ce que nous rappelle le festival.

Translation: Community, humanity, art… this is what the festival reminds us of.

Portrait of Nétonon Noël Ndjékéry by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Voici ma profession de foi : « Une bonne histoire, ça doit faire rire et pleurer. Mais si ça fait pleurer de rire, c’est encore mieux. »”
Writer and computer scientist

Nétonon Noël Ndjékéry

Voici ma profession de foi : « Une bonne histoire, ça doit faire rire et pleurer. Mais si ça fait pleurer de rire, c’est encore mieux. »

Translation: Here is my credo: “A good story should make you laugh and cry. But if it makes you cry with laughter, even better.”

Read the biography
Portrait of L’Indomptable by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Poétique, ludique, pédagogique : vive le slam !”
Slam poetry

L’Indomptable

Poétique, ludique, pédagogique : vive le slam !

Translation: Poetic, playful, educational: long live slam!

Portrait of Sonagnon by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “« Demain est un jour meilleur. »”
Singer

Sonagnon

« Demain est un jour meilleur. »

Translation: “Tomorrow is a better day.”

Portrait of Alioune Agbo by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Superbe journée, superbe musique, superbes rencontres.”
Guitarist for Marie Virginie Diop’s performance.

Alioune Agbo

Superbe journée, superbe musique, superbes rencontres.

Translation: A superb day, superb music, superb encounters.

Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Hommage à une femme extraordinaire. « Personne – quel que soit son degré – ne voit jamais le sommet de son crâne. Pour y voir clair, vient toujours un moment où l’on a besoin de l’aide d’un tiers. » Tradition orale peule”

Hommage à une femme extraordinaire. « Personne – quel que soit son degré – ne voit jamais le sommet de son crâne. Pour y voir clair, vient toujours un moment où l’on a besoin de l’aide d’un tiers. » Tradition orale peule

Translation: A tribute to an extraordinary woman. “No one – whatever their rank – ever sees the top of their own head. To see clearly, there always comes a moment when we need the help of another.” Fula oral tradition

Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Sabar ba Lausanne, en d’autres termes voyageons au rythme de la percussion.”
Percussionist

Sabar ba Lausanne, en d’autres termes voyageons au rythme de la percussion.

Translation: Sabar ba Lausanne — in other words, let’s travel to the rhythm of the drum.

Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “« Love est la solution. »”

« Love est la solution. »

Translation: “Love is the solution.”

Portrait of Daniska Tampise Klebo by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Bolingo (amour). Bolingo ya motema (l’amour du cœur).”
Writer

Daniska Tampise Klebo

Bolingo (amour). Bolingo ya motema (l’amour du cœur).

Translation: Bolingo (love). Bolingo ya motema (love from the heart).

Read the biography
Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Le dialogue, le partage et le vivre-ensemble.”

Le dialogue, le partage et le vivre-ensemble.

Translation: Dialogue, sharing and living together.

Portrait of  by Giorgia.
AEA

Portrait of Christine Le Quellec Cottier by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “« Qui de nous deux inventa l’autre ? » Paul Éluard”
Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of Lausanne (UNIL)

Christine Le Quellec Cottier

« Qui de nous deux inventa l’autre ? » Paul Éluard

Translation: “Which of us two invented the other?” Paul Éluard

Portrait of  by Giorgia. Handwritten sentence: “Écrire sans maudire, les mots dire. S’exprimer, faire sonner, malaxer les sons & slamer.”
Slam poetry collective

Écrire sans maudire, les mots dire. S’exprimer, faire sonner, malaxer les sons & slamer.

Translation: To write without cursing, to speak the words. To express oneself, to make it ring, to knead the sounds & to slam.

Read the biography
Also featured

More voices from 2026

Biographies of guests whose portrait has not been published (yet).

Want to read their books?

Find our guests’ books and the FILAA bookshop’s favourites.