A French Accent

By Lavanya Ramanathan


This month, Smithsonian Associates and the local Francophonie Committee celebrate the French-speaking world with a Francophonie Festival, a series of films, concerts, parties and a seminar with representation from Mali, Switzerland, Cambodia, France and other nations. Some of the scheduled events: Wednesday, the French Embassy screens "Seuls Two," Eric Judor and Ramzy Bedia's comedy about a relentless cop whose nemesis, a burglar, has been making a fool of him -- evading capture for years. With Kristin Scott Thomas.

Wednesday, March 11. $10; Smithsonian Resident Associates, students, Cinémathèque and Alliance Française members, $8. 7 p.m. La Maison Française, Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Rd. NW. For reservations, e-mail culturel.washington-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr.
Next Friday, Malian musical prodigy Mamadou Diabaté plays the kora at the Museum of Natural History's Baird Auditorium. A kora is the 21-string West African equivalent of a harp, and Diabaté comes from a family of performers and storytellers. $22; members, $18. 7:30 p.m. Friday. National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.

The festival wraps next month with a party dedicated to the Discotheque Underground on the Mall. (If that sounds familiar, there was a similar bash that sold out in 2007.) Swiss DJ Jay Style is joined by Parisian spin-derella DJ Evâa Pearl for a Euro-themed bash in the literally underground Ripley Center.
$30; members, $25. April 3, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW.
For tickets and details about all Francophonie Festival events, call 202-633-3030 or visit http://www.residentassociates.org/ (search for Francophonie).

The New Orleans-by-way-of-Sweden pop singer is even better to see than she is to hear: She has grabbed tons of attention as a one-woman band, playing everything from drums to dulcimer, pressing all the pedals and turning all the knobs -- often with bare, nimble feet. The rising musician, touring on the release of her latest album, "Hummingbird, Go!," is at Jammin' Java tonight. $12 at the door; $10 advance. 7 p.m. Jammin' Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. 703-255-1566, Ext. 8, or http://www.jamminjava.com/.

The District
For Families Exploring
The Free Side Of Arabesque

The thousand-plus folks who saw K'Naan play the Millennium Stage last week already know: There is plenty of fabulous stuff to do at the Kennedy Center's Arab arts festival that doesn't require you to crack your wallet. Today, catch the lecture "Literature and the 'Real' Arab World" at 11 a.m. or hear "The Map of Love" author Ahdaf Soueif and other writers discuss creating Arab-themed literature in various languages at 4 p.m. Go tonight to see "Def Poetry Jam" writer Suheir Hammad's "An Evening of Breaking Poems," showcasing her Brooklyn/Palestinian style. Whenever you go, be sure to check out the exhibitions and the fantastic souk (market), filled with stunning, pricey lamps and plenty of less-pricey knickknacks from abroad. Free. Tickets for the author talks at 11 and 4 are available by phone or at the box office; the Millennium Stage show is at 6 and tickets are not required. Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. 202-467-4600 or for a full schedule, visit http://www.kennedy-center.org/.

The District
Concert Kimya Dawson: Love Her Or, Well, Don't

There can, admittedly, be a cloying childishness to Dawson's music (her old band, the Moldy Peaches, annoyed some crowds), but every now and then her songs about video games and insecurities about hipster boys can hit the spot (for some people, anyway). We know this to be true because of the comeback the Peaches' limited oeuvre experienced, thanks to the movie "Juno." But we can't help but wonder: Are listeners ready to put away childish things? It'll be up to the crowd at Dawson's show tonight at the Black Cat. Tickets are $13. 9 p.m. 1811 14th St. NW. www.blackcatdc.com or 202-397-7328.