My name is not unknown by the elders in our membership.
Yes! I am the one you already met.
After 6 years away from the Executive Board, I join again the team.
Why coming back as French-speaking Secretary after a mandate of 4 years as world President?  At first because I am a French native, but also because I never lost contact on a friendly basis with old fellows and at institutional level as being elected Vice-president of CIFTA, one of the elements contributing efficiently to the foundation of AITA/IATA, being older as founded in 1947. It is important keeping in mind that just after termination of my 4 years presidential mandate, in 2003 in Halifax, I participated, as representative of the French Centre FNCTA, to foundation of the new AITA/IATA asbl, created according Belgian law, to be registered in Belgium, the country where the ancient AITA/IATA was initially founded.  This act was a strong landmark as, beyond the important administrative fact of a legal international identity, it meant that this association was willing to simultaneously assert its diversity and its unity.  Its diversity was asserted by having 3 founders from 3 different regions, each region using as official language one the the 3 official languages of AITA/IATA asbl and also its unity as including among the 4 founders the Centre which continues to reassemble every 4 years the delegates and theatre groups from the World.
Registration in Belgium is having a consequence for our organization as the only official language which is common between Belgium and AITA/IATA asbl is French, which implies for us to take care of producing official document in good French strictly respecting our debates, which are often carried and recorded in English. A duty of the French-speaking Secretary is to make sure that the French texts are accurate. Pierre Cellario, who was also one of the founders, has fulfilled scrupulously this duty during 2 mandates but could not stand for reelection. For continuing properly the work, the needed officer has to know well the association, to practice correctly English and also (sadly) to have means or to get necessary funds for covering travel costs associated with the position. I said sadly to underline how unfortunate it is that possibility to serve as a member of Board or of Council is till depending, beyond motivation and skills, to individual’s financial situation or possibility to get financial support.  Voluntary work must be combined with patronage for allowing any individual to fulfill those functions; in my case FNCTA has been financing quite a number of my trips. Moreover, a great friend of our association who passed away beginning of this year, Guy Villers, was paying all these costs with his own money!