CIOFF wide open to the world

In the beginning, during 3 years, CIOFF is in a drafting period. During the General Assembly in Madrid in 1972, incouraging results are recorded: first folklore tours are organized, France, Italy and Great Britain were collaborating.

Trusting and friendly relationship is conducive to concrete facts: CIOFF Vice Presidents manage to organize through folk groups a cultural exchange between Spain and Poland, countries having no diplomatic relations in those days.

Through the efforts of all members and particularly the President Henri Coursaget and Michel Kosinski, CIOFF is beginning to be known as a dynamic and serious organization.

In 1972, with CIOFF patronage, a first international festival of folklore is organized by Eji Yamasaki in two Japanese cities: Tokyo and Osaka. More than 200 dancers and musicians from Europe participated.

The General Assembly of 1973 has a particular importance: new countries are members (Israel and Japan). As it was held in Zakopane (Poland), representatives from a majority of socialist countries attended.

As CIOFF is growing fast, structural problems appear: initial regulations need to be updated. The basic principals remain of course adopted, but many details need to be adapted. With its new members, the mandates of the different representatives became a problem.

As we know, the organization of culture in general, and folklore in particular is quite different from a country to the other. In many of them, groups and festivals are directly linked to the government. Thus, CIOFF representatives are nominated or endorsed by the appropriate ministry (Culture, Sports, Youth). In other countries, the executive body are the national federations somehow under State control. Finally, in some countries folklore groups and events are completely private.

Countries represented in the 4th General Assembly of Zakopane in 1973

Austria, Belgium, German Democratic Republic, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Great Britain, Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Yugoslavia.

Excused: Israel, Federal Republic of Germany.

Observers: Czechoslovakia, Turkey, U.S.S.R., Romania.

Candidates: Finland, Norway, Sweden.