NEW ORLEANS – Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games, join for the opening of Camille Lenain’s Photo exhibition – ONE MORE GAME – in a celebration of inclusion and diversity in sports.
These Olympics will take place from July 26 to Sept. 8 and will boast the slogan “Ouvrons grand les Jeux” (Games Wide Open).
In resonance with France’s values of equality and inclusivity, this year’s games will organize the first ever “Maison des Fiertés” (Pride House) – a space to celebrate underrepresented communities.
Here in New Orleans, the Consulate General of France and Villa Albertine will celebrate these same principles of inclusivity and sports diplomacy through the lens of photographer Camille Farrah Lenain who documented NOLA-based team “The Rougaroux”, Louisiana’s first LGBT+ and inclusive rugby team.
This series, part of a worldwide initiative created by French Photographer Emilien Buffard, “Sports Friendly,” also features players’ personal testimonies about their journeys toward the Rougaroux and how the team was a game changer in their lives. Lenain’s intimate approach highlights the joyful and stimulating environment of the field and invites the players to reflect on their own experience.
Sports are an arena for public expression of one’s identity and convictions and should serve as a space where people can convene, play, learn and exert themselves. Sports are also nothing more than a mirror of what society produces – like any other field, they remain vulnerable to discrimination against your sexual and gender identities. One More Game documents how a rugby pitch within a safe sports team can generate confidence, community and opportunities for growth. This series of poignant portraits and stories is a powerful reminder of that sentiment.
Tuesday, June 25, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Résidence de France
2406 Prytania St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
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