Bonsoir to French cultural expressions in Atlanta

Highlighted by a presentation of French-speaking cartoonists from as far afield as Israel and Haiti, a Zydeco-Cajun music concert and a reading of a new play by a Quebecois playwright by an Atlanta-based French-language theater troupe, the 13th Francophonie Festival will show how varied and inclusive the French accent can be.

Nine events will unfold starting Saturday through March 31 in Midtown, Buckhead and downtown that celebrate French culture and a language spoken by 200 million people in 56 countries. Here's a flavor of what's in store ...

• French storyteller Muriel Bloch spins yarns, many set in Paris, melding sights and sounds of the city with her memories. Refreshments will be served after the show. 3 p.m. Saturday. Free. Alliance Française, 1197 Peachtree St. N.E. (Colony Square, Plaza level), Atlanta.

• Atlanta's Théâtre du Rêve presents a bilingual staged reading of excerpts from "Celles d'en Haut" ("The Women From on High") by Olivier Kemeid. A comedy set in a 1950s sanatorium on an isolated mountaintop, the play is a collaboration between artists in Atlanta, Chicago, Montreal and Brussels. French comedians also will perform. 7 p.m. March 20. Free. Alliance Theatre, 3rd floor Black Box theater, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. A meet-the-artists reception follows at Alliance Française.

• A "Night at the Museum" program offers a viewing of the High Museum of Art's "Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters" exhibit (4 p.m.) and two films (6 and 8 p.m.) on March 22. The screenings in Hill Auditorium are of "The Mystery of Picasso," a 1956 documentary showing the Spanish master creating numerous canvases; and "Katanga Business," a 2009 documentary about the multinational race to tap the wealth of mining resources in an impoverished province of the Congo. $9 for exhibition and films; free for films only. 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta.

• A cartooning workshop unites Le Monde cartoonist Plantu with three other French-speaking cartoonists -- Ali Dilem of Algeria, Michel Kichka of Israel and Jerry Boursiquot of Haiti -- at 3 p.m. March 29. The presentation is in conjunction with the United Nations freedom of expression initiative Cartooning for Peace (www.cartooningforpeace.org). Free. Alliance Française, 1197 Peachtree St. N.E. (Colony Square, Plaza level), Atlanta.

• "Back to the Bayou: New Voices in Zydeco and Cajun," a concert featuring Cedric Watson and his band Bijou Creole along with the Cajun band Feufollet, will close the Francophonie Festival at 8 p.m. March 31 at the Rialto Center for the Arts. The Grammy-nominated Watson is a fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and songwriter whose music speaks with a raucous exuberance. A reception and dance party hosted by the Atlanta Cajun Zydeco Association follows the performance. Tickets: $34-$61 (15 percent discount when ordering with the code "francophonie"). 80 Forsyth St. N.W., Atlanta.