CIOFF®
International Council of Folklore Associations, Festivals and Folk Art
Conseil International des Organizations de Festivals de Folklore et d,Arts Traditionnels CIOFF® was established in 1970 in France. It was the initiative of eleven member states, including Poland. Michał Kosiński was a precursor of CIOFF®, as well as its activities within this organization, from its creation to 1989. He was the 1st vice-president of CIOFF®, the founder and the honorary chairman of the Polish Section of CIOFF®.
Organization from the beginning of its existenceis a member of UNESCO, currently as an official partner NGO. The structure of CIOFF® is based on the national sections that represent their countries (currently 67 + 51 associated countries). The Blue Flag with the CIOFF® emblem accompanies over 330 international festivals around the world; Each year, over 6,200 folk groups with 140,000 performers and over 10 million viewers participate in them.
POLISH CIOFF SECTION®
Polish Section of CIOFF®, acting asassociation, from the very beginning of the organizations existence, it has played a very active role in it. The richness and diversity of our folklore and its still vivid manifestations in many regions of Poland are undoubtedly allies of these activities in this respect.
They focus on issues related primarily to activities such as:
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organizing foreign exchange of folk groups, folk artists, experts, publications and information;
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selecting and recommending folk groups and specialists to participate in international CIOFF® festivals around the world, including Poland;
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substantive assistance in developing teams; programs and their stage presentation;
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initiating and co-organizing various types of events aimed at popularizing folklore and folk art;
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organizing seminars, workshops to improve the instructors of folklore groups and conferences related to the issues of folklore;
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publishing own and foreign publications and training materials; implementation of a broadly understood program of educating children and youth in the field of cultural heritage.