Ideology through gastronomy: la Fête de l’Humanité 2022
During the weekend of the 9th-11th September 2022, 400,000 visitors from around the world made the pilgrimage to Brétigny-sur-Orge Air Base, Île de France, to attend France’s most popular festival, la Fête de l’Humanité.
Whilst open to people of any ideological persuasion, the aim of the annual event is to fundraise for L’Humanité, a daily far-left French newspaper, created in 1905 by socialist Jean Jaurès. First held in 1930, the festival is a mix of politics, entertainment and community spirit. It is relatively inexpensive, costing just 35 euros for a three-day ticket which provides access to concerts, exhibitions, and debates led by prominent leftist politicians, activists, and NGO workers. There is also a book room and activities for children. The festival is completely run by volunteers, the majority of whom align themselves with communist ideology. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, and Iggy Pop have performed at la Fête de l’Humanité and well-known figures have also made appearances, namely, Angela Davis in 1973 and Nelson Mandela in 1996.
One of the elements at the forefront of the festival is its gastronomy. Large food tents line the former Air Force base, boasting some of France’s finest cuisine: seafood from Loire-Atlantique, snails from Bourgogne, Alsatian Flammenkeueche and choice rib steak and wine from Bordeaux. There are also dishes from France’s overseas territories, such as accras et boudin créole (fried salted cod and creole sausage) from Réunion, as well as dishes from Vietnam, the Maghreb, Argentina, and Lebanon.
The culinary artists and vendors behind the dishes and products are also volunteers. Their motivations are not commercial but ideological, recognising the power of cuisine to bring people together. Eating with others has been shown to be tied to social boundaries by creating a sense of camaraderie and promoting higher levels of cooperation. Festival-goers eat their meals in communal spaces which creates a familial atmosphere and encourages healthy discussion, as well as the exchange and sharing of cultures. Such displays of solidarity and brotherhood are historically one of the key bases of communism and contrast heavily with the right-wing’s emphasis on individualism.
The event’s harmonious essence is to be applauded as it effectively uses art and culture to create a safe space for debate and community. With France’s rise of right-wing politicians such as Éric Zemmour, as well as the gains made by Marine Le Pen in the most recent presidential election, a united leftist front nurtured through festivities seems to be of more value than ever.
Naturally, core leaders of new left-wing alliance NUPES were present at la Fête de l’Humanité 2022 in order to spur on their comrades. There’s no doubt that the gastronomical element of the festival can only have been complementary to the overtly political ones.
However, did the Fête de l’Humanité bite off more than it could chew this year? Despite the jubilee of celebrations, there was much controversy surrounding the traditional invitation of the Chinese Communist Party to the festival. Its presence was protested by activists who denounced Beijing’s oppression against Uyghurs, a Turkish ethnic group, and other Muslim groups who are reported to be facing genocide and internment in camps by the Chinese government.
Whilst the festival is an effective way of uniting leftists, encouraging discussion, and appreciating culture, particularly through cuisine, l’Humanité needs to be wary of who it invites to the (dinner) table. Whilst the socialist newspaper has not yet commented on the controversy, to be seen aligning oneself with a country under suspicion of genocide is highly problematic and will undeniably lead to a tarnished reputation.
Image courtesy of Fête de l'Humanité via Wikimedia, ©2019, some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
