The French evening of 2017 was the usual stylish event thanks to the ever-so-brimming, ‘Dundee’s own elegant French lady’, Elisabeth Durham.
Pietermaritzburg-based Glenn Flanagan, who has pioneered the French Route over the past two decades, has ensured that the French Soirée is now an annual evening to commemorate the death in 1879 of Prince Imperial, the young French Prince who died while fighting with the British during the Anglo-Zulu War. He died in a skirmish in the Nquthu area along with two troopers.
This year’s event at Chez Nous B and B included a dash of Eastern chic thanks to the Indian dancers.
The evening was underscored by the presence of French Ambassador, Monsieur Christophe Farnaud. The regular eclectic collection of locals assembled in the ballroom of Castle Chez Nous, ranged from the Dundee Tourism management to Louis Eksteen, from Fort Amiel, and his mother, the charming Enca Eksteen, and the smiling presence of Shaughn Lake and his wife, Hetta.
On Sunday, Ambassador Farnaud accompanied a delegation to Qwe-Qwe to lay a wreath at the spot where the Prince died. The French Route has done much to assist the local school with equipment and logistics and is a fine example of how tourism can benefit a rural community.